#15 The Duchess of Malfi

I just finished another play, this one Jacobean, and by John Webster.  I am beginning to discover that a multitude of great plays were written in the time of Shakespeare and not by Shakespeare.  I would rate this play above most of Shakespeare's plays, mainly for the character Bosola.  I can't remember reading a character of his mold in other plays, he is the most fully developed and complicated character I have read recently.  He starts off as the typical ambitious evil servant, but throughout the play he becomes disgusted at his own actions and the people around him and begins to search for his own "good nature".  His change throughout the play is subtle and interesting to watch.  Another curious thing about Bosola is that he seems a minor character, but by the end it would appear he is the protagonist.  He is degrees more interesting than Hamlet because he feels more human.

Besides Bosola, this play has much to speak of its merit.  It is for the most part well constructed except in a few scenes when Webster can be seen to contrive an artificial plot device, but those are rare.  Next on my list is Marlowe, who invaded my dreams today in a bizarre and fantastical way.  I hope his plays live up to the strange visions I had of them whilst sleeping today.

The Devil with John Webster

So I've been on a renaissance literature kick now since I discovered that Thomas Middleton was a nice alternative to Shakespeare.  It's really like Shakespeare had a slightly less talented brother (or sister!) and wrote a whole bunch of plays.  So naturally I decided to read the other dramatists of the time, and not only that, I decided to stick solely to tragedy.  I ordered the complete Middleton, which contains all 30+ of his plays and his long poems and masques, but it is taking such a long time to get here, so I have had to find my renaissance fix elsewhwere.  Which leads me to John Webster, whose play, The White Devil was my latest foray into ren. lit., and to be quite honest my mirth is drained.  If tragedy is cathartic, as Aristotle assures me daily, then I think I have overdosed on catharsis.

The play starts off normal enough for a tragedy, most of the main characters are either evil, sadistic, or whores (which is how women are addressed in the play.  I wonder if this was a term of endearment Webster used frequently?)  Even the characters that are supposed to be good tend to be annoying, or have some flaws.  Flamineo was the funniest character despite being evil incarnate.  He managed to kill his brother in front of his mom and then make his sister think she killed him and then tried to kill his sister.  All the while cracking jokes and pandering his sister to a duke.  And when his sister thought she killed him, she was cackling and mocking him in his supposed death.  This was a long play, with each scene chocked full of insults, anger, hatred, duplicitous behavior, and everything else that stings of a ren. tragedy.  My urge to read another tragedy at this point is waning fast.  Please Middleton, why is Amazon being so slow in getting you here?  Will I have to read another Webster to pass the long days?  Get here soon.  I miss you.