THE DUCHESS OF MALFI BY JOHN WEBSTER - General Questions 6
A. Either:
‘In the Cardinal and Ferdinand Webster embodies human perversion of mind and feeling respectively.’ Examine Webster’s presentation of ‘th’Arragonian brethren’ in the light of this comment.
Or:
How effectively in your view does Webster in The Duchess of Malfi exploit the conflict between public and private worlds?
B. What, if anything, stops this play from being the Jacobean equivalent of the modern horror video?
C. Turn to Act 2 Scene 5 (Enter Cardinal and Ferdinand). Compare the behavior of the Cardinal and Ferdinand in this scene. What do you find of interest and significance in their reactions?
D. T. S. Eliot thought that all Webster’s dramatic energies in The Duchess of Malfi were “directed towards chaos.” Do you think that this is an apt criticism?
E. Do you agree that Webster’s delight in lurid stage effects in this play leaves little room for complex characterization?