Analyse the character and role of the Duchess of Malfi.
The Duchess is, as the title of
the play Suggests, the central character in Webster’s tragedy The Duchess
of Malfi .It is she around whom the action of the play revolves .The
tragedy of the Duchess is of such a lady who is rather an unconventional
character comparing to the Jacobian tragic world and in creating such an
unconventional character, our dramatist owes much to William Painter .At the
same time, he has borrowed many thoughts and many expressions from Sidney’s
Arcadia where queen Erona marries beneath her rank. But while he sentimentalizes
the character, Webster presents his protagonist with the strength of mind and
the power of endurance.
The formulation of a tragic
character as enunciated by Aristotle is not all applicable to the Duchess.
Aristotle theorizes that the protagonist should be an intermediate kind of
personage whose misfortune is brought about by some tragic flaws. The Duchess
is an embodiment of virtue and Purity that mark her as a noble character.
Moreover, she possesses the wonderful gift of intelligence, innocence and resourcefulness.
But it is a moot question whether the Duchess has any fault or not. Some
critics have pointed out, some of the faults that are found to be very much
patent in the character of the Duchess are as follows :-
Her sensuality: ---Her
chief fault is her sensuality. Although, Antonio, in his brief description of
her, depicts her as leading a life of heavenly virtue and purity, and he refers
to her ‘Saintliness,’ her sensuality is unmistakable. The sensuality is the
reason why she marries Antonio who is socially much beneath her. Having contracted a secret marriage with a
low born man, she commits a serious offence against the prevailing social and
moral standards
