Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on John Webster/Duchess of Malfi. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay that examines the themes of poison and disease in this Jacobean drama that rivals Shakespeare for tragedy and human pathos. The write argues that Webster uses these themes to emphasize his points concerning the structure of society during this era, as well as the worldview of those opposing the Duchess who see her actions as a "disease" against society. However, Webster makes it clear that it is the brothers who constitute a "poison" and "disease" in the societal framework, not the strong-willed Duchess. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khmalfi.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
own life and destiny by marrying the man of her choice, even though that man, Antonio, is not of her social class. Opposing the Duchess, and also representing the conventional
attitudes of Jacobean society, are her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, as well as their henchman, Bosola. In this work, Webster uses the themes of poison and disease to
emphasize his points concerning the structure of society during this era, as well as the worldview of those opposing the Duchess who see her actions as a "disease" against society.
However, Webster makes it clear that it is the brothers who constitute a "poison" and "disease" in the societal framework, not the strong-willed Duchess. In Act I scene 1,
Antonio, the man whom the Duchess will secretly marry, returns to Italy after a sojourn in France finishing his education. When asked about France, he comments that the country suffers
because of "...cursd example poisont near the head,/ Death and diseases through the whole land spread (I.i). The "poison," to which Antonio refers, is the corruption at the kings
court. As the monarch was thought to embody the sovereignty of the country as a whole, for the kings court, the fountainhead of the nation, to be corrupted means that
that the whole land is "diseased" and "poisoned." Later in that same scene. Antonio predicts that Bosolas "foul melancholy" will "poison his goodness," which indeed it does (I.i). As this
illustrates, Webster immediately establishes "poison" as a metaphor to express degeneration of the spirit, that is, influences that corrupt behavior, "poisoning" the body politic, in the first instance, and
also working on personal level in the case of Bosola. Interestingly, Webster also has the antagonists in this work, particularly Ferdinand and Bosola, also make use of the ideas of
...