DUCHESS OF MALFI, The. One of the mysteries of English theatrical history is the oblivion in which Webster's tragedy rested until it was resurrected by Lamb. The purest tragedy in English literature outside of Shakes peare it possesses the best characteristics of that writer's free and elevated imagination. Distinctly a play of "school," by this meaning that it belonged to the revenge and blood type, it imbued the type with a veritable psychology that raises it above the class. Webster is to day remembered only for his two tragedies, (The White Devil' and 'The Duchess of Malfi.' The latter play, written between 1609 and 1614, was taken from a novel by Bandello in the second volume of Paynter's (Palace of Pleasure.' The play adds to a full catalogue of the elements of horror — tragedy, dark scenes, dead hands, dancing madmen and dumb-shows — other qualities of a higher order. These are clarity of purpose in the handling of the plot, beauty of verse and an insight into character amounting to revelation.
Basola, the most human and understandable in our gallery of villains, comes to his malefi cence distraught in counsel. The awful and in
fact insufficiently motivated revenge of Ferdi nand is followed by a remorse more vital to the beauties of the play than the revenge itself. The Duchess is one of the first figures in the world's tragic literature, no unrelieved sombre figure, but woman, mother, wife and queen. With Cariola one says of her: Whether the spirit of greatness or women Reign most in her I know not.
The play as a whole contains many quotable passages of poetry and much impassioned phi losophy. Editions: Dyce, A. (4 vols., 1830) ; Hazlitt, W. (4 vols., 1857) ; Sampson, M. W. (Belles-Lettres Series, 1904) ; Symonds, J. A., (Mermaid Series, 1888) ; Thorndike, A. H., 'Masterpieces of English Drama' (1912). Con sult Gosse, E., Century Studies' ; Stoll, E.. (John Webster, the Periods of His Work' ; Ward, A. W., (A History of English Dramatic Literature' (3 vols., 1899).