heroines as outsider malfi

Points/ moments

women in power in a patriarchal world

• see how her gender and power make her an anomaly in this corrupt world

• even in death she is isolated and dehumanised as a result of her defiant behaviour

Inciting Incident

widow who exercises agency - which is unacceptable in the male-dominated world of the play - challenging the brothers control making her a political and sexual outsider

“Diamonds are of most value, they say, that have passed through most jewellers' hands” Duchess

“This is terrible good counsel” - mocking challenging her brothers

Metaphor for how widows are not less value just because they have been married before, challenging to the sexist stereotype of women at the time (hide their sexual desires)

Diamonds – symbol of glamour and femineity. She knows her worth unlike Blanche, very comfortable in herself

Outsider with her death

“i am not mad yet” Duchess

Refusal to go mad to let Ferdinand win, showing her sanity is so much clearer when compared to madmen- and the rest of the corrupt court

“I have so much obedience in my blood, I wish it in their veins to do them good” Duchess

Duchess is characterised as Christ-like – stoic and forgiving – makes ‘crucifixion’ even more poignant and harrowing

semantic field of grace - forgives executioners “Mercy” and “I forgive them”

• Her use of forgiveness is radical—she offers grace even to those who kill her It places her firmly outside the revenge-driven court. She’s in a different moral realm.

Duchess as a widow A03

As a widow, the Duchess occupies a socially ambiguous space: while legally free to remarry, 17th-century expectations demanded she remain chaste and submissive. Her refusal to conform—and her choice to remarry for love—renders her a dangerous outsider in the eyes of her brothers and the corrupt court.

A05 quote for duchess death scene

Critic: David Cecil

“The Duchess, though executed, is the radiant figure of goodness amid a world of corruption.”

Comparison

Stella - submission to patriarchal power and societal expectations

• resignation to the status quo rather than rebelling “ I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley”

• her submission to Stanley’s abuse shows her acceptance of patriarchal authority - chooses to compromise her relationship with her sister for the sake of her marriage

• shows resignation vs rebellion