power and patriachy

"The church _____ fasting: I’ll _____ myself to death.” (4.1.15-16) – Power and Patriarchy

The Duchess _____ agency in a world controlled by men, turning enforced _____ into a personal act of _____. The religious imagery ironically _____ patriarchal control, presenting her death as a form of spiritual _____ over male oppression. By choosing to die on her own terms, she momentarily regains the _____ denied to her in life, exposing the _____ of male power.

enjoins, starve, reclaims, suffering, defiance, inverts, triumph, autonomy, fragility

“This is _____ and _____, sir; / ’Tis not the figure cut in _____.” (1.1.453-454) – Power and Patriarchy

The Duchess _____ the expectation that she should remain a _____ widow. "Alabaster" symbolizes patriarchal _____ of female chastity, which she actively _____. Her assertion of _____ autonomy defies male authority, marking her as a _____ to the existing order. Her use of "flesh and blood" emphasizes her _____, directly opposing the male desire to reduce women to _____ symbols of virtue.

flesh, blood, alabaster, rejects, passive, ideals, challenges, bodily, threat, humanity, lifeless

“Whether I am _____ to live, or die, I can do both like a _____.” (3.2.70-71) ) – Power and Patriarchy

The Duchess _____ gender norms by aligning herself with male _____. The simile equating her strength to that of a "prince" _____ patriarchal structures, though ironically, her power remains _____ by societal constraints. Her defiance is _____, but ultimately _____. The phrase "doomed" _____ her inevitable downfall, highlighting the inescapable grip of patriarchal _____.

doomed, prince, subverts, power, challenges, limited, noble, futile, foreshadows, violence

“Men oft are valu’d high, when they’re most _____.” (3.3.54-55) ) – Power and Patriarchy

Bosola _____ the corrupt nature of _____, where status is maintained regardless of _____. The ironic observation exposes the _____ of male power, which prioritizes _____ over virtue. This cynical view aligns with the play’s larger theme of systemic _____. In a world where corrupt men rise to power, the Duchess’s _____ is her downfall, reinforcing the _____ of her fate.

wretched, critiques, patriarchy, morality, hypocrisy, position, corruption, integrity, tragedy

“I am _____ of _____ still.” (4.2.135) ) – Power and Patriarchy

The Duchess _____ to be defined by male _____. The repetition of her title is an act of _____, asserting her identity beyond patriarchal _____. The irony lies in her impending _____—she retains dignity, yet is powerless against male _____. Her unwavering self-identity contrasts with Blanche’s final collapse into _____, providing a stark comparison between the plays’ portrayals of female _____.

Duchess, Malfi, refuses, oppression, resistance, constraints, death, tyranny, delusion, resistance

This was my father’s _____: do you see?” (Act 1, Scene 1) ) – Power and Patriarchy

Ferdinand’s wielding of the _____ phalically symbolizes male _____ and the violent enforcement of patriarchal _____. The possessive “my father’s” ties this authority to _____, reinforcing the idea that women are controlled through inherited male _____. The implicit _____ foreshadows the Duchess’s later punishment for defying societal _____, highlighting the fatal consequences of challenging patriarchal _____.

poniard, poniard, dominance, power, lineage, power, threat, norms, structures