Duchess of Malfi: Society/Class Flashcards
(24 cards)
‘Why ______ I not _____?’
‘Why might I not marry?’
Duchess (A3 S2)
‘I have _____ you off your ____________ _____’
‘I have taken you off your melancholy perch’
Cardinal (A2 S4)
‘This ______ _____ of yours is too ____ built’
‘This goodly roof of yours is too low built’
Duchess (A1 S2)
- asking him to stand upright
- To have a real/equal relationship with Antonio, must raise him to her level socially and physically
‘Rather to _________ men’s __________ than ________’
‘Rather to examine men’s pedigrees than virtues’
Bosola (A3 S2)
- Defending Antonio. criticizing Duchess for caring about rank over merit
‘______ slave’
‘Saucy slave’
(Antonio to Bosola)
- Using class-based sneer to diminish Bosola
‘You are a _____ of ______!’
‘You are a lord of misrule!’
‘______ gives them _______ to ________ for him amongst _____________ __________’
‘Love gives them counsel to enquire for him amongst unambitious shepherds’
Ferdinand (A3 S2)
- Love is only for lowly people/those with no ambition/rank
‘Live _______ than we, for they may ________ their _______’
‘Live happier than we, for they may choose their mates’
Duchess (A3 S5)
- Compares herself to birds who have the free will to choose their mate/exist
‘____ oft are ________ high, when th’ are most ___________’
‘Men oft are valued high, when th’ are most wretched’
Duchess (A3 S5)
- Those who are high in rank tend to be the most miserable/lowly in nature
- Stoicism (feelings of hardship without a display/complaint)
‘The duchess seeks private ____________ at the ________ of public _______’
‘The duchess seeks private happiness at the expense of public stability’
Lee Bliss (19th)
‘She ___________ Jacobean society’s views regarding the ____________ of the _________ body and woman’s __________’
‘She challenges Jacobean society’s views regarding the representation of the female body and woman’s sexuality.’
Theodora Jankowski
‘Her _________ assume a _____________ control over her _____ and ___________, an ___________ which extends over her _______ state’
‘Her brothers assume a patriarchal control over her body and sexuality, an assumption which extends over her political state’
Kate Aughterson (Modern critic)
‘a _________ play about a woman who is fighting for her ___________’
‘a feminist play about a woman who is fighting for her autonomy’
Mirren
‘major _______ of the play is the ‘ability of social _________ to ___________ those around them’
‘major theme of the play is the ‘ability of social superiors to command those around them’
Smith
‘Bosola becomes the _____________ of corruption through __________ authority’
‘Bosola becomes the instrument of corruption through legitimate authority -
Coddon
‘be the _____________ to the rest of the _______’
‘be the example to the rest of the court’
- Duchess to Antonio at French court
- Attempting to subvert/reconstruct social norms
- Asks Antonio to keep his hat on rather than removing it in the presence of superiors (modifying tradition)
‘O my _______________’
‘O my unworthiness’
- Antonio being self-deprecating, awareness of his unsuitability
- Feels unworthy of the Duchess
‘The _____________ lies in her ______ blood’
‘The witchcraft lies in her rank blood’
- Ferdinand
- Polysemic ‘rank’ = disgusting and nobility/status
- The Duchess’ sin/trangression of marrying Antonio + disobeying social norms is not a result of witchcraft but instead of her inherent nature and bloodline
‘_____ on your _____ first’
‘put on your hat first’
- Duchess to Antonio
‘____________ are of most value they say, that have _________ through most ____________ hands’
‘diamonds are of most value they say, that have passed through most jewellers hands’
- Rejecting social expectations/constraints on those of high birth
- suggesting her worth increases with exposure/experience
How does the 2024 Wanamaker Production use staging to highlight Bosola’s outsider status throughout?
Whenever he enters he comes from the floor where the audience sit or one of the sides as opposed to upstage where the main cast typically come from
(he is almost invading or trespassing)
How is Antonio presented in 2024 Whitaker production?
- Insecure/unconfident
- Wears glasses and oddly fitting suit
‘he is a m___________ m___________’
‘he is a malevolent malcontent’
Callaghan
- ‘malevolent’ = wanting to cause harm/evil
- ‘malcontent’ = dissatisfied/rebellious
‘_______, is a great man’s ___________’
‘ambition, is a great man’s madness’
Antonio
- cautious approach towards ambition
- ambition can lead to irrationality/lack of reason
- ‘madness’ = metaphor for destructive/unwavering ambition in individuals
