Suffering of men - Malfi

Point

See the suffering of men due to their greed and desperate desire to climb social hierarchy in John Webster's play "The Duchess of Malfi." This reflects the destructive nature of ambition and the resulting moral decay and suffering through ambition of bosola

Suffering of Bosola in exposition

“I fell into the alleys in your service” “I wore two towels instead of a shirt” “Slighted”

• suffered due to being at the mercy of others - his low social standing making him a pawn for the rich to play with and exploited for their gain. His initial loyalty leads to profound inner turmoil and suffering as he navigates the harsh realities of his position.

Suffering at the end of play

A5,S5, Bosola’s final moral reflection

“dead walls” or vaulted graves” “Gloomy world” - semantic field of darkness - hopelessness - suffering he will fae in afterlife as a result of his scheming and immoral behaviour

AO3 - Bosola suffering as a result of his ambition to defy Great Chain of Being

• Jacobean society was strictly hierarchical — social mobility was rare, and ambition was often viewed as morally dangerous.

• Bosola’s desire to climb the social ladder reflects a wider Jacobean anxiety about corrupt ambition, particularly within the court.

• Webster was writing during a time of political tension and mistrust (e.g. James I’s court), where courtiers like Bosola were often seen as morally compromised “new men” — not born noble, but trying to gain power through service and manipulation.

Bosola’s torment mirrors the real-world consequences faced by those who tried to “rise above their station” in a rigid, class-obsessed society.

Ao5 - quote reason for his guilt

Emma Smith notes that “Bosola is at once the malcontent and the moral centre of the play.”

🔹 This duality lets you explore how Bosola is morally conflicted — his suffering isn’t just physical or social, but deeply internal, as he tries to reconcile duty, ambition, and conscience.

comparison

When we see stanley through the lens of Bosola who suffers partly due to his moral conscious - see how perhaps Stanley is exempt from suffering due to his lack of moral consciousness

“We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” (Scene 10) - no guilt or doubt just entitlement - lack of empathy contrasts with Bosola’s horror at his actions shown through his acceptance for his punishment at the end