2/19/13



     First off, I want to state how difficult reading The Duchess of Malfi is compared to Twelfth Night. I don't exactly know why, but it is more difficult to understand than Twelfth Night. As we know, Twelfth Night was an Elizabethan play, but The Duchess of Malfi is a Jacobean play. These types of plays are similar since both have drama, but the main difference is who was ruling when the play came out(http://www.gcseessays.com/essays643249.htm). An Elizabethan play premiered during Queen Elizabeth I's reign, while the Jacobean plays premiered during King James I's reign. The plays usually have something to do with the politics of the day or the ruling family. It seemed many of the plays during the elizabethan play reign were happier plays than the jacobean play reign.



John Webster
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     The Duchess of Malfi is a great way help show the meaning behind Sir Thomas Wyatt's two poems. When Antonio and the Duchess marry, they keep it secret otherwise his life would be in danger. It seemed like Bosola is sneaking around in order to get dirt on someone in order to further his own status. It seems as if in order to stay in court, you can trust no one. Even Antonio found it hard to trust Delio with the news of his marriage. It would seem like in the courts of old, that one had to only focus on their own lives and had to try to discredit others.

     When Ferdinand found out about the Duchess having a child, he was angry. He even stated that he wanted to kill the person responsible. This shows just how the power in a court can work. All it would take is for him to say kill this person and guess what would happen. That person would die. This shows that in order to survive in court, one must stay on the good side of the people ranked above them.