The Duchess of Malfi - Character Summary :: English Literature

The Duchess of Malfi - Character succinctThe birds that live i th fieldOn the wild benefit of nature, liveHappier than we for they whitethorn choose their mates,And carol their sweet pleasures to the spring.The Duchess of Malfi (3.5.18-21)The Duchess of Malfi Character SummaryA widow, the duchess rules her duchy alone. Lonely and in love, shesecretly marries her steward Antonio. This is done in a hand-fastmarriage witnessed by Cariola, the Duchess hand-maiden. By choosingto get married Antonio in secret, the Duchess neglects her duty to herpeople. When she begins get pregnant and giving birth, her peopledenounce her as a strumpet. They thence lose their respect for theirleader. The pilgrims in Act 4 (when the Duchess and her family ar inLoreto at the religous shrine) are the only disinterested parties inthe play. They are withal the only disinterested commoners.back to top.Thats the greatest torture souls feel in hell,In hell that they must live, and laughingstocknot die.The Du chess of Malfi (4.1.70-71)Women as RulersWomen rulers and the circumstances they deal with are very much unlikemen rulers and their situations. The women must worry close societyspropensities, their own feelings, and the welfare of their people. Itis much more difficult to be a woman in power than to be a man inpower. The choices women rulers make cannot be only for themselves,and one wrong decision can spell disaster. Interested in womenscourtly power and influence?A count Hes a mere stick of sugar-candy,You may look quite an through him. When I chooseA husband, I will marry for your honor.The Duchess of Malfi (3.1.43-45)The Real-life Duchess of Malfi Queen ElizabethQueen Elizabeth I ruled over England alone. She never married,choosing to hold instead that she was married to her country. Bydoing this, Elizabeth retained her authority and she was not disregardedbehind the name of a man. In spite of this, though, or peradventure becauseof it, she endeared herself to her people. The Duchess, choosing love,chooses her downfall. The Queen Elizabeth, choosing duty (her throne),chooses the path to immortality.I am acquainted with perturbing misery,As the tanned galley-slave is with his oar.Necessity makes me suffer constantly,And custom makes it easy.The Duchess of Malfi (4.2.27-30)The Duchess and FerdinandIncest, as a motive, was used extensively in various Elizabethan/Jacobean plays including Hamlet, A King & No King, and Tis PityShes a Whore. Incest is merely implied in The Duchess of Malfibecause the pass over nature of the play does not allow it to become anabsolute.