Malfi and Merchant Comparison: Power

Overall comparison

The powerful characters are often the women, who are operating within the confines of a patriarchal society. Both the love interests have very little power and are often emasculated , again equating masculinity with power. However, it is suggested through illusions to the wheel of fortune, metatheatrical references and astrological references that the characters have very little power over their own fate and that classical Gods and theology has ultimate power over society. This is reflective of the importance of religion in both the 1300s and 1600s, although the importance of Catholic teachings had become obsolete in post-reformation protestant England and new ideas such as despair as the ultimate deadly sin had evolved. While The Duchess of Malfi's power deteriorates through the text before increasing after her execution (perhaps reflective of Elizabeth I's shifting popularity), May increases her power and maintains it through the end of the text. However, both women remain ultimately under the influence of their male authority figures.