Name: The Duchess of Malfi
Rating: 3.597826086956522 (23 reviews)
ISBN: 9780393900910

John Webster

The best-known of the Jacobean tragedies; an exemplary model of the "tragedy of blood."

The Duchess of Malfi

This fully re-edited, modernised play text is accompanied by insightful commentary notes, while its lively introduction provides an essential contextual grounding in the court scandals, anti-Catholic sentiment and Senecan drama that formed a backdrop to Webster's tragedy. Exploring the challenges of staging this highly melodramatic play, Karen Britland guides you through the most interesting points of its rich performance history, and analyses recent productions such as Dominic Dromgoole's version at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, starring Gemma Arterton. Analysing its masterful poetry, she shows how the work can be harnessed to engage in contemporary social debates about privacy, torture, surveillance, and personal freedom, and empowers you to do likewise. Supplemented by a plot summary, annotated bibliography and a companion website providing thought-provoking podcasts, production images, useful web links and sample questions and essay ideas, this edition is the most enlightening and engaging you will find.

What the heck did I just read and why is it so renowned and iconic? Terrible play and absolutely not recommended!

Aarush Arora

Rochelle Ferguson

MY NEW FAVOURITE BOOK! This book was more than I could have imagined. The writing style alongside the historic elements blended together to create a masterpiece. I loved the variety of themes within the book and I also loved seeing the play. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a satrical, historic read with drama and romace.

Millie Eaton

Brian Gibbons

Hoffman Reynolds Hays

Brecht and Hays's adaptation of John Webster's 'The Duchess of Malfi' was born of a tortuous set of drafts, redrafts and recriminations, which led to several versions of the script, including a Broadway staging of a version by W.H. Auden. The idea was to eliminate the anticlimactic series of deaths at the end, tighten up the script and emphasize the implicit incest motivation of the Duke. This version of the script, written directly in English by Hays, with Brecht advising on story and structure, is complemented here by notes and letters by Brecht himself on how the play ought to be performed.

kemi

Shreyaa

Siddhi Naik

Maureen

Tracy K

Yuvraj Jha

The great English Renaissance tragedy—violent, powerful, unforgettable—in a freshly edited and annotated student edition.

Cem Bayraktar

Lucía RG

Emily fowler

The evils of greed and ambition overwhelm love, innocence, and the bonds of kinship in this dark tragedy concerning the secret marriage of a noblewoman and a commoner. John Webster’s great Jacobean drama detailing the fiendish schemes of two brothers who desire their wealthy sister’s title and estates ends with a bloody and horrifying climax. A dynamic plot brimming with poetic lyricism, this provocative and profoundly original work will appeal to general readers, students, and teachers of drama and literature.

The Duchess of Malfi

Reviews

Highlights