"Any ceremonial form of law" : women of property, the law and public spectacle in John Webster's The tragedy of the Duchess of Malfi
Date
1997
Authors
Maunsell, Melinda Jane
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Abstract
John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi ( c. 1613) is considered through the traverse of its legal historical context: a trial by law in which a woman asserts her position as a prince, maintains her freedom to own property and chose her own marriage partner, and defends her reputation. Webster's text draws on the ambience of the Inns of Court and appeals to the audience as jury. As backdrop to the play this thesis discusses the interweaving of Anglo-Saxon and Norman traditions which produced the English property laws, and their first printed interpretation by Sir Thomas Littleton, later commented upon by Sir Edward Coke. Comparisons are made between elements of Sir Walter Ralegh's 1603 trial for treason and the integrity of the Duchess's performance. Reputation and fame are examined in the context of public witness and spectacle. A final parallel is drawn between the strategy within the play and the playwright's defence of his fame as a poet.