The Duchess of Malfi by John WebsterMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hard to find a character in literature that embraces chaos more than Bosola – a scholar and a soldier who turns himself into a spy and assassin before rediscovering a sense of morality at the end, when it’s too late. The play continually makes reference to the melancholic humour of the characters – a kind of worldly depressive attitude that leads to ethical nihilism. It is the Duchess who provides an alternative model of being – confident in asserting her desires and dutiful towards her family. She is a shining light in the darkness, and cannot survive the maniacal melancholics who surround her. This play is not quite as outrageous as John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity, but it comes close. I’m all for it.
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