The Duchess of Malfi: John Webster (Revels Student Editions) [Paperback]

John Webster (Author), John Russell Brown (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Revels Student Editions | Publication Date: June 15, 1997

More widely studied and more frequently performed than ever before, John Webster's The Duchesss of Malfi is here presented in an accessible and thoroughly up-to-date edition. Based on the often reprinted Revels Plays Edition of 1964, the notes have been augmented to cast further light on Webster's amazing dialogue and on the stage action which it implies. An entirely new introduction sets the tragedy in the context of pre-Civil War England and gives a revealing view of its themes, action and visual imagery. From its well-documented early performances to the two productions seen in the West End of London in the 1995-96 season, a stage history gives an account of the play in performance. Students, actors, directors and theatre-goers will fiind here a reappraisal of Webster's artistry in the tragedy which stands in the very first rank of plays from perhaps the greatest age of English theatre, and reasons why it has lived on stage with renewed force in the last decades of the twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here's a good idea, The Arden Shakespeare, purveyor of handsome editions of individual plays, now expands the brand with Arden Early Modern Drama. Scholars increasingly explore Jacobethan plays, and a series that takes them just as seriously as the Shakespeare canon is very welcome. You'll find the same small design, ample font size, enthusiastic historical/cultural context, full performance history and munificent annotation. For students, actors and less specialized lovers of Renaissance doings, these editions may become the luxe choice...Leah S. Marcus' lively introduction situates it in Jacobean London...Wonderful illustrations...I hope the series will lure directors to stage these alluring plays."—Plays International

 

"Webster took tragedy to a new level in the psychology of evil, actual horror and callousness."—Independent

 

"Webster's language has a musical poetry second only to Shakespeare's."—Sunday Times (of London)

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Russell Brown is Professor of Theatre at the University of Michigan, Ann Abor, USA

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Manchester University Press (June 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719043573
• ISBN-13: 978-0719043574
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb play, May 25, 2001

By 

Joost Daalder "Joost Daalder" (South Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Duchess of Malfi: John Webster (Revels Student Editions) (Paperback)

Of the "popular" editions of this play that by John Russell Brown (Revels Student Editions) and Elizabeth Brennan (New Mermaids) are both useful, though it must be said that no edition as yet does adequate justice to Webster's compexity - notably his presentation of Ferdinand. The play is both a tour de force and profoundly searching. It is perhaps the first major feminist play in England, with the Duchess presented as an outstandingly noble even if fallible character, the victim of her two evil "partriarchal" brothers. Of these, her twin brother Ferdinand is among the most intelligently conceived characters to appear on the Jacobean stage. Unknowingly (i.e. in his "unconscious") he is incestuously in love with his sister. Unable to cope with this "taboo" feeling, he tries to "repress" it unsuccessfully, and finally his ... "libido" comes to express itself in a violent wish to destroy her if he cannot ... own her, and he ends up believing himself to be a wolf, attempting to dig up her grave after he has had her killed. Obviously, then, this is a very Freudian work - anticipating Freud's insights brilliantly by some four centuries, and without lapsing into Freud's extravagantly improbable claims about such matters as the Oedipus complex. It is the working of the unconcious, as a reservoir of what we do not understand and cannot control, which is quite central in this play, and Ferdinand's ... confusion is potently contrasted with his sister's openminded, acknowledged and generous ... health. An outstanding play, recommended as among the best of its time (comparable in quality and interest to e.g. *Othello* or *The Changeling*). - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University, South Australia

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A violent psychosexual play, October 12, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Duchess of Malfi (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

John Webster's play "The Duchess of Malfi" is a violent play that presents a dark, disturbing portrait of the human condition. According to the introductory note in the Dover edition, the play was first presented in 1613 or 1614.

The title character is a widow with two brothers: Ferdinand and the Cardinal. In the play's opening act, the brothers try to persuade their sister not to seek a new husband. Her resistance to their wishes sets in motion a chain of secrecy, plotting, and violence.

The relationship between Ferdinand and the Duchess is probably one of the most unsettling brother-sister relationships in literature. The play is full of both onstage killings and great lines. The title character is one of stage history's intriguing female characters; she is a woman whose desires lead her to defy familial pressure. Another fascinating and complex character is Bosola, who early in the play is enlisted to act as a spy. Overall, a compelling and well-written tragedy.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bloody, Gory, and Beautiful, October 25, 2000

By 

Sean Ares Hirsch - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Duchess of Malfi (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

I do not feel Webster's "Duchess of Malfi" quite matches his "The White Devil." Nevertheless, it is still an excellent play. Only Webster could combine this much violence and beauty so well! Webster starts the play well when Antonio and Delio make comments on questionable characters. (Bosola and the Cardinal) Bosola is drawn well as the hired hand reluctant to join the demonic Ferdinand. 2.5 is captivating when Ferdinand explodes with fury upon discovering that the Duchess has married. The cardinal shows an interesting foil to Ferdinand when he tries to encourage caution. The fury exchanged between Ferdinand and the Duchess in 3.2 is memorable. Bosola offers a striking passage on politicians in 3.2. The tragic ceremony in 3.4 is sorrowful and yet beautiful. The parting of Antonio and the Duchess in 3.5 is very lamentable. 4.1 allows us to see that Ferdinand is not only evil, but demented as well. This paves the way for his final insanity. Bosola's hesitation to carry out the murder is well constructed. Ferdinand's final torture of the Duchess reminds us that he is not simply cruel, but psychotic as well. The Duchess is memorable when she faces her death with dignity. Webster DOES NOT stop here! Ferdinand actually taunts the hired killer and this paves the way for the final act. 5.3 is a scene that not even Marlowe or Shakespeare ever used. Fragments of Antonio's own echo foreshadow his death. Bosola's accidental murder of Antonio and his remorse pave the way for the final massacre! Even here, Webster keeps his efforts up. The cardinal's passage on fear of damnation keeps us in chills. Bosola's death and passage of remorse is a fitting end for this excellent work. My only complaint about this play is that the Cardinal could have been more complex.