the Duchess
E639317
The Duchess is the tragic, independent-minded noblewoman at the center of John Webster’s Jacobean revenge tragedy "The Duchess of Malfi," whose secret marriage and defiance of her corrupt brothers lead to her downfall.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| the Duchess canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
noblewoman ⓘ protagonist ⓘ tragic heroine ⓘ |
| appearsInWork | The Duchess of Malfi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| causeOfDownfall |
defiance of her brothers’ prohibition on remarriage
ⓘ
vengeful persecution by her brothers ⓘ |
| characterTrait |
courageous
ⓘ
defiant ⓘ dignified ⓘ independent-minded ⓘ morally steadfast ⓘ |
| conflictsWith |
Ferdinand
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
the Cardinal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| createdBy | John Webster NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| diesBy | strangulation ⓘ |
| employmentRelation | Antonio Bologna is her steward ⓘ |
| fate | tragic death ⓘ |
| firstPerformancePeriod | circa 1613 ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1623 ⓘ |
| genreOfWork | revenge tragedy ⓘ |
| hasChildrenWith | Antonio Bologna NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasSecretMarriageWith | Antonio Bologna NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasSibling |
Ferdinand
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
the Cardinal NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | historical Duchess of Amalfi ⓘ |
| killedBy | Bosola and executioners ⓘ |
| languageFeatures | speaks in dignified, resolute blank verse ⓘ |
| literaryPeriod | Jacobean era NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| maritalStatus | widow at beginning of play ⓘ |
| moralStatusInCriticism | often read as a virtuous victim ⓘ |
| narrativeFunction | embodies conflict between private desire and public duty ⓘ |
| notableScene | stoic acceptance of death in Act 4 ⓘ |
| opposes |
corruption
ⓘ
tyranny ⓘ |
| relationshipToAntonio |
lover
ⓘ
secret wife ⓘ |
| resists |
brothers’ control over her sexuality
ⓘ
pressure not to remarry ⓘ |
| roleInWork | central character ⓘ |
| setting | Italian court of Malfi ⓘ |
| socialClass | aristocracy ⓘ |
| spouse | Antonio Bologna NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
female autonomy
ⓘ
integrity in a corrupt court ⓘ resistance to patriarchal control ⓘ |
| title | Duchess of Malfi NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.