The Duchess of Malfi
Subtitle: a play
By: written by John Webster. Edited with a preface, notes and glossary by C. Vaughan
Series: The Temple dramatists
Publisher: J.M. Dent and Co.
Published: 1896
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 152
Subjects: English drama; Brothers and sisters; Drama; Retribution
Description: John Webster's play "The Duchess of Malfi" is a violent play that presents a dark, disturbing portrait of the human condition... The title character is a widow with two brothers: Ferdinand and the Cardinal. In the play's opening act, the brothers try to persuade their sister not to seek a new husband. Her resistance to their wishes sets in motion a chain of secrecy, plotting, and violence. The relationship between Ferdinand and the Duchess is probably one of the most unsettling brother-sister relationships in literature. The play is full of both onstage killings and great lines. The title character is one of stage history's intriguing female characters; she is a woman whose desires lead her to defy familial pressure. Another fascinating and complex character is Bosola, who early in the play is enlisted to act as a spy. Overall, a compelling and well-written tragedy. --Michael J. Mazza at Amazon.com.
Notes: "The text adopted is that of Dyce ... carefully collated with the copy of the first quarto (1623) in the British Museum." - p. [ii]

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