Ferdinand

“perverse and turbulent nature”

• Weather imagery

• Temperamental, highs & lows, unpredictable, uncontrollable, dangerous

• Threatening - foreshadows perverse nature with Duchess & his obsession with her body private

“dooms men to death by information, rewards by hearsay”

“the law to him is like a foul black cobweb to a spider”

“the devil speaks in them”

“three fair medals, cast in one figure of so different temper”

• Circular motif

“princely brother”

• Said by Duchess

“Cover her face. Mine eyes dazzle! She died young”

• Illusion vs reality - reality covered by his hatred & toxic masculinity

• Moment of regret & empathy or cowardly? Can’t face the consequences of his actions (seen which he covers her death up with decoy)

“when I was distracted of my wits”

• Says to Bosola when he confronts him about Duchess’ death

• Diminished responsibility, shifting the blame

• Cowardly, can’t take accountability for his actions

“I’ll give thee a pardon”

• Said to Bosola when he confronts him about Duchess’ death

• AO3 anti catholic sentiment - courtly corruption mirrors James I sycophantic court

“Was I her judge? Did any ceremonial form of law doom her…complete jury deliver her conviction”

• Semantic field of law & justice

• AO5 “akin to a court of law" - AO3 Blackfriars theatre in the legal district of London. Language accessible for intelligent, upper class audience

• Trying to shift blame

• AO4 Stanley’s use of legal terms eg Napeolinic code

• AO4 role playing eg Blanche as the femme fatale, southern belle & Ferdinand as the orchestrator & physician

“you have a pair of hearts are hollow graves, rotten and rotting others”

• Said by Bosola

“your vengeance like two chained bullets still goes arm in arm”

• Said by Bosola

• Ao4 - brotherly allegiance

“Eagles commonly fly alone…crows, daws and starlings flock together”

• Animalistic, apex metaphor social critique of sycophancy

• Ironic as he takes part & is the leader of this, the “eagle” top of animal pyramid

• AO4 link to Stanley’s king quote & Blanche’s ape monologue - both defy positions in society through zoomorphistic language

• Still lucid even in his mental break down - perhaps the clearest insight he’s had throughout the whole play

“What’s that follows me? Tis your shadow. Let it not haunt me”

• Mental breakdown, can’t even recognize his own shadow

• Ironic however as shadow could symbolize Duchess (his twin) haunting him & his conscience, causing his lyconthropia

• Ghost - acts as a didactic figure, punishment for sins & haunted by guilt

“there’s nothing left of you but tongue and belly, flattery and letchery!”

• Lucid even in madness, social critique

• AO5 “Webster is anatomical in his depiction of the era”

• TOPICAL - De Vinci’s automical drawings

• Depicting the core principles of society, reflecting James I sycophantic court

• No substance, reducing single to constituent parts

• Belly - wealth, greed, overconsumption

“I do account this world but a dog kennel”

• Degrading metaphor - dirty, confined & animalistic space where humans act beastly, no humanity

• Animal imagery link to his lycanthropia - worldview becomes irrational & paranoid, descents into bestial madness

• Ironic as he condemns the world whilst being one of its most corrupt figures

• Also ironic as this is one of his most lucid thoughts despite psychological breakdown - offers social critique & insight into corruption which he seems to be ignorant to & rather a catalyst of throughout the play

“Whether we fall by ambition, blood or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust”

• Tricolon gives a sense of universality & tragic inevitability

• Could reflect the nature of 3 siblings “three medals” - all of their human motivations led to their downfalls

• Ambition - political greed (Cardinal)

• Blood - violence, family honour (Ferdinand)

• Lust - sexual desire (Duchess)

• Diamond metaphor - exposes fragility behind aristocratic power as destroyed by their own qualities/actions. Down-fall is self-inflicted

• Ironic as said during his mental breakdown - self awareness & clarity but cannot escape his downfall