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Summary of 4 pages for the course AS Unit 1 - Prose and Drama at WJEC (.)
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DUCHESS OF MALFI QUOTESFERDINAND
> ‘law to him is like a foul black cobweb to a spider…. To entangle those shall feed him’ – Delio about Ferdinand - the
law should uphold peace and fairness instead of a ‘foul’ trap
> ‘This was my father’s poniard’ ‘rusty’ – Phallic imagery - Ferdinand’s attempt to oppress a woman who has uniquely
escaped the normal constraints of a patriarchal society with a symbol of patriarchal power. It also serves as a phallic
symbol, which many critics interpret as Ferdinand expressing his incestuous desire for his sister. The ‘rust’ is because it
is tempered steel and if it gets blood on it it will rust.
> ‘smooth tale’ – punning word for penis
> ‘Rhubarb’ – recognised antidote for choler, one of the four bodily humours, identified with bile and believed to be
associated with a peevish or irascible temperament. The Cardinal is phlegmatic as he is in complete control of his
emotions, brutally cold and unbreakable
> ‘strong thighed bargeman’ – idea of her making love to men below her own social station - ironic as over sexualised
suitor and opposite to her sensitive choice, believe her lust is superficial and shame her for this – sexualised thoughts
like these lead us to believe the desire he has for his sister.
> ‘palsy’ – involuntary tremors
> ‘Dip the sheets they lie in, in pitch or sulphur … then light them like a match’
> ‘boil their bastard to a cullis’ – foreshadowing the violent offences to come
> ‘between her innocence and my revenge’
> ‘to have gained an infinite mass of treasure by her death’
> ‘give me a fresh horse!’ – Ferdinand imagines he is on the battlefield – spectators will recognise the quotation and the
absurdity will be doubled
> ‘like diamonds we are cut with our own dust’
DUCHESS
> ‘noble virtue’ – Antonio about the Duchess
> ‘All her particular worth grows to this sum,/ She stains the time past, lights the time to come’ – Antonio about the
Duchess memorable couplet: In other words, she leaves an indelible mark on the past (or possibly makes it look dark by
comparison with herself) and casts a light upon the future. Thus, by the time the Duchess begins her courtship of
Antonio, we know that he is in love with her, and Webster’s representation of that love in Petrarchan terms identifies it
as intensely romantic, as a form of adoration that, in Antonio’s circumstances, defines the social distance separating
him from his aristocratic employer.
> ‘Diamonds are of most value they say, that have passed through most jewellers’ hands’ -
> ‘Whores, by that rule, are precious’ – Ferdinand in response to the Duchess
> ‘I’ll never marry.’ – sometimes written with a colon ‘;’ instead of a full stop to signify interruption and make the
Duchess’ lie more credible and less structured
> ‘lusty widow’ – Ferdinand about Duchess
> ‘she’s loose … grown a notorious strumpet!’ - Ferdinand about Duchess. The description of ‘loose’ shows she has lost
her virtue, giving this word a sexual meaning, insinuating his sister is dedicated to sexual fulfilment and lechery.
> ‘this deadly air is purged’ – Duchess
> ‘the devil is not cunning enough’ – Duchess about Ferdinand, imagery of mythical world and afterlife
> ‘were I a man I’d beat that counterfeit into thy other’ – Duchess herself wishes that she had the strength and status of
a man to resolve things with violence, going against her feminist stance
> ‘I am Duchess of Malfi still’ - the Duchess's utterance of these words is interpreted by plenty of readers as an
impressive, dignified response to a horrifying situation. But, you can also see this is a sad moment where the Duchess is
clinging to a title that imprisons her more than it gives her power. She's investing in the very system that's destroying
her.
> ‘Some syrup for his cold’ – retains tie to earth as her domestic duties remain paramount to her
> ‘Knowing to meet such excellent company’ – Duchess to Bosola – explaining she is not afraid of death
> ‘shot to death with pearls’
> ‘heaven gates are not so highly arched’
CARDINAL
> ‘Shall our blood, The royal blood of Aragon and Castile, Be thus attained?’ – Cardinal’s resentment towards the
Duchess is clearly based on the family’s reputation and that her choice of her next husband will taint their royal Spanish
blood, which they see as superior to all of humanity ironic as they leave no legacy – cardinal asks on death bed never to
be thought of’. Blood is a powerful prop.
> ‘chide yourself’ – to Ferdinand when he is getting aggravated by the thought of the Duchess with someone else –
Webster uses this scene to show his feelings as an English Protestant on Spanish Catholics in Italy. We are aware the
Cardinal is far from the respectful clergy man he should be, by our knowledge of his mistress.
> ‘tis more easy to tie knots than unloose them’
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