Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Die Herzogin von Malfi
Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who love dark drama, court intrigue and strong women at the center of a story. It also suits students of Shakespeare's age and anyone drawn to conflicts between power, family and conscience.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
The Duchess of Malfi is a stage tragedy by John Webster, the English playwright. It was first performed in the early 1610s, in the years when Shakespeare was finishing his career and the London theatres were turning toward darker, more violent plays. Webster set it in Italy, which English audiences then pictured as a land of poison, spies and secret crimes. Its heroine is a young widow who rules a duchy, and the play follows what happens when she chooses her own husband against her brothers' wishes.
In about nine minutes you will hear how the plot unfolds, who the main figures are, and what Webster does with them. You will meet a ruler who wants a private life, two brothers who want to control her, and a hired spy who hates his own work. You will also see why this play is still staged, and why its scenes of fear and cruelty stay in the mind. We begin where Webster begins, at a court where nobody is quite what he seems.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1A court of flatterers and a hired spyFree
- 2She chooses love in secret
- 3Bosola sniffs out the secret
- 4The brothers close in
- 5Cruelty, fear and a divided conscience
- 6How Webster builds his dark world
Punkt 1 von 6
A court of flatterers and a hired spy
The play opens at the palace in Amalfi, on the coast of southern Italy. Antonio Bologna has come home from France, and he tells his friend Delio how well the French king runs his court. A wise ruler, he says, clears out flatterers and bad advisers, because the fountain must be clean if the stream is to be clean. This idea about rulers and their courts hangs over the whole play.
Then we meet the other men. Ferdinand is Duke of Calabria, and he is proud, hot tempered and jealous of his authority. His brother is the Cardinal, a cold and polished churchman who hides his plans behind a calm face. Both are brothers of the Duchess, whose husband has died and who now rules in her own right.
Bosola is the third force. He is a bitter, clever man who served time as a galley slave after a murder he committed for the Cardinal, and he got no reward. He is a malcontent, which means a man who despises the world while still wanting to rise in it. Ferdinand now hires him as master of the horse in the Duchess's household, and his real task is to watch her and report.
Webster gives each man a way of speaking. Antonio is calm and decent, Ferdinand is violent and mocking, the Cardinal is smooth, and Bosola is sharp and full of sour jokes. Before the Duchess has said a word to us, the brothers have ordered her to stay a widow. Their reasons are pride of family and something darker that they do not admit, and the play slowly makes this clear.
By the end of the first scenes we see a trap closing. The Duchess is watched in her own house, by a man she thinks is her servant. And we know that Bosola, unhappy with the dirty work, is no simple villain, but a man who could go either way.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- The Duchess of Malfi
- A young widow ruling Amalfi, she seeks love and independence against the wishes of her powerful brothers.
- Antonio Bologna
- The Duchess's honest, modest steward is far below her in rank and becomes her secret husband.
- Ferdinand
- The Duchess's proud, violent twin brother, Duke of Calabria, insists on controlling her private life.
- The Cardinal
- The Duchess's other brother is a calculating churchman who shares Ferdinand's determination to control her.
- Bosola
- A bitter former galley slave, he serves as the brothers' spy in the Duchess's household.
- Cariola
- The Duchess's loyal maid witnesses her secret marriage and serves as her trusted companion.
- Delio
- Antonio's trusted friend listens to his concerns and helps him navigate the dangers of court.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 27,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Die Herzogin von Malfi
What is The Duchess of Malfi about?
It is about a widowed duchess who secretly marries her steward against her brothers' wishes. The brothers, driven by pride and jealousy, set a spy on her and try to destroy her. The play studies power, family control and conscience.
Is The Duchess of Malfi based on a true story?
Webster drew on an Italian tale of a real duchess of Amalfi in the early sixteenth century, but he changed and darkened it. The play was first staged in the early 1610s and is a drama, not a record.
Who is Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi?
Bosola is a bitter former galley slave who is hired by Ferdinand to spy on the Duchess. He is a malcontent, a man who scorns the world yet serves it, and his conscience divides him.
Is The Duchess of Malfi hard to read?
No. The story is clear and easy to follow: a widowed duchess marries her steward in secret, and her two brothers send a spy to watch her. Each man has his own way of speaking, so the characters are easy to tell apart.
What is the main message of The Duchess of Malfi?
The play suggests that unchecked power and family pride corrupt, and that people should be free to choose their own lives. It also shows how courage and dignity can stand against cruelty, even in defeat.