Renaissance England was a period of flowering of English
literature. Webster is a well-known author of Jacobean
England; a period that saw the latter stages of
Jacobean
England. Jacobean age was an age of despair. It was
marked
by pessimism and negativity. The reason for such
overwhelming pessimism was the growing corruption in
court,
religious institutions and society. The court was full
of
sycophants and flatterers who misguided the king,
priests
and other clergymen in churches had become corrupt and
ordinary masses had no hope from the system. The
literature
of this period also reflects the same kind of attitude.
In
The Duchess of Malfi, Webster demystifies and exposes
the
corruption of state and church and also tackles the
issue
of patriarchal subordination of women. The play begins
with
Antonio commenting on the French court, which is upheld
as
the ideal court. He says that the French emperor has
rid
the court of unscrupulous courtiers and has a
parliament to
advise him. Such a description is in direct contrast to
the
court in the play and also the actual court of king
James I
in England. Ferdinand is a ruler who revels in
sycophancy.
It is amply revealed in the scene where he tells his
courtiers to laugh only when he laughs. Through
Ferdinand,
Webster critiques political absolutism. He represents
civic
authority, but he does not exercise his powers using
just
means, rather underhanded trickery. He imprisons the
duchess and tortures her in a brutal manner. The
duchess is
innocent and yet she is punished only because Ferdinand
and
the cardinal hold her to be guilty. This exposes the
tyrannical nature of the two brothers. Through
Ferdinand,
Webster reveals and indicts the corruption and
injustice of
the civic authority in England. Webster also critiques
institutionalized religion in the play. Through the
cardinal, Webster shows the duplicity and evil nature
of
catholic priests. He uses devious plots to bring down
his
enemies, indulges in adulterous sexual relationships
and
wants to bribe his way to become the Pope. He mocks
religion when he blasphemously uses the Holy Bible as a
weapon to kill Julia. Beneath the veneer of
religiosity, he
scoffs at it. He confiscates the land of the duchess by
unjust means. The Pope too is mentioned in the play,
and he
is also shown to be a corrupt religious leader. He has
an
army of his own, confiscates the duchess’s property at
the
behest of the cardinal and is implicated in various
other
wrong deeds.
One of the reasons for depicting him in
such a
poor light is that England’s official religion at this
time
was protestant and the Catholics were viewed with
distrust
and was considered potentially traitorous. Hence we
have
stereotypical portrayals of the Catholics in the play.
Webster’s demystification of the state power echoes the
ideas presented in the book the prince by Machiavelli.
He
said that power can be acquired by anybody who knows
hoe to
hatch devious plots. According to him, power was not
something god-given, but acquired by those who can
practice
deception, can conceal vices with a virtuous façade.
This
explanation of politics was considered shocking by the
English as the Stuarts asserted the divine rights of
the
kings. So, Machiavelli was seen as a diabolical figure
in
England and Jacobean drama acquired a stock character—
the
Machivellian politician, of which the Cardinal and
Ferdinand are two examples. Webster also reveals the
tragic
subordination of women to patriarchy. The duchess
defies
her brothers by marrying again. She asserts her sexual
autonomy, transgresses against patriarchal authority
that
instigates her tragedy. Webster has been appropriated
by
both feminists, who see him as a proto-feminist, and
also
by andocentric critics who say he upholds the
traditional
patriarchal control of women and their sexuality.
Bosola
also reveals the state power and its corruption. He is
the
malcontent who does not get due recognition for his
deeds.
Therefore, he feels frustrated and hence becomes
embittered
and resentful. Bosola is a harsh critic of the court.
He
exposes its corruption and how only flatterers can
survive
in it. Therefore, it is substantially established that
Webster exposes the shortcomings of the state and
institutional religion, which proves to be detrimental
for
everyone.