Note
Studied by 42 peoplesociety and class
1. Bosola’s Critique and Ambition
Bosola exposes the corruption and flattery at court but also admits his desire to be part of it:
“Could I be one of their flatt'ring panders, I would hang on their ears like a horse-leech till I were full, and then drop off. […] Who would rely upon these miserable dependences, in expectation to be advanced tomorrow? […] There are rewards for hawks and dogs when they have done us service, but for a soldier that hazards his limbs in battle, nothing but a kind of geometry is his last supportation.” (1.1.54-60)
This contradiction highlights the toxic nature of court life and Bosola’s conflicted character.
2. Bosola as Ferdinand’s Creature
Bosola submits to Ferdinand’s control, becoming almost like a created tool:
“I am your creature.” (1.1.280)
This shows the power dynamics where courtiers are expected to be extensions of their masters, not equals.
3. Social Elevation Through Marriage
The Duchess insists that Antonio must be raised socially for their relationship to be equal:
“This goodly roof of yours is too low built, I cannot stand upright in't, nor discourse, Without I raise it higher. Raise yourself, Or if you please, my hand to help you […]” (1.1.408-411)
Marriage is thus a means of social mobility, but also requires recognition from the upper class.
4. Social Ambition as Dangerous
Antonio advises Bosola against overreaching his social status:
“I look no higher than I can reach […] when a man's mind rides faster than his horse can gallop, they quickly both tire.” (2.1.89-94)
This reflects the strict social order in Italian courts where ambition is risky.
5. The Metaphor of Grafting
The Duchess supports mixing social classes through marriage:
Bosola: “’Tis a pretty art, this grafting.”
Duchess: “’Tis so: a bett'ring of nature.”
Bosola: “To make a pippin grow upon a crab A damson on a blackthorn.” (2.1.148-51)
Grafting symbolizes social mixing, which the Duchess views positively, but Bosola finds unnatural.
6. Class-Based Insults
Antonio insults Bosola by calling him a “slave,” showing entrenched class prejudice:
“Saucy slave I'll pull thee up by the roots!” (2.3.36)
Even those who reject social climbing use class insults to assert superiority.
7. Ambition and Its Dangers
Delio comments on Antonio’s social ambition with concern:
“How fearfully Shows his ambition now […]” (2.4.80-81)
Ambition threatens Antonio’s safety and social standing.
8. Merit vs. Birth
Bosola challenges the Duchess’s emphasis on rank over virtue:
Duchess: “But he was basely descended.”
Bosola: “Will you make yourself a mercenary herald, Rather to examine men's pedigrees than virtues? You shall want him […]” (3.2.254-57)
Bosola defends merit over noble birth, critiquing aristocratic values.
9. Public View of the Duchess’s Marriage
Pilgrims observe the unusual marriage and criticize the Cardinal’s harshness:
“Here's a strange turn of state: who would have thought So great a lady would have matched herself Unto so mean a person? Yet the Cardinal Bears himself much too cruel.” (3.4.23-26)
The marriage shocks society, but even outsiders think the punishment is excessive.
10. Submission in Death
The Duchess kneels before her execution, completing the symbolic cycle of standing and kneeling:
“Yet stay, heaven gates are not so highly arched As princes' palaces: they that enter there Must go upon their knees.” [Kneels] (4.2.222-24)
Her kneeling can be read as humble submission or tragic dignity, contrasting with when she raised Antonio up.
Quote #1
Her appearance is incongruous to the setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district. (1.14)
Blanche feels “out of place” and tries to alter her surroundings to suit her persona.
Quote #2
EUNICE: A great big place with white columns. (1.63)
Belle Reve is part of Stella’s background and is not forgotten.
Quote #3
BLANCHE: …I let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your – Polack! (1.185)
Blanche uses a derogatory term to establish superiority over Stanley.
Quote #4
BLANCHE: Please don’t get up.
STANLEY: Nobody’s going to get up, so don’t be worried. (3.38-9)
Blanche’s ideal of Southern gentlemen contrasts with the reality of New Orleans men.
Quote #5
BLANCHE: That one seems – superior to the others.
STELLA: Yes, he is.
BLANCHE: I thought he had a sort of sensitive look. (3.57-9)
Blanche attracted to sensitive qualities, Stella to Stanley’s aggressive masculinity.
Quote #6
BLANCHE: It’s a French name.
MITCH: You’re French?
BLANCHE: We are French by extraction. Our first American ancestors were French Huguenots. (3.136-8)
Blanche’s ethnic origins are a point of pride.
Quote #7
BLANCHE: Stop it. Let go of that broom. I won’t have you cleaning up for him!
STELLA: Then who’s going to do it? Are you?
BLANCHE: I? I!
STELLA: No, I didn’t think so. (4.44-7)
Blanche maintains superior airs despite being a penniless guest.
Quote #8
STANLEY: That’s how I’ll clear the table! [He seizes her arm.] Don’t ever talk that way to me! "Pig – Polack – disgusting – vulgar – greasy!" – them kind of words have been on your tongue and your sister’s too much around here! What do you think you two are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said – "Every Man is a King!" And I am the King around here, so don’t forget it! (8.14)
Stanley represents new America, land of opportunity and equality, contrasting Blanche’s archaic ideals.
Quote #9
STANLEY: You showed me the snapshot of the place with the columns and how you loved it. (8.55)
Stella’s marriage partly about escape from her old background.