DOM quotes

Which quote demonstrates the 'ideal' of rulership/responsibility (a key theme of the play) and also the Renaissance theme of the ideal

"His master's masterpiece, the work of heaven."

Which quote demonstrates the distance of the 'ideal' of the French court, with an added insinuation that Malfi is a reflection of the English court

"You have been long in France."

Which quote demonstrates the nature of growing corruption and is significant for the play as a whole

"...but if't chance / Some cursed example poison't near the head, / Death and diseases through the whole land spread."

Which references by Bosola act as a microcosm for the play as a whole

"He and his brother are like plum trees that grow crooked over standing pools; they are rich and o'erladen with fruit."

"I would hang on their ears like a horse-leech till I were full, and then drop off."

Which reference, again by Bosola, reflects the insubstantial nature of courtly existence

"What creature ever fed worse than hoping Tantalus?”

Tantalus was a character in mythology (see note 56 for details).

Which quote possibly indicates the Cardinal's true opinion towards his profession (as Cardinal)

"...but observe his inward character; he is a melancholy Churchman."

As well as referring to sadness, melancholia was seen as a fashionable trait in Renaissance society, and this could therefore reference the Cardinal's true desire for social gain.

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Which quote demonstrates the predatory nature of Ferdinand

"He makes it his dwelling and a prison / To entangle those shall feed him."

Which quote foreshadows Antonio's social transformation after his relationship with the Duchess

"She throws upon a man so sweet a look / That it were able raise one to a galliard / That lay in a dead palsy."

Which quote alludes to the 'great man theory' and thus emphasises the notion of the shaping power of authority

"You must give great men leave to take their times."

The great man theory is an historiographical theory pioneered in the 19th Century, which argues that history, through one way or another, is shaped exclusively by the influence of great men.

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Which quote introduces Bosola's dynamic of placing duty above morality

"I am your creature" (creature suggests both a lack of morals but also an ineliminable bond between Bosola and Ferdinand).

Which quote introduces the notion of the 'lusty widow'

"Their livers are more spotted / Than Laban's sheep."

Which quote connects moral corruption with inevitable downfall

"Hypocrisy is woven of a fine small thread, / Subtler than Vulcan's engine."

Vulcan's engine refers to the net that the God Vulcan caught Mars and Venus in, during the act of adultery.

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Which quote foreshadows the Duchess' entrapment following her relationship with Antonio

"The marriage night is the entrance into some prison."

Which quote demonstrates Ferdinand's emphasis on honour, and the destructive nature of this need

"This was my father's poniard. Do you see

Which quote highlights Ferdinand's 'sexual deviancy' and reinforces the idea of the lusty widow

"And women like that part which, like the lamprey, / Hath ne'er a bone in't."

Which quote demonstrates the Duchess taking on an unnatural masculine role and thus possibly demonstrates Webster justifying her downfall

"as men in some great battles... / So I, through frights and threat'nings, will / assay this dangerous venture."

How does the Duchess' exchange with Antonio demonstrate her dominance over him

Her use of questions again demonstrates her transcending the renaissance female social sphere.

Which quote demonstrates the possible overriding sexuality of the Duchess

"...use my ring to't. / They say 'tis very sovereign."

In renaissance symbolism, the 'ring' was used to mean the physical structure of the vagina.

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Which quote demonstrates the Duchess attempting to transcend rigid hierarchical boundaries through her relationship with Antonio

"This goodly roof of yours is too low built; / I cannot stand upright in't, nor discourse, / Without I raise it higher."

Which quote again demonstrates an unusual changing of gender roles and thus the futility, in Webster's eyes, of the Duchess and Antonio's relationship

"That we may imitate the loving palms [Antonio] ... What can the Church force more

Which technique in this scene demonstrates the falsity of courtly life and the rigid social hierarchy

Bosola's use of prose when addressing Castruchio.

Which quote demonstrates Bosola subtly deriding Castruchio

"your nightcap expresses your ears sufficient / largely."

Suggests observance (court intrigue) but also alludes to cretinism and thus stupidity.

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Which quote presents irony as Bosola bemoans the creation of 'false identities' through using makeup

"One would suspect it for a shop of witchcraft, to find / in it the fat of serpents, spawn of snakes, Jews' spittle, and / their young children's odure - and all these for the face."

Which quote demonstrates Bosola possibly alluding to an unnatural and exclusive corruption within human nature

"Man stands amazed to see his deformity / In any other creature but himself."

Which quote is a pun on the Duchess' pregnancy but also reinforces the unnatural nature of her connection with Antonio

"I am / So troubled with the mother.

\[Aside\] I fear too much"

(Duchess and Bosola)

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(Duchess and Bosola)

'the mother' was taken to mean hysteria, but is also obviously a pun on motherhood.

Which quote again connects the Duchess with lust and consumption

"[Bosola] Will not your grace pare them

\[Duchess] No, they taste of musk, methinks; indeed they do."

The Duchess eats the Apricots without cleaning (paring) them - consumption.

Her speech also carries with it flirtatious connotations.

Which quote acts as subtle foreshadowing for the Duchess' fate

"O good Antonio, / I fear I am undone."

What is the significance of the 'Old Lady' character

She is assumed to be the midwife to the Duchess' child, and so Bosola's berating her in the previous scene concerning false appearances adds greater strength to Webster's view concerning the Duchess' lustful tendencies.

Which quote is again an erotic pun (also linking lust/ambition to downfall)

"A Switzer

With a pistol in his great codpiece."

Why is the blaming of a 'Switzer' significant

Switzers were, contextually, Swiss mercenaries often used by Italian nobles as fighting forces during disputes between noble houses.

The Switzer's presence here then is an allusion to the futile and disastrous consequences of the courtly struggle that will ensue.

Which quote demonstrates Delio commenting on the weakness of human will

"How superstitiously we mend our evils! ... [superstition] daunt[s] whole man in us."

Which technique creates a heightened sense of mistrust within the scene

The constant use of asides, which have a far more cautious tone than the relatively open direct speech.

However, there is some indication of stycomythia, which also suggests tension.

Which quote alludes to phallic symbolism to again continue the trend of the influence of sexuality

"Poisoned

The 'Spanish Fig' contextually was a phallic gesture of thrusting the thumb between the middle and first fingers.

'Fig' is also a fruit often referred to as a 'secret poisoner'.

Which quote suggests that Bosola partly has knowledge of Antonio's true nature

"You are a false steward."

\=does he realise that Antonio is ambitious as opposed to willingly subservient

Which quote furthers the theme of appearance and reality and demonstrates that class boundaries are futile due to a shared humanity

"[Aside] The great are like the base; nae, they are the same, / When they seek shameful ways to avoid shame."

This is an example of sententia (use of rhyming couplets at end of speech or at exit for emphasis).

Which quote emphasises the inconceivable nature of the Duchess' equality with Antonio in their relationship

"this precise fellow / Is the Duchess' bawd."

While Bosola does ascertain that they are connected in some way, his use of 'bawd' suggests merely that Antonio is 'working' for the Duchess, not that he is married to her.

Which quote indirectly demonstrates the falsity of the Cardinal's existence, due to his impiety

"Why, my Lord, I told him / I came to visit an old anchorite / Here, for devotion."

An 'anchorite' normally refers to one who secludes themselves from society through religious devotion.

Here, however, it refers to the Cardinal's separation from the religious ideal due to his intense corruption.

Which quote demonstrates the Cardinal's cynicism but also his exploitation of Julia

"Are your tears justification

This shows the Cardinal branding the female nature as intrinsically untruthful and also demonstrates his lack of commitment to Julia.

Which quote demonstrates the purely lustful connection between the Cardinal and Julia

"I pray thee, kiss me"

Which quote illustrates the objectification of Julia and also damages the moral image of Delio

"Lady, I know not whether / you want money, but I have brought you some."

This gives an inclination of prostitution

Which quote demonstrates Julia's (futile) strength and independence

"I'll go ask my husband if I shall, [become Delio's mistress] / And straight return your answer."

This quote also demonstrates a sarcastic view of marriage, which would alienate the character of Julia significantly in a Jacobean audience's eyes.

Which quote demonstrates Delio directly acknowledging the cause of Antonio's downfall

"How fearfully / Shows his ambition now!"

Give three quotes used by Ferdinand which connect the Duchess' actions with eternal damnation, and thus highlights his (possible) overreaction and thus attitude towards her which extends beyond fraternal

"Read there - a sister damned!"

"We must not now use balsamum, but fire,"

"that's the mean / To purge infected blood, such blood as hers."

Which quote indirectly alludes to Ferdinand's own corrupt character

"Rogues do not whisper't now, but seek to publish't"

(exactly what Ferdinand is doing!)

Which quote demonstrates Ferdinand's valuing of honour more than morality

"Were I could be one, [a tempest] / That I might toss her palace 'bout her ears, / Root up her goodly forests..."

Which quote demonstrates how fundamental the social hierarchy is to the very nature of the powerful

"Shall our blood, / The royal blood of Aragon and Castille, / Be thus attainted

Which quote demonstrates Ferdinand's unhealthy sexual fantasies and possibly jealousy

"some strong-thighed bargeman, / Or one o'th' woodyard..."

Which quote possibly demonstrates Webster supporting the Duchess and shows love sacrificed for meaningless status

"I'll find scorpions to string my whips, / And fix her in a general eclipse."

Allusion to the eclipse at the crucifixion