The White Devil review – putting the patriarchy on trial The Swan, Stratford Maria Aberg update of the Webster play foregrounds its gender politics but ultimately loses as much as it gains ‘Your beauty! This is essentially a belief in a hierarchical system that encompasses all of creation, including at its base rocks and other inanimate objects, through the animals who are alive, but not rational, to humans, and fi… Also known as Satan or Lucifer, the Bible depicts him as the chief of the fallen angels and demons, the arch enemy of God who mounts a significant, but ultimately futile, challenge to God's authority. Holmes contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. Vittoria gets imprisoned in the middle of the play, but Flamineo continues his rise—he's the only … • Antonelli – … The White Devil study guide contains a biography of John Webster, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The White Devil essays are academic essays for citation. Indeed, it is his lust for Vittoria that sets all of the tragic events of this play in motion. Venetian Curtizan. Given a society in which respectable ladies did not work, the only way for Vittoria to gain any social status is through marriage: Since Vittoria is allowed no soliloquies by which we can interpret her directly, much of an audience's assessment of her is shaped by the perceptions of the other characters in The White Devil. Her first husband is Camillo, the nephew of Cardinal Monticelso, who, according to his uncle, married her without receiving a dowry: Her second marriage is to Duke Brachiano, who murders both Camillo and his own wife, Isabella, in order to be able to marry her. The play 'The White Devil' by John Webster, together with Thomas Kyd's 'The Spanish Tragedy' and Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', is an example of a very popular genre of drama during the Jacobean and Elizabethan eras- the revenge tragedy. • Francisco De Medici – Duke of Florence; in Act V disguised as the Moor, Mulinassar. As a result she is sent to the house of penitent whores as punishment. According to the book of Genesis in the Bible the first woman, said to have been created by God out of Adam's rib, to be his companion. Flamineo says: In Act 1 scene 2 Vittoria says of her husband, ‘How shall's rid him hence?' All the men implicated in Camillo's murder are exonerated, while Vittoria is the only one who is punished. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. • Brachiano – Otherwise Paulo Giordano Orsini, The Duke of Brachiano, husband of Isabella, and in love with Vittoria. ', This quality is particularly on display during her trial (Act 3 sc 2). The spirit which gives life to a human being; the part which lives on after death; a person's inner being (personality, intellect, emotions and will) which distinguishes them from animals. Farrell, Virginia. ed. They are described by Cardinal Monticelso in Act 3 scene 2 as being descended from the honourable Venetian family of the Vitelli. The world of Shakespeare and the Metaphysical poets 1540-1660, The world of Victorian writers 1837 - 1901, Romantic poets, selected poems: context links, Thomas Hardy, selected poems: context links, Text specific further reading and resources, Attitudes to Catholicism in Webster's time, More on the Christian perspective on poverty, A worked passage analysis - Act 5 scene 4, Big ideas from the Bible > Women in the Bible. Detailed analysis of Characters in Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. Invoking these morality plays makes the play's narrative arc easier to understand, and it … Written and first performed in 1612, The White Devil is loosely based on a sensational event that happened in Italy some thirty years earlier: the murder of historical Vittoria Accoramboni in Padua, on December 22, 1585. His life is recorded most fully in the Four Gospels. John Webster's The White Devil is a story of passion and revenge. We know from what Flamineo says in Act 1 sc 2 that the family had become poor. In the case of The White Devil, Brachiano and Vittoria's love-bed would likely be placed at the center of the stage, with Flamineo and Zanche representing Vice on one side, and Cornelia representing Virtue on the other. Like Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, whilst there is no direct evidence that Vittoria is involved in murder, does marriage to the chief beneficiary, Brachiano, morally compromise her and make it more likely that she was complicit? Analysis of characters. Il Conte Berenza represents a model of perfectionism in his lust for Victoria. The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament scriptures inherited from Judaism, together with the New Testament, drawn from writings produced from c.40-125CE, which describe the life of Jesus and the establishment of the Christian church. (referring to the double meaning of blood, as ‘passion' as well as red corpuscles). resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. Flamineo is one of the most important characters in the play and plays a central role. • Giovanni – Brachiano’ s son by Isabella. Vittoria gets the play rolling: she's at the center of the action, even if she's not quite as constant a presence as her brother, Flamineo. The oxymoron provides the imagery of both purity and the devil who was responsible for tempting human kind to turn from God. Characters. She remains the ‘white devil', a morally ambiguous character. A whore or courtesan (high class prostitute), From the earliest scenes the mention of Vittoria is associated with terms like ‘prostitute' and ‘strumpet', Whilst the ‘men of the world' discuss her social position, it is Cornelia's horrified reaction in Act 1 sc 2 that indicates her moral blackness - even though at this stage she has not actually committed adultery. Yet even Monticelso admits that: During the trial, Monticelso accuses Vittoria of seducing Brachiano: Brachiano himself mistrusts Vittoria and blames her for their situation after he has been misled by Francisco's letter in Act 4 sc 2. Given that it is not in the interest of each man, either financially or dynastically, to marry her, Vittoria clearly owes her elevated social position to her beauty and sexual attractiveness. The White Devil study guide contains a biography of John Webster, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. At her death he praises her for her bravery: During her trial, even the English ambassador praises Vittoria for her courage in standing up to her accusers: ‘She hath a brave spirit. The corrupted world full of villainy in which they live can be grasped by the fact that one does not know who the white devil is. She shows awareness of Brachiano's culpability for Isabella's murder (Act 4 sc 2): ‘White' is associated with virtue, innocence, chastity. Her dream about the yew tree which she recounts to Brachiano in Act 1 scene 2 could be seen as inciting Brachiano to commit the murders. She is not, however, the only candidate for that office. When Cornelia, her mother, accuses her of betraying her husband in Act 1 sc 2, she is clearly affected by the accusation. When she is accused of being unfaithful to Brachiano in Act 4 scene 2 she is very strong in her resistance to him: She faces death bravely at the end and refuses to let her assassins kill her servant before her: Vittoria is aware that she is culpable for the way in which she has lived her life. Its name comes from the new covenant or relationship with God. Cedars, S.R. At the heart of late medieval and renaissance English thought is the concept of the "Great Chain of Being." Pope Gregory soon found out and ordered Vittoria and the Duke to part and even resorted to having Vittoria imprisoned in the Castel Sant'Angelo under the suspicion of having killed her husband. ‘The White Devil,’ written in 1612, was in fact based on the sensational story of the murder of Vittoria Accoramboni in 1585 and the events that it depicts are indeed shocking even by the standards of modern sensibilities. If she can be shown to be a whore (prostitute), that is considered to be sufficient to implicate her in Camillo's murder. The White Devil review – passion, revenge and murder at the double Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London Annie Ryan’s production does full justice to … There is a range of evidence which is ambiguous enough to engage the audience in deciding for themselves: Or is this just Flamineo's cynical interpretation? Even Francisco realizes that they have not proved their case: She is often able to turn her accusers' arguments against them: Vittoria is never afraid to stand up for herself, as the English ambassador says at her trial: ‘She hath a brave spirit.' Cornelia is virtuous and a good character in a play full of corruption. If you look at the original front cover of The White Devil, we see that the story of Brachiano is highlighted initially, before the main character Vittoria. A 'testament' is a covenant (binding agreement), a term used in the Bible of God's relationship with his people. Vittoria is generally thought to be the ‘‘white devil’’ of the title, a woman who betrays her husband and helps to plan the murders of both her husband and her lover’s wife. It is unclear, for example, whether she really loves Brachiano or is using him … In Act 5 sc 6 Vittoria displays a conventional horror at the prospect of her brother's suicide: However, her gloating over what she thinks is his death displays the obverse of New Testament morality and compassion: When the conspirators come to kill her, she faces it with stoic fortitude like her brother: Vittoria has regrets about the course of her life, but displays no penitence for her sins. To a church-going audience, this would identify her with various ‘wicked women' from the Bible (see Big ideas from the Bible > Women in the Bible). During her trial, she defends herself by ably responding to the charges laid against her. But who really calls the shots and spurs the action? The Question and Answer section for The White Devil is a great An Italian count who is banished at the beginning of the play, and later acts as conspirator against Brachiano and Flamineo, A friend of Count Lodovico and a dependent of Francisco de Medici; he later acts as conspirator against Brachiano and Flamineo, Both a villain and hero in the play, Paulo Giordano Ursini is the Duke of Brachiano and the husband to Isabella; for the love of Vittoria, he has his wife and her husband Camillo killed, Vittoria's husband, murdered by Brachiano, Vittoria and Marcello's brother, Brachiano's secretary, and the play's most scheming villain; he is driven by a desire to increase his social standing, but must rely on manipulation and wit to achieve his purposes, A Venetian lady who is first married to Camillo and then marries Brachiano, setting in motion the play's tragedy, Vittoria's servant, an African Moor, and Flamineo's lover; she is aware of many schemes but follows her mistress all the way to death, Mother to Vittoria, Flamineo, and Marcello, and one of the play's few moral voices, The Duke of Florence and brother to Isabella, he is involved in condemning Vittoria and then conspiring to kill Brachiano and Flamineo;his full name is Francisco de Medici, The sickly wife of Brachiano, the sister of Francisco de Medici, and one of the play's few moral voices, A Catholic Cardinal until he is named Pope Paul IV, Monticelso is a hypocritical villain who uses his power to condemn Vittoria and then surreptitiously facilitate Brachiano's murder, Vittoria and Flamineo's brother, and an attendant to the Duke of Florence, The son of Isabella and Brachiano, a seemingly chivalrous and moral boy who gains control after his father is murdered, A disguised conjurer (or necromancer) who shows Brachiano the murders of Isabella and Camillo, One of the line-less "ghost" characters who helps Doctor Julio murder Isabella, A "ghost" character present at Isabella's death, The Cardinal of Arragon; one of the cardinals present at Monticelso's election to Pope, and the announcer of the news, Francisco, disguised as a Moor while conspiring to kill Brachiano, A member of Francisco's faction who resides in Brachiano's court, and aids the conspirators in their plan to murder Brachiano, A doctor who helps Flamineo and Brachiano poison Isabella, described as a quack and a criminal, The lawyer recruited to condemn Vittoria in her trial, characterized by his unnecessary use of flamboyant language, Several ambassadors - from Savoy, France, England, and Spain - who are recruited to judge Vittoria's trial and later involve themselves in the plot, The matron of the house of convertities (home for penitent whores) to which Vittoria is sentenced. To a modern audience, Vittoria's failings are much more excusable than they would have appeared in Webster's day: which Jacobeans would have known went against Jesus' commendation not to be concerned with material provision Matthew 6: 25-30. Vittoria is a white devil; she may be the white devil of the title. There is her long silence at the end of Act 4 scene 2 when the audience does not know the true state of her ‘reconciliation' with Brachiano. He experiences the most ups and downs. Detailed analysis of Characters in John Webster's The White Devil. The fact that it is Vittoria who is put on trial and not Brachiano demonstrates her dubious moral standing (and the court's misogyny). Characters The White Witch ... Lewis respected traditional gender roles as defined by religion and probably would not have conceived a female devil. Copyright © crossref-it.info 2021 - All rights reserved. Is one a cover for the other? As she says in Act 5 sc 6: She was not present at the murders nor involved in any of the plotting witnessed between Brachiano and Flamineo. The White Devil e-text contains the full text of The White Devil by John Webster. She displays some admirable qualities which show up those who seek to manipulate her. Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Vittoria Corombona from The White Devil Flamineo. He briefly repents of the harm that he did to Isabella, his first wife, and blames Vittoria for tempting him: He quarrels with Brachiano when his master calls his sister a whore after the false letter from Francisco in Act 4 sc 2. It is clear that she has no expectation of salvation beyond the grave but is ‘like to a ship in a black storm' with no certain destination. ‘My soul, like to a ship in a black storm, ‘Sum up my faults I pray, and you shall find. According to Christian theology human beings have displayed a pre-disposition to sin since the Fall of Humankind. The term describes the movement, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries originating from Italy, where new areas of art, poetry, scholarship and architecture emerged. The White Devil Corruption of the law and its abuse by the rich and powerfulTo the reader- play not a success at first, people wanted to be entertained not made to think. So Vittoria falls in … (If you catch our drift). Read the Study Guide for The White Devil…, Explore and analyse Webster's treatment of women and their status in society as presented in The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, Webster's Tragic Vision in "The White Devil", Complications of a Fallen World: Comparing The White Devil and Paradise Lost, Assimilating Anti-Catholic Attitudes in Renaissance Drama: Analysis of The White Devil and Dr Faustus, View Wikipedia Entries for The White Devil…. The Duke of Bracciano, otherwise known as Paulo Giordano Orsini, is a very powerful nobleman. 42 Of the three female characters in The White Devil, only Isabella and Vittoria are involved in major scenes which require self-staging in front of an on-stage audience. Zofloya, at times, reads more like a psychology manual than a novel in that many of the key characters appear to be archetypes of serious psychological disorders. Webster based The White Devil on the sensational murder of a young Italian noblewoman, Vittoria Accoramboni, in 1585. most interesting figure in The White Devil" and that, more than Vittoria, he "seems to have come white-hot" from Webster's imagination.26 A. passage from Joseph Hall's Heaven upon Earth (1606) well illustrates the. The family is no longer rich. He is the brother of Vittoria Corombona and Marcello. Vittoria is constantly being judged and variously labelled as: In a society that set huge store by a woman's virtue and chastity, the accusation of being sexually promiscuous was extremely serious: Vittoria is seen to be on trial for her sexuality rather than for her uncertain role in the murder of her husband. Basically, she's cheating on her husband Camillo, with the Duke of Brachiano. He is married to the lady Isabella, but is infatuated with Vittoria Corombona. Bracciano colludes with … The Witch is an evil figure, but she lacks the fire- and-brimstone aura that surrounds the Christian image of Satan. And he's not satisfying his wife's… needs. Webster apparently used one or more chronicles of the event for his plot line, his settings, and his characters. 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