1. The Duchess of Malfi Introductory Lesson LO: In this lesson you will:
learn about some of the key contexts of Jacobean drama
take further your understanding of how contextual information affects reading and interpretation

2. The play in our world
The Duchess of Malfi is set in a world of political intrigue, religious intolerance, exile and search for asylum, imprisonment without trial, torture, murder and revenge. What connections could you make between those things in the play and in the world you live in?

3. Discuss
Can you think of other books/films or television programmes which deal with these themes?

4. What inspired the dramatists?
To understand the play is to understand the condition of England at the time.
England was quite unlike the myth of ‘Merrie England’ ruled over by ‘Good Queen Bess.’
Great poverty and great prosperity lived cheek by jowl in Shakespeare’s time. Wealth was unequally distributed leading to dangerous unrest.
To understand the contrast, read the extract from Richard II

5. This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings, Fear'd by their breed and famous by their birth, Renowned for their deeds as far from home, For Christian service and true chivalry, As is the sepulchre in stubborn Jewry, Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son, This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land, Dear for her reputation through the world, Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it, Like to a tenement or pelting farm: England, bound in with the triumphant sea Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame, With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds: That England, that was wont to conquer others, Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
How far do you think Shakespeare is criticising the England of his time in this extract?

6. Social Hierarchy and the Malcontent
Elizabethan and Jacobean England was hierarchical.
No political parties. Instead there were factions held together by religious beliefs and a common interest in wealth and power
Monarch
Knights
Gentry
Citizens
Yeomen
Aristocrats
The majority of the population: no voice, no power, no wealth or possessions
During the reign of James I, the power of the monarchy and old aristocracy was increasingly challenged by the gentry and merchants angered by royal extravagance.

7. Elizabethan & Jacobean England
Atmosphere of suspicion and fear.
Gossip and rumour flourished.
The government controlled news and debate – free discussion was distrusted by those in authority because it was thought to lead to treason.
Shakespearean and Jacobean tragedies invited audiences to witness the fall of great people.
Plenty of examples of social climbing e.g. Shakespeare himself.
The malcontent was a popular figure of the time –critical and rebellious.

8. A Modern Malcontent?
Obviously I don’t vote as I believe democracy is a pointless spectacle where we choose between two indistinguishable political parties, neither of whom represent the people but the interests of the powerful business elites that run the world.
Russell Brand.

9. Death disease and violence
Audiences were used to seeing shocking events and themes of tragedy.
Preoccupation with death and disease.
Average life expectancy was a little over 30.
High infant mortality (sometimes as high as 50% before the age of 15).
Sexual diseases were common.
The plague was a regular visitor and frequently caused the closure of theatres.
In London in 1603 over one sixth of the population died of the plague.
Few available anaesthetics, medical treatment was rudimentary.
Violence and crime were rife.
Public executions were watched by thousands.

10. Subordination of women
Men were firmly in control – patriarchal society.
Although Elizabeth I ruled for 40 years, she was an exception. Men ruled England.
James I hated women.
Women who spoke up were viewed with suspicion.
Women were considered a different species to men.
Women had little education.
Women were regarded as possessions.
Although men ruled, women’s influence was obvious in many spheres of life.
English women enjoyed more freedom than European women.
Drama presented many articulate and intelligent women.

11. The Jacobean Court
The English court was the seat of power. It was elitist and exclusive.
Dominated by a small number of aristocrats.
Atmosphere of ambition and intrigue and scheming for financial power.
James I’s court was particularly corrupt.
The court created vast debt.
Sexual corruption flourished.

12. Religion
Throughout the 16th Century, England swung between Protestantism and Catholicism resulting in persecution of both.
Catholics were distrusted and feared because they were seen as superstitious and corrupt.
Despite differences, religion was at the heart of all.
Jacobean playwrights knew the Bible well and assumed most shared their knowledge.
But more and more, questions were being asked.

13. Contempt for foreigners
It was a time of exploration and conquest.
England’s empire had grown under Elizabeth I.
England was secure in her own identity.
Foreigners viewed as aliens: Jews, Turks, Indians or Africans are abused and insulted in drama of the time.
Italy and Spain were seen as corrupt.

14. London and The Theatre London was the most important city in England.
It was the capital, a thriving port and the financial centre of the country.
Brothels and taverns were popular.
Londoners enjoyed a rich variety of entertainment.
Theatres were becoming more respectable and enjoyed the patronage of aristocrats and wealthy citizens.
Theatres were still suspiciously regarded by the authorities because it exposed conflicts in society.
Theatre came under fierce attack by Puritans who claimed it was ‘unchristian’.

15. Everyday events & witchcraft
Drama was often based on real events in Spain or Italy.
Playwrights made use of real events e.g. Macbeth references the Gun Powder Plot of 1605.
Most people believed in witches and witchcraft, a regular theme in dramas of the time.

16. Discuss
The tragedies reflect the preoccupations of the Elizabethan and Jacobean age but also have universal appeal today.
agree
disagree

17. Homework
In preparation for our next lesson please visit my blog: Mrsjgibbs.wordpress.com
View and make notes on the BBC programme on Elizabethan and Jacobean Tragedy. Pay particular notice to what you learn about classical dramatists: Plautus and Seneca.

18. Jacobean Revenge Tragedy
Lesson 1
LO: In this lesson you will:
learn about some of the key contexts of Jacobean drama
take further your understanding of how contextual information affects reading and interpretation

19. Feedback
Why was revenge such a popular theme in the Elizabethan and Jacobean dramas?
What were the popular crimes and ethical arguments played out?
Other than revenge, what other themes were popularly explored?
What is the relevance of Plautus and Seneca?
Plautus's comedies are mostly adapted from Greek models for a Roman audience, and are often based directly on the works of the Greek playwrights. He reworked the Greek texts to give them a flavour that would appeal to the local Roman audiences. They are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature.
Plautus wrote around 130 plays,[4] of which 20 have survived intact, making him the most prolific ancient dramatist in terms of surviving work.
Seneca remains one of the few popular Roman philosophers from the period. He appears not only in Dante, but also in Chaucer and to a large degree in Petrarch, who adopted his style in his own essays and who quotes him more than any other authority except Virgil. In the Renaissance, printed editions and translations of his works became common,
Revenge crime is greater than the original crime

20. Revenge – good or bad? Discuss your views of revenge An eye for an eye
Turn the other cheek
In your own words, explain the meaning of these sayings and their differences.
Discuss your views of revenge

21. The Origins of Tragedy Has its origins in Greece.
Greek Philosopher Aristotle’s ( BC) assumptions about the nature of tragedy inspired Shakespeare, Webster and Middleton. He outlined his ideas about tragedy in The Poetics. His theories provided a model for Renaissance thinking about tragedy.
The Renaissance period is described as ‘neo-classical’ because it revived these classical ideas.

22. Aristotle
Discuss what each of these means, explain them in your own words
One swallow does not make a summer.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because youth is sweet and they are growing.
It is possible to fail in many ways... while to succeed is possible only in one way.
It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied,  and most men live only for the gratification of it.
Evil draws men together.

23. Aristotle on tragedy
From the start, there are clues that all will not be well, and the atmosphere is one of doom from the beginning of scene 1.
The hero starts at a high position of happiness, prosperity and success.
The hero, due to some tragic flaw (e.g. hubris = too much pride) in his nature, makes a serious error in judgement - hamartia, which leads to a reversal of fortune – peripeteia leading to a fall in status and a moment of extreme suffering (pathos).
This results in anagnorisis, where the hero begins to understand and to realise his mistakes.
There is a cleansing of the old order, and the hero dies and another prepares to take over.
Through the hero’s suffering and death, the audience experiences catharsis– a kind of purification.
All of this happens within a short time span, of around twenty four hours.

24. What is Jacobean Tragedy?
Written during the reign of King James I ( ).
Jacobus is Latin for James.
Jacobean tragedy is sometimes called ‘revenge tragedy’ or ‘the theatre of blood’.
Identifies a genre: plays which share certain distinctive features.
Independent learning task:
Publication of The Duchess of Malfi.
Create a time line which shows:
Death and reign of Queen Elizabeth 1
The births and deaths of Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Middleton and John Ford.
Publication of Hamlet
Death and reign of King James

25. The features of Jacobean Tragedy
Revenge- various quests for vengeance leading to violent deaths. Different attitudes to revenge are explored. Disguise and counter plots are common.
Brutal and wicked behaviour – murder, treachery, cruelty, sexual lust, desire for power. Appetites which lead to destruction. Atmosphere of moral decay.
The corrupt society of Renaissance Italy and Spain - usually set in a decadent and vice-ridden foreign court, full of self seekers and Machiavellian political intrigue. Popular prejudice of such foreign places.
Religious and moral hypocrisy –Priests and religious leaders insincere and deceitful. Usually anti-Catholic (Jacobean England was Protestant).
The malcontent – a troubled individual who comments critically on society and other characters. Often a revengeful plotter, agent of retribution. Based on John Marston’s play ‘The Malcontent’ and the character Malvole = ‘ill wisher’.
Women – confident and sensual, seeking to control their own lives in a male-dominated world.
Language – sardonic, sombre tone, intense, vibrant language. Vivid imagery of corruption, sexual passion, disease, decay and death.
Sardonic – grimly mocking or cynical

26. Critical terminology Jacobean Renaissance Peripeteia Malcontent Hubris
Machiavellian
Harmatia
Revenge tragedy
Catharsis
Anagnorisis
Pathos
Can spend time doing this is time to spare
Independent learning Task:
Create a key of critical terms with their definition. To meet AO1 you must use these terms critically and accurately.

27. Homework
Study the booklet you have been given ‘What a piece of work is man’. Make notes on the following contexts:
Plot and genre
Elizabethan character and personality types
The Renaissance
Contemporary performance
Language
Add critical terms to your key.
Familiarise yourself with the language of the extract from Hamlet ready for a class reading.
Booklet: what a piece of work is man from EMC 1770 drama resource

28. On-going learning task
As we read, it is worth noting to what extent TDOM meets the generic conventions of Aristotelian and Jacobean tragedy.
Complete the tables for each as we read and note any breaks with these conventions in the text.
Worksheets available