Themes

The White Devil is a tragedy about murder and lust designed to entertain
audiences. It is also a moral play about the darker aspects of human
nature. The characters demonstrate some of the less-than-honorable
sides of both private and social life, including the human tendencies to
value emotion over reason, place ambition ahead of morality, trust
surface appearances, and slide into corruption.

Emotion Versus Reason

From the beginning of the play Brachiano is set up as the prime example
of acting on emotion and throwing reason to the winds. He engages in an
affair with Vittoria under her husband's roof. Furthermore he allows
Zanche to witness the affair. He makes no effort to hide his plans from
Zanche as he prepares to murder Isabella and Camillo, as evidenced by
the ease with which the servant discovers his culpability. It never crosses
Brachiano's mind that she might use this knowledge against him. Time
and again in the play Brachiano allows his emotions to drive his
decisions, and this impulsive behavior often turns to his detriment.
He nearly sacrifices his relationship with Vittoria in a fit of jealousy.
With no evidence other than a single love letter, he condemns her as a
"stately and advanced whore." He defended her honor during her trial
and dared any man to call Vittoria a whore but now he uses the same
insult. His rage blinds him to reason. Vittoria tries to defend her virtue
through logic to no avail. He only listens to her when she makes her own
dramatic display of passion. Emotion has much more of an influence on
him than fact. It is no wonder that Francisco is able to manipulate his
feelings with ease and drive him to ruin.
Francisco exists on the other end of the spectrum and therefore acts as a
foil to Brachiano. The Duke of Florence is not without emotion, as
proven by his response to his sister's death. However, he is much more
adept at holding his feelings in check. Monticelso urges Francisco to kill
Brachiano in Act 4 Scene 1. Francisco meanwhile weighs the pros and
cons of taking immediate action. He is blazing with anger inside but he
recognizes the wisdom of caution. The Duke remarks, "He that deals all
by strength, his wit is shallow." People who act on impulse and trust in
brute force to see them through are easily defeated by cunning. If
Francisco wishes to destroy not only Brachiano but all his conspirators,
he will need to shift the playing field from emotion to reason. Brachiano
has the advantage of rash passion but Francisco has the edge when it
comes to cold calculation.

Ambition
Flamineo, Monticelso, and Marcello all fall prey to their ambition in The
White Devil. They sacrifice their honor to expand their influence. For the
most part Monticelso and Marcello manage to dress their ambition in the
guise of more socially acceptable goals. Monticelso disguises his
ambition as a selfless concern for the Catholic Church's future and the
soul of his country. He treats his elevation to Pope as a sign of God's
favor and ignores all the clawing and fighting he had to do to get to the
top. Marcello helps Brachiano and Flamineo because their social
progress will hopefully benefit him as well. However, he pretends that
he is motivated by loyalty.
Flamineo is the only person to openly acknowledge his goals. In Act 4
Scene 2 he comments, "Knaves do grow great by being great men's
apes." He willingly plays the part of the fool to flatter Brachiano's ego
and dissolve the tension between Brachiano and Vittoria. He knows that
such behavior is beneath him but it will hopefully increase his own
power down the line. Flamineo recognizes that he is not a member of a
powerful family. Since he has no real influence of his own the best way
to achieve advancement is to attach himself to someone who is both
powerful and foolish enough to accept the help of a shameless ladder
climber.
After Brachiano dies Flamineo mourns his loss of influence more than
the loss of a friend. He complains, "here's an end of all my harvest; he
has given me nothing." His so-called friend has died scarce moments
before and he has already moved on to calculating his own future.
Flamineo's behavior shows his priorities. He stayed by Brachiano's side
because Brachiano represented the best chance of gaining money and
power. Now that Brachiano is gone he has to find a new way to secure
his fortune. The same behavior is echoed by all of Brachiano's
followers. Lodovico predicted this outcome even as Brachiano died. He
told the poisoned Duke that he would be "forgotten / Before the funeral
sermon." Brachiano surrounded himself with people who shared his
ambition, and as a result, he is abandoned as soon as his influence
vanishes.

Appearances Versus Reality

The White Devil is filled with examples of characters hiding their true
natures either through lies or actual disguises. Some of the characters are
more successful at dissembling than others. Brachiano tries to embody
the image of an honorable noble but the majority of the people around
him are perfectly aware of his true nature. His emotions betray his
petulant, impulsive side. He does not understand that actions are needed
in addition to words to maintain a successful disguise. Francisco accuses
him in Act 2 Scene 1 of neglecting his duties as Duke of Brachiano: "We
send unto the duke for conference / 'Bout levies 'gainst the pirates; my
lord duke / Is not at home." He continues, "we come ourself in person; /
Still my lord duke is busied." Brachiano tries to laugh off these
accusations but his behavior has already ruined his reputation.
Francisco by contrast is adept at hiding his intentions. In Padua he
spends time in close proximity to Brachiano without Brachiano ever
knowing. All he has to do is dress as a Moor, and Brachiano is unable to
discern his true identity. Flamineo and Marcello are similarly deceived.
Part of the reason Francisco's disguise is so successful is because he has
already established a reputation as an honest man. Francisco is known
for his candor. When he does deceive those around him he wraps his real
intentions in half-truths. He learns about his intended targets'
weaknesses and then capitalizes on them. For example Francisco wants
Brachiano and Vittoria to go to Padua so that he can kill them without
involving his people in a war. He knows that Brachiano is a spiteful
individual so he sends a fake letter asking Vittoria to run away with him
to Padua. As expected Brachiano steals the plan as a final insult against
Francisco. He never imagines that Francisco might be manipulating him.
Flamineo and Francisco share one important quality. They both expect
everyone around them to be inconstant. Flamineo describes Brachiano's
friends as "the shadows of princes' bodies; the least thick cloud makes
them invisible." Unlike Brachiano he believes that all people are
ultimately deceptive and self-motivated. This is one of the reasons he
kills his own brother. He does not trust Marcello to watch his back and
he is determined to drive the knife in first. Francisco holds the same
cynical perspective toward his own allies. Monticelso promises to help
him avenge Isabella, and even then Francisco refuses to reveal all of his
plans. When Monticelso leaves the room in the first scene of Act 4,
Francisco remarks, "I will not trust thee, but in all my plots / I'll rest as
jealous as a town besieg'd." He is well aware that he is surrounded by
liars which is why he wins and Brachiano loses.

Corruption
The White Devil is not a play about a just individual calling the wicked
to task. Everyone in the play is flawed. Brachiano betrays his vows to
his wife and murders Camillo after pretending to be his
friend. Vittoria knows that her relationship with Brachiano will stir up
conflict between the noble houses but she decides satisfying her own
desires are more important than maintaining the peace. She is well aware
that Brachiano murdered her husband and his own wife but she still
decides to run away with him. Even Monticelso who is supposed to be
one of God's representatives is linked with corrupt behavior.
In Act 2 Scene 2 the conjurer suggests that corruption is contagious. He
informs Brachiano, "You have won me by your bounty to a deed / I do
not often practise." The conjurer believes he is above the charlatans who
use their magic for money and yet he is willing to be involved in a
murder to line his own pockets. Webster uses the characters in The
White Devil to show that everyone is vulnerable to corruption. Some
like Flamineo trade their honor for promises of social elevation, while
others like Marcello give in to outside pressure because they do not want
to lose their allies. Most of the characters eventually pay for their flaws
but a few like Monticelso escape unscathed.