the duchess of malfi a play john webster

In real life, as in Webster's play, their marraige was successfully concealed for some years. Fearing the wrath of her brothers Lodovico who had resigned his title of Marquis of Gerace to become a Cardinal and Carlo (Webster's Ferdinand) who had succeeded it, she married Antonio in secret, with her waiting woman as the sole witness to the ceremony. The young widow fell quickly and passionately in love with Antonio. Upon Frederico's death, Antonio returned to Naples where he was offered the post of major-domo in the household of the Duchess of Malfi, who herself was of the Royal House of Aragon. He became major-domo to Frederico, the state's last Aragonian king and followed his master into exile in France. Antonio Bologna who came of a reputable family was brought up in the court of Naples. The Duchess was able to pay off debts incurred by her husband and live prosperously.

He, indeed, loads his scene with horrors almost past the point which modern taste can bear but the intensity of his dramatic situations, and his superb power of flashing in a single line a light into the recesses of the human heart at the crises of supreme emotion, redeems him from mere sensationalism, and places his best things in the first rank of dramatic writing.Despite French and Spanish invasions, the state flourished. Four plays exist which he wrote alone, 'The White Devil,' 'The Duchess of Malfi,' 'The Devil's Law-Case,' and 'Appius and Virginia.'Webster's tragedies come toward the close of the great series of tragedies of blood and revenge, in which 'The Spanish Tragedy' and 'Hamlet' are landmarks, but before decadence can fairly be said to have set in. The dates 1580-1625 given for his birth and death are conjectural inferences, about which the best that can be said is that no known facts contradict them.The first notice of Webster so far discovered shows that he was collaborating in the production of plays for the theatrical manager, Henslowe, in 1602, and of such collaboration he seems to have done a considerable amount. In any case, it portrays with a terrible vividness one side of the court life of the Italian Renaissance and its picture of the fierce quest of pleasure, the recklessness of crime, and the worldliness of the great princes of the Church finds only too ready corroboration in the annals of the time.Of John Webster's life almost nothing is known. It is based on a story in Painter's 'Palace of Pleasure,' translated from the Italian novelist, Bandello and it is entirely possible that it has a foundation in fact. 'The Duchess of Malfi' was published in 1623, but the date of writing may have been as early as 1611.

The duchess of malfi a play john webster