The Duchess of Malfi (originally published as The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy) is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. [1] It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, then later to a larger audience at The Globe, in 1613–1614. [2] Published in 1623, the play is loosely based on events that occurred between 1508 and 1513 ...
The Duchess of Malfi takes place in Roman Catholic Italy, which English audiences at the time when the play was written would have associated with corruption. It begins in the palace of the Duchess, a young widow and the ruler of the Italian town of Amalfi. Her steward, Antonio, has just returned from a visit to the French court, and Bosola, a murderer and former employee of her brother, the ...
"The Duchess of Malfi" was published in 1623, but the date of writing may have been as early as 1611. It is based on a story in Painter's "Palace of Pleasure," translated from the Italian novelist, Bandello; and it is entirely possible that it has a foundation in fact.
The Duchess of Malfi, five-act tragedy by English dramatist John Webster. It was first performed in 1613/14 and published in 1623. It uses the conventions of the Elizabethan and Jacobean revenge tragedy to tell the story of a spirited duchess and her love for her trustworthy steward Antonio that ends in carnage.
SYNOPSIS A summary of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi – a gory tale of revenge and dark humour. *Warning, spoilers ahead! The Duchess falls in love with her steward, Antonio. Her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal tell her not to remarry (she was recently widowed). She agrees and they leave for Rome. But they don’t trust their sister and hire a servant, Bosola, to spy on her. Once ...