176 before it was published in 1623 aie Duchess of Mal, General cong 2 Ty Webster's masterpiece, it tells the story of a ered mattis against the wishes of hee power ora doy be of sre of revenge The tating violence, se Blo tists, the mysterious motives ofthe heel calm strength ofthe Duchesshave made The Ben ang a subject for fierce debate for Pundits oh of Mae reviewers have loved orhated the play, wih se, Tere hd The Duchess of Malf is considered one of Wey, {estes warks and one of the canonial work” tama, tis also roundly ercized as being wey and illogical. In his thorough overview ne centuries of ctcsm, John Webster and Iie Cr Don D. Moore wits that there ma Webster “whose plays have received pad in whos cites have bean ove among teen ‘whether the writer was due pase or excoraton en ‘The Duchess story is based on actual events thay pee in Italy inthe ent siteenth century, Welw ved elements of his story from eral a, ‘Willan Fainer’s popular cllection of ence Pleasure (156-1567) and Si Philp (1590) and also bo Tragedy tation, his own themes Under the tte thers, ster, Of Jacoben® k confugs re than eh tics Le17qg¢® y Beno one other wo a more varied = 22 including ame let Othello, Ford's Tis Pity She's Whore) and poly snbedy (Macbeth, King Lear, Marlowe's Edward I). Cre cacy, Rout the ways Webster presents the Duchens a 7 ions f ‘Malfi gives us a glimpse into the politics of 4 Da Menish mace scl moby, andthe Fee ee ae reaction to Webs work a th ish é titudes of seventeenth century Engl ai a vivid poral of facobean jetyi Me tionship with women, and outlines the norms eae the feedom of women, and thes 0g marrage, ro any in England. or etn ta ate ie pon jes mirrors at least to real ife cases Orb oft rte the fictitious Duchess’ situation in tion 10 core plight sheds even more lighten eons of aa ‘both in and outside the contin vwomet to, and as, property, sepa rat san gee Pt iain ond warspors ust can aio tach us about the neta the tes of tbl wane, and sot he Engi ems tational ge tea z ae Duchess of Mais ostensibly a tory of estes of ‘Noes toe constained by (ale) author. While bet Serer de lel ot arty AE ry yal nae Lay in my way wt ti scl hope gear ian aoe does marry (soon afte), she not only mart ene ara range tamer aaa eke Seen chen prea sw tears = Ae rom oa ing ae eager tight back, 1 preven het as Toren her new husband, who is already 42° wets entree sree th te ow wih cal duchy and with faaies other brothers mus cme astro eo a tae ithe ay #8 ‘means to restrain78 the question (or pro a 7 t stion (or pr ‘ : (or problem) of a widow's , and power and h my independena how they can nd setae by male authority. At issue too fn mor Sama Grae slang and the kind of voice pe igh in pat The Duchess of Mall dian 8th rama ‘men can do to women, at its core is rathe He Wy women, at its core is : 5 s rather what wec® Wha, That the duchess will acton her wil given her inl aides What spe eau however ir 1utonomy as to satis! a staan ea hl that gh to rey = mips On te ater nce Segara nde close cove, When the “deadly ait (Hts ageakY ‘Scnisous pon (147 actualy aprons 28 honour, and herbrahers she procs he inane {ace of the suspecting Ferdinand, she denies the mu shim that she will marry only “Tor ey ah (1.48). Pretending to be deeply woubled yee ; a