Strategic Failures of the Duchess in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi: A Case Study

Farhiba Ferdous

doi:10.53103/cjess.v5i6.414

Authors

Farhiba Ferdous International Islamic University Chittagong, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v5i6.414

Keywords:

Bosola, Cardinal, The Duchess, Ferdinand, Conspiracy Theory

Abstract

This article investigates the portrayal of a female ruler, the Duchess, presented in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfii. It tries to show the socio-political status of women in early seventeenth-century England through Webster’s art of characterization and plot construction. It aims to demonstrate the tyrannical abuse of power by the Duchess’ brothers Ferdinand and the Cardinal, the social anxiety and the realities of the Jacobean court where intense plotting, intrigue, corruption were very common. It also depicts the Patriarchal society structure where women were treated as property, the intense pressure on women was applied frequently to conform to male expectations and the severe consequences for those who defied them were very common. The paper will examine the Duchess’s remarriage to her steward, Antonio, which symbolizes her defiance against class boundaries and will explore the answers of the research questions of this paper, that is, what personal flaws of the Duchess or what strategic failures of the Duchess contribute to her strangulation and final doom. This article applies the theory of conspiracy to find out the answers.

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