The Duchess of Malfi

The Palace of Pleasure by William Painter (1566, 1567)

Painter’s collection of tales appeared in two volumes over two years. His collection borrowed from a huge variety of medieval Italian and classical Greek and Roman authors. He often used tales of Italian nobility to reflect the issues of his contemporary England; both Shakespeare and Webster followed this trend. Many early modern playwrights extrapolated his tales into full-length plays. The 23rd novel (the first in the second volume) is entitled “Duchess of Malfy” and tells the tragic romance of Antonio Bologna and the Duchess—the basis for Webster’s play.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (1593)

This comedy by William Shakespeare depicts the marriage of Petruchio and Katherina, which the latter enters against her will. She is initially strong and autonomous, but Petruchio slowly “tames” her by imprisoning her and inflicting mental and physical tortures upon her. This can be compared to Ferdinand’s torture of the Duchess. Webster’s Duchess, by contrast, keeps her dignity, poise, and autonomy to the last. Shakespeare and Webster’s depictions of women seem to represent two distinct early modern viewpoints.

• The Taming of the Shrew on SuperSummary

The White Devil by John Webster (1612)

The White Devil is one of Webster’s two most famous works—the other being The Duchess of Malfi.