AE Final: The Power that Women Hold in the The Duchess of Malfi

Emma Pacheco

Professor Flack

English 6

Final AE Project

12 December 2012

Power that Women Hold in The Duchess of Malfi

During the Seventeenth century women were seen as inferior to men and usually had extreme restrictions on what they could or could not. It was an opportunity to criticize the realities that women had to face and allowed more control in their lives. Although the shift was small, more authors began illustrate the reality in gender relationships and women’s very complex roles to demonstrate some type of empowerment Although people can display power in different ways, there was a difference in the way that men and women were able to attain power based on their gender and social class roles. As demonstrated in John Webster’s, The Duchess of Malfi, the protagonist struggles against her violent and possessive brothers and tries to display control over her own life in a more passive manner.  Women had to deal with the expected traditions in a patriarchal society, to be weak and submissive, and not speaking their minds for fear of punishment. Nevertheless that ideology began to change for women to become more prideful and display power over their lives and relationships. The characters of the Duchess and Julia represent the divergent paths to power women could take in the early seventeenth century. They both combat and uphold social norms of a patriarchal society with the Duchess only maintaining power through title and Julia through her sex. Although these women eventually died while trying to maintain their power, they each combated the norms to control their lives and created a more realistic ideology for the role of women.

The story deals with the Duchess being subjugated by her brothers who restricted her from marrying after becoming a widow.  Through her title as the Duchess of Malfi, she is able to make decisions on her own, and enforce her power because of her status. However there are themes of social and sexual mobility as discussed in Fred Wigham’s article “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi.” He states that “Upon [the Duchess’] husband's death she entered a new realm of freedom from male domination, the only such realm open to Jacobean women, and it is this transformation that directly enables her outlaw marriage” (171). Since she became widowed so young, she expressed her marital freedom to marry again, but the second time was out of love. She gains more confidence in pursuing her love interest and makes the dramatic decision marry out of her class. Even though she claims that she will never marry, her brother the Cardinal exclaims, “So most widows say; / But commonly that motion lasts no longer / then the turning of the hourglass”(1.3.12-14). Women who remained widows were deemed as respectable individuals on the contrary to those who would remarry. The fact that she has even considered rebelling against character’s who clearly overly possessive, due to the changing ideologies she is proving that the ideology of submissive is truly changing by strong-willed to make her own decisions.

In addition the Duchess seemed to take her decision to a new level and even accepted the consequences further displaying a power through title. The Duchess asserts her decision after rebelling against her brother. She exclaims, “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. She asserts her control by initiating her proposal to Antonio, and successfully hiding it from her oppressive brothers that see her as an object. As explained by Theodora A.  Jankowski in her article “Defining/Confining the Duchess: Negotiating the Female Body in John Webster's ‘The Duchess of Malfi’” the females were basically an item that represented their family and their sole purpose was to further family generations. Jankowski states, “That a wife's body became, in essence, a vessel for reproducing her husband's or her father's bloodlines made it necessary for that vessel to remain unpolluted by sexual contact with unapproved males” (228). Since Antonio was seen as an “unapproved male” in the eyes of her brother’s, the Duchess demonstrated her political authority to find a loophole in achieving her desire to marry for love.

Moreover, the Duchess’ marriage changed the dynamic of the traditional way of marriage for higher status.  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 economic 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. I have heard lawyers say, a contract in a chamber/ Per verba de presenti is absolute marriage"(1.5.177-79). By finding a different loophole she defies the norms of a traditional marriage by also disregarding the church’s law and made it legally binding. Not only was manner of proposing  displaying an amount of power, through her title she was able to understand the law of “absolute marriage” and made sure no one would be able to contest it because she had a witness. She displays her intelligence, and sidesteps her brother’s plot to keep her oppressed from remarrying for their selfish reasons. It also shows the role reversal because women were normally the one’s that achieved higher status through marriage and it is important to note her ability to maintain control over the relationship because she took the initiative. Antonio didn’t really have the opportunity to back down and it was seen as a marriage for love in the eyes of their witness, Cariola.

Nevertheless, women’s power is also displayed through the use of sex, especially by the Cardinal’s mistress, Julia. Because of her licentious nature, Julia is able to get closer to those in higher statuses. Not only did she deceive her older husband Castruchio, but was also very bold to become the mistress of someone with higher authority. Her attraction to power is what led to her downfall, but she was able to maintain it through her promiscuous nature. Fred Wigham goes on to discuss Julia’s attraction to power and her means to achieve it is through her sex. Wigham states that “By rejecting her decrepit husband Julia also testifies to her ruthless erotic vigor and makes herself alluring to such men [of power]” (173).  Because of her covert dissatisfaction with her husband’s ability to perform sexually, she seeks her pleasure elsewhere which also makes her attractive to other men due to her promiscuity. Hence, this allows Julia to be in control over her own sex life and getting what she wants through the use of her own body.

Julia seems to be the opposite of the Duchess in terms of using her sex as a tool to gain control of relationships. Whereas the Duchess uses her authoritative title first to gain control, and ultimately uses her ability to reproduce for her own pleasure. On the other hand, Julia seems to be just as straightforward as the Duchess when achieving what she wants; as demonstrated in her confrontation scene in Act five with Bosola. She declares that he tell her everything he knows by threatening him with a pistol. However, this scene quickly turns into one of sexual desire and when they both express concern of getting caught, Julia proclaims that if she is caught wooing him by the Cardinal he will not judge Bosola, but instead she will be seen as a “wanton” (5.2.174). Julia has a clear understanding that if she gets caught she will be scrutinized more in this world of men because women were seen as irrational and highly immoral; in contrast to males who could easily get away with controversial situations. While Julia understood the consequences of her boldness, she still had the courage to flirt and ask Bosola for his affection in return so explicitly. She even states, “I am sudden with you. / We that are great women of pleasure, use to cut off / these uncertain wishes and unquiet longings, / and in an instant join the sweet delight / and the pretty excuse together” (5.2.178-182). Julia is blunt and explains understanding of her attraction and admitting to the needs of woman. However, to her it is worth every minute to be loose and free to take pleasure in it.

Although both women gained their power in different ways, both tragically died while either trying to gain more power or asserting it. For instance, Julia died trying to gain more power when she tried to have an equal standing to the Cardinal by gathering more information just like she attempted with Bosola. She declares to the Cardinal, “You have concealed for me as great a sin / As adultery. Sir, never was occasion /  For perfect trial of my constancy / Till now sir I beseech you –”(5.2.240-243). Her ulterior motive was to gather more information from him and she is not afraid to be very frank and demands it quite hastily. When he finally tells her that he took fault in the murder of the Duchess and her family, this information shocks Julia, but also comes with a price for trying to demonstrate power. The Cardinal unfortunately poisons her by having her kiss a poisoned bible. His reasons were that she would not be able to keep her mouth shut and therefore lost her purpose of being useful when she was only there for his sexual pleasure. By exhibiting unfeminine attributes of curiosity and not being submissive, she had lost her purpose to him and thus she was killed further illustrating the problem.

            Duchess used her social status to marry whomever she wanted but her bravery at the end gave authority to her decision because before she is about to be tortured she proclaims, “For know, whether I am doomed to live or die, / I can do both like a prince” (3.2.68-69). Even though she knows she will not survive the torture her brother’s planned for her, she asserts her authority demonstrating her bravery and refusal to be submissive. The fact that she refers to herself as a “prince,” reveals her confidence and validates her authority in the play. Even as she is dying she proclaims her title of authority to the very end by stating, “I am the Duchess of Malfi still” (4.2.125). Her use of language reflects masculine traits of bravery and pride, and throughout this play she seems to be the only one establishing the only rightful authority in this play. By claiming her title she maintains her power over her decisions to her very death.

Overall, both of these women displayed different forms of control over their lives and decisions. But it was a great deviation from the norm during the Jacobean era. By trying to attain more knowledge or speaking out, it opened the door for a revolutionized way of thinking in terms of women empowerment. Through these characters, Webster reflects his opposing view of marriage and of women being seen as objects. His depictions of these controversial women achievement of power helped change women’s idealized role of submission, to a more realistic view of woman and they to have a right to power in some way even not only in stories but even in real life. Both the Duchess and Julia’s rebellion against society’s norms by claiming one’s authority in their decisions, even if it led to their downfall they acquired it through their own volition. Therefore, it is essential to appreciate the shift from patriarchal views, to the new idea of the role of women.

Works Cited

Jankowsiki, Theodora A. “Defining/Confining the Duchess:Negotiating the Female Body in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi” Studies in Philogy 90.87(1990):228-230. Academic Serach Premier. Web. 18 Nov 2012.

Stillinger, Jack, George Logan, and Stephen Greenblatt. "The Duchess of Malfi." Ed. M. H. Abrams. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 9th ed. Vol. B. New York, NY: W.W. Norton &, 2006. 1572-1647. Print.

Wigham, Fred. “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi.” PMLA 100.2 (1985): 167-86. Academic Search Premier. Web. 18 Nov 2012