Joshua Malang – Professor Flack – English 6 – British Literature – 10/29/12 – DPA

Joshua Malang – Professor Flack – English 6 – British Literature – 10/29/12 – DPA

In two historic plays both written in early 1600’s, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi and William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night a comparative analysis can be drawn between the two in which we see each play negotiating with issues of Early Modern English gender and societal norms. For instance women of the time period are known to be the weaker sex, whereas they have little say and known to be submissive. Also, to support women to be the weaker gender of the times, both plays convince women that they only possess their beauties in their youth, leaving the women to not only battle their societal surroundings, but also battle how society perceives them.

In The Duchess of Malfi and Twelfth Night we see two similar characters whom beg to differ from the societal norm and choose to do as they please. William Shakespeare brings its audience a peculiar character in Olivia.  Olivia, being fooled by Viola disguising herself as a male gentlemen, Cesario openly confesses that although Cecsario is but a nobleman, a man of lower rank than herself, she has fallen for her as  Shakespeare presents her statements, “Your servant to the Count Orsino, you […] And baited it with all th’ unmuzzled thoughts / That tyrannous heart can think? To one of our receiving / Enough is shown. A cypress, not a bosom / Hides my heart.” (3.1.96, 3.1.117-120) Olivia is a woman who is letting her voice be known to a man. Regardless to what is normal, she is confessing to this man, that although he holds lower rank than she and is considered an uncommon practice of the era, she still has an emotional attachment to want her/ him. Ironically, she (not a lower rank male to a higher rank female) is courting for the love of what she thinks is another man, and to add to the characteristics of courtly love- this so-called youthful man is below, not above her in rankings- yet she has no care. This shows how Olivia is deviating from the norm in the sense that she is “women hear her roar”, that she is independent in her own rights and that she doesn’t have to abide in the norm of being meek and submissive to a man’s world. After seeing Olivia being presented in such a manner, I’ve concluded to see her as a powerful character, regardless of her gender and she has the mindset to do whatever she wants.  

Comparable to this demeanor is seen in John Webster’s play, The Duchess of Malfi, with the “unusual” character of the Duchess. With similarities of Olivia, the Duchess proclaims, “And ‘cause you shall not come to me in debt, / Being now my steward, here upon your lips / I sign your Quietus est…” (1.3.165-7). The Duchess is presented as an independent character here, and as she simply says as he doesn’t not come to her, she comes to him. Webster, like Shakespeare has created a women differing from the societal norm in which we see another women taking control of her own life (and the guy) – deviating from the norm that Early Modern English has created during the time period. Consequently the Duchess pays for her actions and

With the issue of aging beauty, we see in both plays women battling a conflict that they are keen to believe that they are at beauty’s best only momentarily. We see Olivia complaining about her beauty only lasting a period of time in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night as well as we see in a conversation with the Old Lady and Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi. In The Duchess of Malfi, Bosola pokes fun, mean-like of women and women  whom lose their beauty due to age when speaking to the Old Lady, “Here are two of you, whose sin of your youth is the very patrimony of the physician; … I do wonder you do not loathe yourselves” (2.1.36-9) The mood is set that Bosola is talking down to women, an old woman at that, and even goes to call her room to look like a witches lair with all its “magic” (make ups) to cover or fool people. In Twelfth Night, Olivia is being her own judge when allowing Viola as Cesario to see her as she mentions, “Look you, sir, such a one I was this present. Is’t now well done […] ‘Tis is grain (the dye is fast), sir; ‘twill endure wind and weather.” (1.5.221-224) It is apparent, whether it be Webster or Shakespeare, women are constantly concerned with their beautiful looks and how they are consistently battling with the issues of an inevitable battle of time fading their looks away. The rose (flower) that blooms (in its prime) is now soon to fade is a common theme that both authors help me realize the mood and stereotype of women during the time period.

After examining both plays, one can conclude that the authors’ present women’s struggle, women are not giving much rights and shown with less equality to men as well as the reoccurring theme that womens’ conflict with beauty fading. Even the Duchess had to pronounce to her siblings, over controlling males, paraphrasing “I am not going to remarry leave me alone” even though she independently proposes to an underlay. The Cardinal and Ferdinand are controlling and obsessed with her and obsessed with her not to remarry so she does not look whorish. Not to mention the underlying tones of incest, but it clearer shows that men sought to over control the “weaker” sex even it be their own sibling. Again we have also witnessed as readers/audience of both plays that women conflict amongst themselves the fading of their beauty with age, on top of the conflicts that they already deal with society. It must have been really hard for women to live their lives free of all this scrutiny back then.