The conspiracy of the Duchess’ brothers in The Duchess of Malfi

“The Duchess of Malfi” is a revenge play which comes from the pen of John Webster (1580-1625), one of the most prominent playwrights of both Elizabethan and Jacobean Age. This play is a story of avenge, a story of blood-shedding. In the centre of play there is a Duchess, who is young but widowed. She has two brothers, and between these brothers one is her twin. Her brothers plot heinous conspiracy against her. Let us make a discussion on it in brief.

          Conspiracy is a secretly contrived evil plan to act against some ones interest or to harm somebody. It is a sinister procuration to cause destruction to somebody, and this destruction maybe death as well. The twin brother of The Duchess, Ferdinand is the duke of Calabria. He had an uncontrollable mental and physical frenzy. He appears in a violent manner and we see great fury in his character all the time, as we see in the character of Tybalt in “Romeo & Juliet”. On the other hand, Cardinal, another brother of the Duchess is a person of serpentine manner. He is a silent killer. He does not anticipate his rage. Between the brothers, it is Cardinal who has the evil master mind.

          Both the brothers of the Duchess are vicious, pernicious and dangerously sinister. They are perpetrators as they hatch a conspiracy against their own sister. The motive of the brothers is to prevent the Duchess from re-marriage, as they were fond of the wealth of her. And if she marries someone who does not have blue-blood, it will decrease their pride, their honor. So the brothers warn their sister not to re-marry, and they also warn her that if she violates their instruction, she will have to suffer the pain of death. Both Ferdinand and Cardinal say to the Duchess:

“Fer- You are a widow: / You know already what man is; and therefore / Let not youth, high promotion, eloquence- / Car- No. Nor anything without the addition, honour, / Sway your high blood. / Fer- Marry! They are most luxurious / Will wed twice. / Car- O, fie! / Fer- Their livers are more spotted / Then Laban’s sheep.” (1. 1. 293-297)

          After warning, neither Ferdinand nor Cardinal believe their sister, the Duchess. So they employ a spy, Bosola, to look upon her activities secretly. It is Ferdinand who actually solicits Bosola’s help as a spy. Although publicly Ferdinand claims that he does not want his sister to re-marry because he does not want to ruin her reputation, but his real purpose is that he hopes to get her wealth. Ferdinand, along with Bosola is initially reluctant to spy on the Duchess. Ferdinand is manipulative and convincing enough to get Bosola to do it anyway.

          However, the two brothers take precaution and tell the Duchess at her face that it would be devastating if she re-marries. But the irony is The Duchess eventually falls in love with the steward of her household, Antonio, and marries him. Cariola, the made of The Duchess was the only witness of this marriage. Hither wards, the spy Bosola was the gentleman of the horses to The Duchess. One day he suspected that The Duchess is pregnant. So in order to know the real fact, Bosola hits upon an iniquity plan.

          Bosola gifts The Duchess some apricots that quicken the birth of child. The Duchess display great greed for them and devours them greedily, even without removing the skin. Soon she feels sick and is taken away to her private room. After conducting the test Bosola comes to know surely that The Duchess is pregnant. We witness at this point some devilish asides from Bosola:

          “Good; her colour rises.” (2. 1. 138)

          “How greedily she eats them!” (2. 1. 154)

          The Duchess gives birth to a son. These entire situations raise a frightening status in Antonio’s mind. He in his frightened state drops the horoscope by accident and Bosola picks it up and read it. So Bosola becomes firmly sure that The Duchess has given birth to a child. He then passes this news to the cruel brothers and their anger knows no bounds. Ferdinand curses her disgustfully, but Cardinal remains silent and makes a more evil plan against The Duchess. As we see what Ferdinand says:

“I would have their bodies / Burnt in a coal-pit with the ventage stopp’d; / That their curs’d smoke might not ascend to heaven;” (2. 5. 62-64)

          The Duchess gives birth of two children more. The satanic brothers finally finish the light of her life along with her two innocent children. Bosola, the partner of the villainous plan of the brothers kills her with the help of the executioners. “Antonio” and “Mercy” were last two words uttered by The Duchess. In her last sentence she said:

“Pull, and pull strongly, for your able strength / Must pull down heaven upon me:” (4. 2. 224-225)

          From the light of the above discussion it has been cleared that it was a heinous conspiracy plotted by Ferdinand and Cardinal, the brothers against their own sister, The Duchess. These two brothers were the main conspirators and Bosola acted according to their conspiracy. They accomplish their conspiracy, and they commit the murder of The Duchess along with her two young innocent children.