Symbols in The Duchess of Malfi
- Created by: flyingcolours01
- Created on: 07-01-23 14:25
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- Symbols in 'The Duchess of Malfi'
- poison
- "Will poison all his goodness for I'll tell you, if too immoderate sleep be truly said to be inward rust unto the soul"
- 1.1 Antonio talks of Bosola's malcontent mission
- {she kisses the book} now you shall never utter it. Thy curiosity hath undone thee- thou'rst poisoned with that book"
- 5.2 Julia killed by the corriupt Cardinal as she dies via the bible.
- "Will poison all his goodness for I'll tell you, if too immoderate sleep be truly said to be inward rust unto the soul"
- animals & birds
- "Blackbirds fatten best in hard weather- why not I, in these dog days?"
- 1.1 Bosola as the malcontent searching for prosperity. rhetorical q suggests desperation for status
- "I would hang on their ears like a horse leech till I were full"
- 1.1 Bosola as malcontent - gruesome imagery suggesting him being numb to doing dirty work
- "Blackbirds fatten best in hard weather- why not I, in these dog days?"
- cross
- "Pull, and pull strongly, for your able strength"
- 4.2 the duchess is killed by strangulation. the two executions on either side and her on her knwes creates a cross image
- critic Celia Daileader: ‘a female Christ’
- 4.2 the duchess is killed by strangulation. the two executions on either side and her on her knwes creates a cross image
- "Pull, and pull strongly, for your able strength"
- disease
- "but if't chance some cursed example poison't near the head, death and diseased through the whole land spread."-
- 1.1 Antonio talking about the corrupted governance of Italy compared to France
- "he and his brothers are like plum trees that grow crooked over standing pools."
- 1.1 Bosola about Ferdinand and Cardinal and their governance similie suggests the luxurious plums flourish on the suffering and diseas that the flack of flow 9guidence) the standing pools ahve gotten
- "but if't chance some cursed example poison't near the head, death and diseased through the whole land spread."-
- blood
- This is flesh and blood, sir;'Tis not the figure, cut in alabaster,Kneels at my husband's tomb.
- 1.3 the duchess devoting herself to Antonio
- This is flesh and blood, sir;'Tis not the figure, cut in alabaster,Kneels at my husband's tomb.
- violent acts off stage
- "A politician is the devil's quilted anvil: he fashions all sins on him and the blows are never heard."
- 3.2 Bosola has just ot conformation of Duchess and Antonio's marriage which will satisfy the brothers
- "A politician is the devil's quilted anvil: he fashions all sins on him and the blows are never heard."
- rings
- "Who took the ring oftenest?"
- 1.2 Ferdinand engaged in a jousting game- looking at it retrospectivly it has intense humour as the character Silvon answes "Antonio Bologna" suggesting he won the duchess over Ferdinand
- "There is a saucy and ambitious devil is dncing in this circle."
- 1.2 Antonio's status has been raised as he married above his class- acknowledgement that ambition is a disease (embodied by Bosola) melancholic humour
- Cariola: "I will not die! I must not! I am contracted to a young gentleman! Executioner: gives her a noose "Here's your wedding ring."
- 4.2 Cariola desperately seeks to get out of her death and the stage direction gives us intel on the link between love and death
- DUCHESS' DIRECTIONS TO ANTONIO: 'sit down' '[she puts her ring upon his finger]' '[she kisses him]' '[embraces him]' it's clear she's giving orders to
- With the Duchess' use of imperatives it's clear she's giving orders to Antonio. She is also the one to take action. In this, she has a lot of power. evident in "forced to woo because none dare woo us"
- "Who took the ring oftenest?"
- poison
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