3 h 3 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a woman who rules a duchy refuses to let her brothers rule her heart?
In John Webster’s stage tragedy The Duchess of Malfi, a young widow wants a private life beyond her public power. She chooses Antonio Bologna, her honest, modest steward, as her secret husband. But her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, demand obedience. At the palace in Amalfi, love becomes a secret that puts them both in danger.
Watching the Duchess’s household is Bosola, a clever hired spy caught between ambition and conscience. Ferdinand brings pride and violence; the Cardinal hides cruelty behind power and ceremony. Through a court of flatterers and hidden motives, Webster explores what power does to those who hold it—and what it costs one woman to resist.
What you’ll discover
- A ruler who chooses love Meet a Duchess who insists on choosing her own husband despite her brothers’ orders.
- A spy divided within Follow Bosola as his work in the household pulls ambition against his troubled conscience.
- Fear in the night Enter the tense chamber scene where Ferdinand appears and the Duchess mistakes him for her husband.
- Power behind ceremony See how rank, wealth, Church, and state give the brothers weapons against their sister.
- Verse full of shadows Discover blank verse alive with images of disease, animals, graves, and traps.
Who will love it
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.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A court of flatterers and a hired spy
- She chooses love in secret
- Bosola sniffs out the secret
- The brothers close in
- Cruelty, fear and a divided conscience
- How Webster builds his dark world
Who’s who
- The Duchess of MalfiA young widow and ruler of Amalfi who wants to live and love by her own choice, against her brothers' orders.
- Antonio BolognaThe Duchess's steward, an honest and modest man who becomes her secret husband and shares her danger.
- FerdinandDuke of Calabria and the Duchess's twin brother, proud and violent, who is determined to control her.
- The CardinalThe Duchess's other brother, a cold and scheming churchman who hides his cruelty behind power and ceremony.
- BosolaA bitter, clever former galley slave hired as a spy in the Duchess's house, torn between ambition and conscience.
- CariolaThe Duchess's loyal maid, who witnesses the secret marriage and stays by her mistress.
- DelioAntonio's friend, who listens to his hopes and fears and helps him in his troubles.
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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La duquesa de Malfi
by John Webster · 1623
A widowed duchess chooses her own husband in secret, defying two brothers determined to control her life.
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In short
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.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
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.
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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.
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