The Duchess of Malfi

The Duchess of Malfi is a macabre, tragic play, written by the English dramatist John Webster and first performed in 1614 at the Globe Theatre in London. It is loosely based on true events that occurred between about 1508 and 1513, recounted in William Painter's The Palace of Pleasure (1567). The play is also thought by some to represent the tragic circumstances surrounding Lady Arbella Stuart, who, like the Duchess, saw her clandestine marriage in 1610 sabotagued by a powerful family member, in Stuart's case King James I. It begins as a love story, with a Duchess who marries beneath her class, and ends as a nightmarish tragedy as her two brothers exact their revenge, destroying themselves in the process.

Related Topics:
Tragic - Play - English - John Webster - 1614 - Globe Theatre - London - 1508 - 1513 - William Painter - 1567 - Arbella Stuart

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The play is sometimes ridiculed by modern critics for the excessive violence and horror in its later scenes. Nevertheless, the complexity of some of its characters, particularly Bosola and the Duchess, and Webster's poetic language, give it a continuing interest, and it is still performed in the 21st century.

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