Webster's decision to choose strong female characters as the protagonists of his two plays the most popular could have been considered very controversial. and unexpected by the public of its time. This unintended effect immediately seems to provoke a critical questioning of its logic. The modern viewer's first reaction, sparked by the controversial discussion surrounding the central female characters in The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, might be to wonder whether Webster's presentation of women in his plays is accurate, and whether it is If so, what could be the theatrical and social implications. However, a perhaps more relevant debate - and which might have been more interesting for the contemporary theater lover - might take into account the playwright's presentation of the Duchess and Vittoria, but ultimately focus on the question of whether Webster objectively had a social and moral goal in promoting women's rights (as has been suggested). Alternatively, the argument that Webster was in fact just a flamboyant showman wallowing in spectacular blood and death as part of an exciting plot is another issue that should be considered when analyzing claims by critics who support the idea that Webster wrote simply to entertain. his audience, without any controversy in mind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay The duchess in The Duchess of Malfi and Vittoria in The White Devil display a failure, or at least marked resistance, to conform to contemporary standards. societal expectations, and yet they do so in very different ways. While the Duchess seems to be presented as a virtuous and noble woman, Vittoria sometimes appears more corrupt than her undoubtedly flawed society. However, the presentation of the female characters and their interactions with their male counterparts serve to highlight an intensely patriarchal society, seemingly based on a strongly misogynistic streak particularly noticeable in earlier medieval Christianity. Ferdinand's very first orders to Bosola: "Live at the" court, here: and observe the duchess, note all the details of her "behavior", which suitors solicit her marriage and who she affects best: it is a young widow, I would not have her remarry” (I, ii: 176-179), alerts the public to Ferdinand’s domineering and suspicious character. Although convention held that noble widows should remain chaste after the death of their husbands, Ferdinand's authoritarian nature may have seemed rather extreme, even to audiences of the time. Even Bosola asks: “No, sir? (line 180), but Ferdinand's prompt rebuke, "Ask not reason: but be satisfied, I say I would not" (181-182), is indicative of the looming menace behind his actions. Proof of this cruelty is found in Act III, scene ii, when Ferdinand learns from the Duchess that she has acted against her will and has remarried. His exceptionally hostile reaction to this information is to call her a "vile woman" (line 100) who should "cut out her tongue, lest she betray him [Antonio]" (108-109). This response is part of a virulent attack that incorporates images of traditionally threatening nocturnal animals such as the "wolf", "owl", "dogs" and "monkeys"; all animals are often perceived as “bad”. Directly associating these creatures with lovers has the cumulative effectto insult their honor and reputation in a very dark and threatening way. In the same vein, Flamineo tries to take control of his sister out of selfishness. Flamineo's actions, however, contrast with Ferdinand's order that the duchess remain chaste. Flamineo seduces Vittoria in order to gain favor and continue his career as the Duke's secretary. In doing so, he corrupts his sister's reputation; just as Ferdinand insulted Antonio's honor, Flamineo insulted Camillo: "So incapable of pleasing a woman that, like a Dutch doublet, his whole back is tucked into his breeches" (I, ii, 33-34). Vittoria is also the victim of vitriolic insults during the trial scene in Act III: Monticelso, the cardinal, calls her a "whore" (line 77), explaining this by describing whores using a number of similes grotesque: “They are worse/worse”. than the corpses, which are begged from the gallows/And worked by surgeons, to teach man/How he is imperfect' (95 - 98). The grotesque image of a decomposing corpse juxtaposed against the clinical background of a surgeon's table could be seen to reflect the situation in two ways: not only does it refer to Monticelso's metaphorical dissection of Vittoria as he publicly humiliates him, but she also reveals his belief that he is exposing his guilt. This latter interpretation seems to suggest that Webster is implicitly undermining Monticelso's perception of Vittoria. Webster compounds the apparent injustice against women by creating female protagonists who are intelligent, honorable, and valiant even in the moment of death. Nowhere is this clearer than in Act IV, Scene I of The Duchess of Malfi, in which the Duchess, imprisoned and awaiting her inevitable murder, is subjected to a number of gruesome and cruel methods of psychological torture, including being forced to kiss. the hand of a dead man, seeing artificial figures of her Antonio and her children appearing as if they were dead, and having a group of raging madmen around her. However, his response to this persecution, although understandably horrified, is still imbued with extraordinary dignity. She courageously speaks out in defiance of Bosola's feigned reverence ("All comfort to Your Grace" [line 18]), declaring almost insolently "I shall have none." Please, why do you wrap your poison pills in gold and sugar? ' (18-20). She demonstrates her courage and strength of character when she aligns herself with Christ by forgiving her tormentors and fixing her mind not on her imminent death, but on “the other world” (IV, ii, 213). Her intelligent reasoning skills remain evident as she calmly explains to Bosola that she cannot be afraid of "the manner of [her] death" (213) with a "number of clever rhetorical questions: 'What is Would it make me happy to have my cutthroat/With diamonds? or be choked/With cassia? or be shot, with pearls? (216-218). The Duchess's courage is also illustrated by her clever inversion of the horror of physical strangulation: she wants the executioner's ropes to pull tighter, figuratively wishing to pull the sky toward her. In the eyes of the public, she dies a martyr, killed by bad guys. Likewise, Webster seems to imbue Vittoria with an intelligence and calm endurance during her trial that contrasts sharply with the blustering lawyer and venomous Monticelso. This serves to highlight the injustice perpetrated against him. It is suggested that Vittoria's rhetorical strategy of creating an impression of heroic contempt ("Let my defense of strength like that of Perseus" [135]) and innocence will convince the audience of its truth, as she astutely comments :“The temptation to lust does not prove the truth.” act” (199). His insistence that the lawyer speak in the vernacular, and not with “harsh and indigestible words” (37), makes him a pedantic idiot; it stands in direct contrast to his marked lack of pretension. The injustice perpetrated against Vittoria seems to be exacerbated by Webster's presentation of her as judicious and incisive, not a "whore." In creating The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil, Webster draws on conventions endorsed by specific genres and various events in history. , but transforms them for its own purposes. One possible reason for these transformations is Webster's desire to comment on the condition of women, an effort that would have been impossible to achieve within traditional conventions. The duchess's initiation into court and marriage to her steward is indeed unconventional, as she herself admits when she says: "For I am going into a desert,/Where I will find neither path nor friendly listening point/To be my guide” (Je, je, 281 - 283). This is a clear inversion of the Jacobean constraints of gender and class. The traditional structure of a Jacobean drama is also significantly altered when the eponymous protagonist dies an entire act before the end of the play. Webster also chooses to significantly alter the historical scenarios behind his plots; these amendments frequently expose his desire to propel a more cohesive and coherent "message" than could be conveyed with pure historical accuracy. For example, he chose to allow the duchess's eldest son to inherit his mother's rank, thus deviating from the source to authenticate his non-conformist marriage. Furthermore, in The White Devil, Webster presents Isabella as virtuous and unworthy, pledging to pray for Bracciano and take responsibility for their separation, hoping to inspire his repentance: "I will make myself the author of your cursed wish” (II, I, 217-218). However, the real Isabella was not as virtuous – in fact, she had another lover. Likewise, Webster deliberately omits the fact that Camillo (whose real name was Peretti) is actually very young: by transforming him into an irresponsible adult, he almost gives Vittoria an excuse for her adulterous behavior. Although Webster's departures from traditional conventions and original historical sources may simply be consequences of his desire for a different, perhaps more exciting, plot, it could also be suggested that the playwright wished to accentuate the virtuous characteristics of women and the negative attributes of men. , thereby drawing attention to the gender divide. However, in exploring Webster's treatment of the status of women in 16th-century Britain, it is important to look beneath the surface in order to avoid oversimplifying the characters or our reactions to them. Closer analysis reveals that Webster actually created the Duchess and Vittoria not only as "oppressed female" characters, mere illustrations of the social constraints placed on women at the time, but also as realistic "human" characters with a value that transcended simple representations. of “typical”, noble, Italian women from the 16th century. He achieves this by creating complex, multi-layered characters: while the basic characters fit into a single mold (e.g. “tragic”), these characters exhibit contradictions that seem to reveal their humanity. Examining this, we realize that "the Duchess is a simpler figure... than Vittoria" (although both exemplify "human" qualities). For example, while Vittoria is ultimately presented as a victim, dragged.