num_pages: 92
description: "John Webster's first independent play, The White Devil, originally performed in 1612, centres on the beautiful Vittoria Corombona and her lover, Duke Brachiano, whose passionate, adulterous affair unleashes the powerful revenge of their enemies. While clearly guilty of lust and murder, these unsavoury characters become startlingly heroic under pressure, challenging both conventional moral judgements and oppressive social forces."This revised student edition contains a lengthy new introduction with background on the author, date and sources, theme, critical interpretation and stage history. The introduction discusses Webster's radical experimentation with tragic modes, his interest in the heroic potential of women, and evaluates the handling of both in recent stage productions.
language: English
title: The White Divel
titlecomplete: The White Divel
characters: Francesco I de' Medici, Vittoria Accoramboni, Isabella de'Medici, Paolo Giordano I Orsini
genres: Fiction, Plays, Theatre, Classics, Drama, Tragedy, Horror, Literature, 17th Century, School
ratings_count: 1921
publisher: Scolar Press