The Duchess of Malfi as a Revenge Tragedy by John Webster

 

The Duchess of Malfi as a Revenge Tragedy by John Webster

The Lady of Malfi” by John Webster (1580 – 1632), an English Jacobean writer, could be a kind of Revenge tragedy. It is considered one of the best plays of Webster. As a Revenge Tragedy, it is the best tragedy after Shakespeare's Revenge Tragedy. This play contains extreme violence, plotting, and mostly revenge on the best part. These are the chief elements of revenge tragedy. The Duchess of Malfi contains elements of revenge tragedy from the beginning to the end. But, if we want to consider The Duchess of Malfi as a Revenge Tragedy, we need to know the definition of a revenge tragedy with its major conventions.

A revenge tragedy is a tragedy in which the tragic calamity is caused by the pursuit and accomplishment of revenge.

The characteristics of Revenge Tragedy are:

1. The story should center on characters of noble birth.

2. The narrative should involve complex plotting.

3. There should be murders

4. presence of the supernatural,

5. An avenging hero

6. There should be a desire for revenge.

7. The plot should involve physical horrors.

8. Order should be restored at the end of the play.

9. The presence of supernatural elements

10. Brutal human impulses is the essential subject matter.

However, Seneca is considered to be one who established the revenge play tradition. Horrors and violence predominated in the Senecan tragedies. Thomas Kyd brought the revenge tragedy tradition to English drama with his play "The Spanish Tragedy". Later the tradition was practiced by other playwrights before as well as after John Webster.

The Duchess of Malfi as a Revenge Tragedy:

The Duchess of Malfi contains all the elements of Revenge Tragedy discussed above. Let's see these elements.

Actually, this drama contains many elements of horrors or which may be classified as a melodrama. From the start to the end of this drama, there are a lot of elements of horrors. The last two acts of the play have enough of them. However melodramatic episodes are seen earlier too. The Duke to frighten the noblewoman Duchess provides a dead man’s hand to her and she kisses it taking it to be the Duke's hand. The unruly dance of the madmen before the Duchess, the appearance of Bosola as a tomb makes and a bellman. So, the appearance of the executioners with bell and core in the procession is intended to make horror. Later, horror is mentioned within the series of murders committee by Bosola. The last horror comes when Julia is poisoned in the most cold-blooded manner. Antonio is murdered and Ferdinand, Cardinal, and Bosola all meet their death at the end. So, there are ten murders.

Moreover, the Cardinal and Ferdinand are target-hunting by their excessive passion for taking revenge on their sister. She violates the ethical code of life. A widow injures the family tradition, standing, and pride. As she makes love with Antonio and married him. Once Bosola reveals this marriage below rank. The two brothers go mad and crazy for taking revenge on the Lady. In this drama, we discover people taking revenge and are murdering others. But Webster sets his play in a very different manner. The revenge and murders are in a different manner from the normal manner. Duchess tolerates the severe sufferings of Bosola. Bosola says:

"You may discern the share of loveliness,

More perfect in her tears than in the smile."

Again, we have seen a lot of a love affair between the Duchess and Antonio. Finally, they marry each other and they produce some children. The Cardinal and Duke Ferdinand get angry hearing the news of the secret marriage and their children. They think the Duchess has destroyed the reputation, status, and honor of their family. The Cardinal says,

"Shall our blood,

The royal blood of Arragon and Castile, Be thus attained?”

So, they don't want to destroy the family's reputation and want to kill her. Ferdinand flies into rages and cannot control himself. The Cardinal feels angry too but he remains quiet. The Cardinal rebukes Ferdinand for his lack of self-control. Here Ferdinand says,

“I’ll find scorpions to string my whips,

And fix her in a general eclipse".

In addition, The Duchess of Malfi differs in many ways from traditional revenge play. It is unclear why revenge is taken on the Duchess. Her only fault is that she has married below rank and status person. Thus the two brothers think, she has disgraced the family. She has not committed any heinous crime for which she is subjected to unjustified. Bosola is ready for killing Duchess. So, he wants to know the reaction of the Duchess. Duchess replies the following ways-

“I know death hath ten thousand several doors

For men to take their exits; and 'tis found

They go on such strange geometrical hinges,

You may open them both ways: anyway, for heaven-sake”

Hence their revenge is not a wild kind of justice but monstrous wrong. Ferdinand gives her the command. He had threatened to use it in the play's first scene.

Ferdinand says-

"Die, then quickly."

Yet, avenge is a crucial aspect of a revenge tragedy. After the loss of the life of the Duchess, Ferdinand all at once experiences surprising remorse. He rebukes Bosola for no longer having antagonistic his order to homicide the Duchess. Bosola accuses him of ingratitude and needs the promised reward. But Ferdinand addresses him as a villain because of killing his sister.

Now Bosola is in a role to comprehend his misdeeds and feels mercy for the Duchess. He desires that he should undo what he has carried out and he decides to avenge the death of the Duchess. He enters the room with an intention to kill the Cardinal. He enters his room and kills Antonio by using mistaking him for the Cardinal. Bosola then proceeds to fulfill the Cardinal and kill him. When he stabs the Cardinal, he shouts for help. 

Now, Bosola is in a role to comprehend his misdeeds and feels mercy for the Duchess. He desires that he should undo what he has carried out and he decides to avenge the death of the Duchess.  He enters the room with an intention to kill the Cardinal. He enters his room and kills Antonio by using mistaking him for the Cardinal. Bosola then proceeds to fulfill the Cardinal and kill him. When he stabs the Cardinal, he shouts for help. On his crying, Ferdinand enters the space and provides mortal wounds both to Bosola and so the Cardinal. Bosola in return stabs Ferdinand. Thus the villains, Ferdinand, the Cardinal, and Bosola meet their doom at the top of the play.

To conclude we will say that The Duchess of Malfi may be a perfect revenge tragedy. There is no denying the very fact that Webster raises the first theme of revenge to a better plan. The Duchess is the principal victim of tragedy in this play. The play closes with some of the noblest lines:

"Integrity of life is fame's best friend, 

which nobody, beyond death, shall crown in the end."