The Duchess of Malfi Critical Quotations Flashcards
(21 cards)
Who described ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ as ‘a masterpiece of tragedy’?
Thomas Middleton
Which dramatist claimed that John Webster should be crowned a poet transcending Rome and Greece?
John Ford
How did Samuel Pepys describe ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ in his diary?
A ‘sorry play’
Which critic led the Romantic movement in the 19th century regarding ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
Charles Lamb
Who stated that ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ is the nearest to Shakespeare of anything we have upon record?
Hazlitt
What did Hazlitt say about the final grizzly scenes of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
They ‘exceed the just bounds’ of tragedy
How did John Wilson refer to John Webster’s skill?
Master of scenes
Which author described Webster as ‘one of the best of our ancient dramatists’?
Sir Walter Scott
What aspect of Webster’s work did Charles Kingsley highlight?
His acquaintance with vicious nature in general
In which year was ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ performed in full for the first time in the Victorian era?
1892
What criticism did William Archer provide about ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
Ramshackle looseness of structure and barbarous violence of effect
Who claimed that ‘No poet is morally nobler’?
Swinburne
How did T.S. Eliot characterize John Webster?
A genius directed towards chaos
What did Sir William Watson say about the world depicted in Webster’s work?
It reels in a ‘disastrous twilight’ of lust and blood
What criticism did Symonds provide regarding ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
It lacks the breadth which comes from concentration on a master motive
Who stated that ‘Webster is a great writer’?
Rupert Brooke
What perspective did Leonora Leet Brodwin take in her analysis of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
A geographist perspective
What conclusion did Leonora Leet Brodwin reach about the Duchess’ mistake?
Expecting others to measure up to her standards and logic
Which elements of ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ did contemporary critics begin to focus on?
The play’s comic elements, such as the wooing scene and the dance of the mad
What does Catherine Belsey describe the play as lying between?
The emblematic tradition of the medieval stage and the increasing commitment to realism of the post-Restoration theatre
What type of criticism seems to look for feminist interpretations in ‘The Duchess of Malfi’?
Feminist criticism
