Theatre
The Duchess of Malfi
John Webster · 1614
Synopsis
A young widow, the Duchess of Malfi receives from her brothers, Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria, and the Cardinal, the order not to remarry; Ferdinand places Bosola beside her, as equerry, to spy on her. Under the pretext of dictating her will, she declares her love to her steward Antonio and marries him in secret before her maid Cariola. At the birth of their first child, Bosola finds a horoscope fallen from Antonio's pocket and warns the brothers, who still do not know who the father is. Two more children are born.
Context
The duchess existed: widow of the Duke of Amalfi and granddaughter of the King of Naples, she governed the duchy for her son and disappeared around 1511 in obscure circumstances. Her story passed from an Italian storyteller, in 1554, to a French version, then to an English collection of 1567 from which the author took it. It was performed by Shakespeare's company, first in an indoor theatre, then in the open air. The text printed in 1623 announces on its title page that it contains passages that the length of the performance did not allow to be played. In 1850, a softened version, which removed a child and toned down the violence, was staged in London.
Who it is for
A tragedy in five acts, markedly violent; in French, a bilingual translation by Gisèle Venet, in paperback since 2006.
Prizes and reception
Its 1623 edition carries one of the first printed cast lists of English theatre; it is often placed just after Shakespeare.
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