During the seventeenth century there were
a lot of themes that centralized around gender, social class, disguises, and
reputation. As seen with William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night there is a great use of the themes of disguises and social
class throughout the whole play. Some that reflect similarities is John Webster’s
tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi which
has similar themes but one can argue the conclusion does not have the typical “happily
ever after,” but instead has a very tragic ending. Both plays seem to deviate from the gender norms and have similar
themes such as the use of disguises, social class, as well as the character personalities
that essentially help further the plot of the plays.
For instance, the some of the female
characters from both plays have shown to be very independent and make their own
decisions. Such as, Olivia from Twelfth
Night when she takes matters into her own hands and proposes not only to
Sebastian who she thinks is the pageboy Cesario, but she makes sure that she
does marry him. Her strong determination is shown when she declares her love to
him and persuades him into marrying her: “Blame not this haste of mine. If you
mean well, / Now go with me and with this holy man / Into the chantry by.” (4.3.22-4). This shows
her demanding character, in addition to her power in status showing she cannot
be refused. Because of her rank, Olivia is able to propose to Sebastian and
have the Priest complete their marriage without disruption.
This parallels the approach that the
Duchess, from The Duchess of Malfi, has
when she proposes her love to her steward Antonio and ends up marrying him in
secret. She instigated the marriage very forcefully by setting up her servant,
Cariola as a witness as well to make it legally binding. Before she makes the
decision to marry, she demonstrated her strong willfulness after listening to
her brother’s lectures of remaining a widow.
However, she goes against their wishes by saying, “So I through frights
and threatening will assay / This dangerous venture. Let old wives report / I
winked and chose a husband” (1.3.54-6). This shows her first rebellion towards
her brothers, but also illustrates her independence and willfulness to get what
she wants. Therefore, both of these plays use the theme of marriage and deviate
away from the norm from marrying within the social class and show the strength
of their female characters.
Moreover, the use of marriage has
changed the stage of social class and whether you can move up on the
socioeconomic ladder. As seen with the marriage of the Duchess and Antonio the
steward; he marries higher than his
status and even the Duchess after marrying Antonio states, “So, now the ground’s
broke, / You may discover what a wealthy mine / I make you lord of”
(1.3.133-5). Basically, understanding their differences in status, but because
of the marriage Antonio was able to rise on the socioeconomic ladder and is
able to appreciate the wealth that comes with it. It is similar to the marriages
in Twelfth Night where the majority
of them are married within the social class or higher; such as, when the
servant Maria marries Sir Toby above her status.
In addition to that, the use of
disguises further illustrates the resonating theme within the seventeenth
century. As seen in Twelfth Night
there are several types of disguises such as Viola’s actual physical disguise as
the pageboy Cesario to seek a job with Duke Orsino and fulfilling her goals. She
states to her Capitain as she is about to change “Conceal me what I am, and be
my aid / for such a disguise as haply shall become / the form of my intent” (1.3.51-3).
She exclaims her goals in order to fulfill her task and hides her true self
from reality. As well as literal disguises of Duke Orsino’s and Duchess Olivia’s
melancholic and overdramatic love sickness. The theme of disguises is also illustrated
in The Duchess of Malfi by the
character Bosola as he becomes a spy for the Cardinal and Ferdinand, but disguises
his true intentions when he follows the Duchess. Nevertheless, even Bosola
understands the false nature of having to hide behind lies and deceit. He even
states when taking to an old lady, “Man stands amazed to see his deformity / In
any other creature but himself. / But in own flesh, though we bear diseases /
Which have their true names only ta’en from beasts–”(2.1.45-8). Basically, he
is reflecting on the disguises or the falseness that men partake in, and how
bad it how bad it is to act as someone you are not. This demonstrates the dark
side of disguises and the effects it can have on one’s life.
Overall, although one play is more tragic
than the other, they both have similar themes that exemplify the themes of
social class and disguises. Moreover, these plays demonstrated the typical
gender and social norms of the seventeenth century. However, it also stood to
contradict them because many of the women had a lot more independence and power
within these plays. It gives the impression with these characters; society was
making fun of the church and the typical norms of society. I do believe that The Duchess of Malfi takes a more
realistic and depressing approach, in illustrating and condemning the social
norms during the seventeenth century. Since it ends very tragically for the
innocent characters The Duchess, Antonio, their family and friends, it makes
the audience have a more critical approach towards the meaning of social class
and especially the corruption of the church who had the most power during this
time period.
