Compare and Contrast Between Three Plays, Research Paper Example

The Duchess of Malfi was written in 1613 in Italy. It was published in London in 1623. It is a tragic story, which tells of a young widowed woman who marries against the wishes of her brothers setting off a tempest of revenge. The two brothers had warned the Duchess not to remarry but she went ahead and did it secretly. Greed and incestuous last are the forces influencing their brother’s idea. They appeal to Christianity piety to compel their sister to stay single. The duchess brothers are longing to control the family fortune hence greed for power and authority. The Duchess had a secret marriage with Antonio and delivered a son. The marriage stayed a secret but was later to be revealed by a spy Daniel de Bosola. Bosola kills the Duchess but regrets later but in a series of tragic events kills all the two brothers. Antonio’s son remains the sole survivor of the family. The story shows how people can hide under the mask of good intentions. The Duchess Brothers had hired Bosola to spy on her. Ferdinand her twin is obsessed with sex, is cruel and distrustful. The cardinal is cold, calculating, and a hypocrite hiding under the church umbrella. He is also a murderer as he murdered his secret lover, Julia with a bible. The duchess is not flawless; she is shamelessly sexual and haughty. She is nevertheless dignified and demonstrated a Christian attitude when he forgave Bosola and Ferdinand during her torture. As she dies, she declares that she still is the Duchess of Malfi. The Duchess act of marrying Antonio contrasts her aristocratic social status. The sexual theme is also witnessed with Ferdinand feeling attracted to his sister (Brown, 1997).

The white devil is a revenge tragedy play from 1612 by an English Playwright John Webster. The title ‘white devil’ refers to a contemporary proverb, which held that the white devil was worse than a black devil (Webster & Trussler, 1996). The play compares and contrasts with the Duchess of Malfi as it explores the difference between the reality of people and the way they depict themselves in public as good, white, or pure. It is a tragicomedy as the interesting stories ended up in bloody betrayals and murders. The plays recollections detailed how Victoria, proud but from a poor background, married the nephew of Cardinal Motalto. In 1580, she met Paolo Orsini, the Duke of Bracciano, previously married to Isabella Medici of a wealthy family. The Duke fell in love with Victoria and arranged for the killing of her husband (Webster & Trussler, 1996). Compared to the Duchess of Malfi we see people of different classes falling in love. They later got married but the pope ordered for their separation. Both loves are taboo as they go against the society’s expectations. Eight months after their union, the Duke died. He had named Victoria to be in charge of his fortune but the Medici family, in order to protect their interests, challenged the will. Victoria refused to cooperate and later was killed. Victoria just like the Duchess brothers was greedy although she appeared noble she refused to part with the money. The Medici family was also greedy having followed Victoria the legal heir. She also conspired for the murder of her first husband. In contrast, we see the Duchess of Malfi being more forgiving and noble unlike Victoria. Her final words, ‘I am still the Duchess of Malfi’ however leave a lot in question about her identity.

‘Tis pity she’s a whore’ compares in many ways to play. They are both tragic plays. The play acquired its name following a massacre where Giovanni killed her sister Annabella. He was madly in love despite their blood relations. The sister was unmasked as the revelations about the secret love affair with her brother came out (Ford & Lomax, 1995). There is a comparison of passion and incest in both stories. As Ferdinand was overcome by passion for the Duchess of Malfi, so we see Giovanni. Just like Ferdinand, who had been portrayed as a noble man who later was overcome by a tumultuous desire, this similarly brought his destruction. They are both in an ethical dilemma fighting between good and evil. Both stories are vengeful as each person strives to achieve their own end and ridding themselves anyone or anything that could stand on their way. Soranzo sends Hippolitas husband away on a dangerous journey so he could die on the way (Ford & Lomax, 1995). The pair agrees to marry after killing Richardetto, Hippolitas husband. In both stories, there is corruption and denial of justice from the courts.

These three plays display the strong woman character that also have the other wicked side. The plays show how people are often driven by evil desires. Often this feelings are hidden and abhorred by the society. The people in the story follow their hearts desire but end up losing their lives. Jealousy, murder, greed are evident. The society is itself corrupt in the execution of justice where the rich can argue their way out of courts. The women are secretive as seen in the life of the Duchess of Malfi, Victoria and Annabelle.

References

Brown, J. R., (1997). The Duchess of Malfi (Revels student Editions). Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Ford, J., & Lomax, M., (1995). ‘Tis pity she’s a whore( world classics). California: Oxford Paperbacks

Webster, J., & Trussler, S., (1996). The white devil (drama classics). United Kingdom: Nick Hern Books.