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Similarities
- Duchess of Malfi begins with setting the scene of where the audience find themselves; it includes a criticism of the world in which the play is set. Paradise Lost also does this, somewhat regrettably, setting the tone as much darker than what has gone before
- By beginning Paradise Lost with this dark tone, there is a sense of foreboding that mentions of dark things to come will be reflected in the actions of the characters; in the same way, Duchess of Malfi talks of corruption within a court, making it clear to the audience that there will be this corruption present.
- Duchess of Malfi uses the opening scene to introduce the audience to the main characters, the evil are described first, Bosola, Ferdinand and The Cardinal; the good character of the Duchess is introduced in a later scene. In Paradise Lost, Sin and Death get the same treatment, although since we have already met them, we are just being reminded of their presence and their role in this new book foreshadows the dark tone it will take. Adam and Eve are not introduced to this book in a particularly positive way either, they are set out immediately in the context of their role in the fall
- Both texts talk about their characters in the context of the church. In Miltons time, the church would have been under scrutiny, due to the earlier emergence of Protestantism and the recent explosion of Puritanism; in Websters time the church in Italy would have been solely Catholic, and staunchly Catholic at that. In both texts this is significant because it demonstrates the power of the church
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Differences
- Duchess is much more mysterious about the events that will take place through this conversation between Antonio and Delio, keeping the audience in suspense. This is because, for many, this would have been an unfamiliar story. On the other hand, Milton can afford to be a lot more blunt in his description of what is to come, because the Genesis story would have been common knowledge in the religious England at the time. The reader already knows what will happen so there is no need for suspense, making his prologue more preemptive rather than retrospective
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