Group+Four

 The Duchess of Malfi **Group Four** We are group four and our topic of choice is __The Duchess of Malfi__; a play written by John Webster and performed in the early 17th century. The play was performed in London, England. The story is set in the court of Malfi, Italy. The main characters of the play are the Duchess, the Cardinal (brother of the Duchess), Ferdinand (twin brother of the Duchess), Bosola (spy for Ferdinand), Antonio (the steward of the Duchess), Delio (a friend of Antonio who tries to seduce Julia), and Julia the mistress. The story is based on murder, deception, and family ties and lies. The drama lays out a marriage that is not approved of by the two brothers of the Duchess, which portrays a story of events that churn peoples stomachs. These are our discussion topics, enjoy! (Introduction summary by Cody Carlin)



 __The Spiritual Echoes of //The Duchess of Malfi : Scholarly essay summary by Cody Carlin//__
The scholarly essay that I chose for my assignment in "The Duchess of Malfi" is, "The Spiritual Echoes of the Duchess of Malfi", by Maurice Hunt. His essay is in the book; "Essays in Literature" under "The Duchess of Malfi." Maurice Hunt uses different characters and their correlation to each other in the subject of religion, which in this play is Christianity under the Catholic Church. For instance Hunt refers to the churchmen and their religion with god, and then comparing them to the Machiavellian Cardinal and his “ruined religion” (Hunt 172). Passages that he writes like these help the reader understand the conflicts between the characters and how religion other than Christianity is seen as inferior and “different.” It is interesting that religion is such a huge impact during these time periods, though some of the main characters like the brothers of the Duchess, are corrupt in numerous ways. Hunt also refers the character in the play, Antonio, dealing with the dilemma of the death of the Duchess and then adds his quote; “O heaven, / Shall I never see her more?” (Hunt 173). Antonio’s question to heaven shows that when in time of need and uncertainty, he looks to heaven for answers. This example impacts the reader suggesting the right person to ask in situations of distress is God. Hunt claims that the authority in the play is retrieved from a “religious source”, which signifies that religion is not only spiritual to the people, but also authoritarian to them. Hunt then proceeds on to explaining how the Duchess and Bosola become interested in religion while the setting of the play portrays God to be the correct path to life. Reading Hunt's essay helps show proof of the religious aspect that influences the character’s behavior during times of death and deception throughout the play.



Introduction Paragraph by Cody Carlin
Religion throughout the centuries has been a huge impact on society and the way people function in it. Though the religions differ from century to century, the main focus of the play, The Duchess of Malfi, is the Roman Catholic Church set during the 17th century. This play was written by John Webster and is based in Italy. The play revolves around defiance, trust, greed, and manslaughter, which all correspond with religion and strong moral values; what is considered wrong or sinful, compared to what is good or heaven like. Sinful acts are thought to be lead from the devil and hell, while good acts symbolize God and Heaven. Religion unites people together, which forms a community in religion. This community formed by religion gives basic guidelines on how people should act, and the church governs what is right and what is wrong. The Roman Catholic church would have seen the acts of murder, deception, lying, and mistrust as sinful acts. It is interesting to see how characters such as the Cardinal, do such sinful acts but still consider themselves holy. Since the play was written during a time of strong Catholic beliefs, it makes the reader wonder how the Church itself impacted the thoughts and acts of the characters throughout the play. The act of murder occurs during the play, which is a sin that is looked very down upon in the church, and I will discuss how the characters tie in their emotions and values towards these sinful acts. This will help the reader understand the significance of religion during this time period in Italy. Some believe that religion gives people a sense of courage and strength to make it through difficult times in life, which correlates with the Duchess of Malfi. Throughout the play, some of the characters seem to look up to God when all else has failed. If God were able to judge the outcome of the situation with the Duchess, it would have been a much more forgiving scenario.

For more information and history on the Roman Catholic Church visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_catholic_church#High_Middle_Ages

Marriage in Europe from the Medieval Times through the Restoration period- by Robert Snow
**INTRO** - Marriage, is it a political union, or is it a union of love that has been romanticized over since the dawn of time? Well, it is both. For the most part of history, marriage was created to make bonds between other humans and societies. In the stone ages men and women came together in a form of marriage to divide the work of survival into two. Women offered sex, food gathering, and offspring in exchange for security from men. In the Medieval times, marriage in the highborn society brought an inheritance of money and powerful relatives to expand riches. This was common practice and rarely debated. It was when the silly idea of marrying for love came around that ruined unions and spiked the divorce rate. In the "Duchess of Malfi", by playwright John Webster, the Duchess goes against social norms and marries for love, enraging her siblings, who covet her wealth. Women of highborn status had more rights then peasant women, and in fact sometimes more power and wealth then men. It is just unacceptable that the Duchess marries a steward, Antonio, who is not worthy of receiving her wealth and she did it behind her jealous brothers back. This was a new notion for the time, a woman with authority. The play ends in tragedy, dead is our radical, as is such the case in society when someone steps out of this their place. Webster's play takes place in a time, when theater production was declining after Queen Elizabeth's death, 1614. Medieval marriages of the highborn, were strategical planned to concentrate wealth and form alliances; love was not part of the equation. Webster's "Duchess of Malfi" is based off this belief of marriage even though the play was written in 17th century years after the Medieval ages. In the recent history before his play he had been written; England had seen King Henry VII lash out against Catholicism and make his own church of England to justify his divorce. We will look at the similiarities throughout the years of the Medieval ages up to Webster's time and see that nothing much had changed in the principle of marriage in the Highborn which John Webster portrays in "The Duchess of Malfi".  **SIMILARITIES** - Coontz talks about medieval wedding in the section I researched, but not much had changed between this period and the time of which “The Duchess of Malfi” took place. The play, "The Duchess of Malfi", takes place during the Period shortly after Queen Elizabeth of England's death. This play can also be related to the Queen, who loved her life by her own accord and followed no male authority. Elizabeth never married for this reason; she did not need a man to sway her actions. Like many of Shakespeare's plays, Mr. Webster chose to use another European country as the setting for his play as not to offend English Royalty. This play takes place in Rome. Europe's culture was very similar throughout these years with subtle differences. The Duchess was wealthy. This wealth was coveted by her brothers, the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Like wealthy women of the Medieval time she could bequeath her inheritance to her offspring, not her husband or relatives. Her brothers tried to forbid her from marrying, but the heart wants what it want. The Duchess marries behind her brothers back for love to a steward named Antonio. She has children out of wedlock because it is a secretive marriage not sanctioned by the Church or State, which at that time was unusual. By the 1600's, in most Protestant European countries, the State governed marriage rules and recorded marriages (Wikipedia.org, "Marriage"). This was of no importance to her because she was royalty and could do what she wanted. The brothers are boiled over with jealousy, coveting her wealth. Her brothers hope to get her wealth by killing the Duchess, her husband and her kids, leaving them the money. They succeed in killing everyone except the eldest son, but they also get themselves killed in the process, ultimately making them unsuccessful. Mr. Webster points out the flaws in this archaic system in this tragedy of a play. His play is a precursor to the principle of marrying for love, which our society likes to think we have in place now. These types of tragedies have been romanticized over for years, like in other plays such as “Romeo and Juliet.” Playwright Webster wanted us to see that there are far more important things in life than money and building political ties with upper-class marriages. Love is of the utmost importance when it comes to marriage. Love is considered the number one reason for marriage presently. Back in the Medieval times and the times of John Webster, love was something that society saw as foolish, and if love was possible the couple would learn to have it for each other after years of marriage. Love does bring complications and it it created a common practice known as divorce to our modern day societies. Still, marriage is now a foundation of mutuality in the feeling of love, and is found before a marriage. Money is still an issue in marriage for famous people which nowaday we equate to modern royalty. Just ask Michael Jordan, who not too long ago had to pay out well over a hundred million to his ex-wife. Successful women may still success without a significant other, and some may never marry because they fear they may have their independence taken away. Thankfully our lives today don’t always play out like tragic movies, or in the Duchess’s case, plays, but we can surely learn a thing from marriage portrayed through art of the past.
 * RESEAR CH** - In the Medieval period, marriage was about politics. Stephanie Coontz touches on the power of the Highborn women, such as the Duchess of Mafli who had the power to control her inheritance, but came from a later period. She tells the reader that a women in medieval Europe can inherit and transmit property as well as bloodlines and her property could not be stripped from her and taken over by her husband or kin (Coontz pg101). Relatives had to think twice about ignoring her will if she produced the required heirs (Coontz pg101). A man in that period that wanted to be prosperous needed a wife of an "exalted" bloodline. A highborn wife was surrounded by jealous courtiers, attendants, clients at hand, brothers and fathers watching from afar, like the Duchess brothers in this play. There were many small kingdoms in Europe and not one held too much power, marriage of high bloods was a defensive and offensive strategy to build alliances. Women could even be adulteresses, because their husband would put up with it rather than divorce his wife and lose out on status (Coontz pg102). It was little wonder why the game of chess places the Queen as the highest piece on the board (Coontz pg103).

You can read about the history of Marriage through Wikipedia.org by clicking on the link below. [|History of Marriage]



Some people still have Medieval Weddings ceremonies to this day! Check it out out below.

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==My field of expertise is going to be the author John Webster. I will break it up into two parts, the author's life while growing up and his writings and works while focusing on //The Duchess of Malfi.// ==

Author intro -by Billy Ingram
John Webster was born in London, England around 1579 or 1580 (many facts about Websters life are not recorded in any documents that survive to this day so scholars have estimated this along with some of the other dates). John's father who's name was also John worked as a Coachmaker but the background of his mother is unknown. John attended the prestigious Merchant Taylor's School, this school was designed for children of members of the Company of Merchant Taylors. It is here that John recieved a good basic education, with exposure to literature in both English and Latin. He would have also participated in musical and dramatic performances which would lead him on in his life of playwrites and as a known member of London's upper middle class. Johns death is estimated to be no later than 1634. Webster's earliest known collabrative writting was a play written on commision in 1602 called //Caesar's// fall. Webster's two best known and most admired plays were both written by him alone: //The White Devil// (1612) and //The Duchess of Malfi// (published 1623, but written in 1613 or 1614). Both get there storylines from the Italian tradition of sensation and tragedy,which was popular at that time. //The Duchess of Malfi// was based on an Italian novella and was first performed in 1614 at the Globe theatre in London. Over Webster's career he wrote about ten collabrative plays and at least 4 individually. His last known play was called //Appius and Virginia//, and was produced in London in 1634.

Summary of research essay Webster: The Tragedies by Kate Aughterson - Billy Ingram
The Duchess of Malfi is among the most spectacular of the Jacobean revenge tragedies. Webster is highly looked up at by many and is often compared to Shakesphere himself. In The Duchess of Malfi Webster uses multiple allusions to witchcraft along with a lot of imagery and visual icons. Webster's theatrical skills and performability are repeatedly mentioned in this essay. Kate also says " the reader is urged to think of the text as drama and of a drama as a three-dimencional art, in which words on the page are only part of the overall meaning of a text, we must consider consciously how these words work in a theatrical space." Webster's tragic play showcases his artistic powers as a respected Elizabethan playwrite.

Women, maternity, and Identity - Lionel Yang
My topic will be based upon the relationships that the Duchess holds with the varying personae in the text. Due to these intricate interactions between complicated characters, one could say that the Duchess has many different identities. The various facets she must hold and show to different people and the difficulties that arise because of her situation and status as a noble and as a woman. As the protagonist the Duchess does not have the luxury of easy choice and as a woman in medieval times it is difficult to hold onto one's self when pressured by the world. During the course of the story, the Duchess is portrayed in many different lights that all define who she is; a woman, a mother, a noble, a lover, and more.

“One of your eyes is bloodshot; use my ring to’t, They say ‘tis very soverign. ‘Twas my wedding reing. And I did vow never to part with it But to my second husband.” Duchess to Antonio

The Duchess and Antonio are lovers, plain and simple. As a widow, she is incredibly lonely. “My banishment, feeding my melancholy,” is what she would say. Thus she seeks companionship and love from Antonio.

“You are a widow: You know already what man is’ and therefore Let not youth, high promotion, eloquence—” “No, nor any thin without the addition, honor, Sway your high blood.” “Marry! They are most lecherous Will wed twice.” “Oh, fie!” “Their livers are more spotted Than Laban’s sheep!”

“Diamonds are of most value, They say, that have passed through most jewelers’ hands.”

“Whores by that rule are precious.”

“Will you hear me? I’ll never marry.” Cardinal and Ferdinand to Duchess

This relationship is somewhat complicated, but in essence it is between brothers and sister. The two brothers desire for her to not marry so that they may keep her fortune and blood pure as a noble. There is also an undertone of incestuous love that makes them want to prevent anyone else from having her in any way.

These two relationships that the Duchess has are the two greatest in her life. This shows her as a lover to Antonio and as a sister to Ferdinand and the Cardinal. These two relationships are in contradiction with one another because she says she will never marry again, and yet she hands her ring to Antonio in a symbol of marriage. This demonstrates the duplicity of the feminine identity and the necessity of it.

Another important identity would be of her as a mother. Even though it isn’t a large part in the play, her son does come back with Delio in the end.

“I heard so, and Was armed for it ere I came. Let us make noble use Of this great ruin, and join all our force To establish this young hopeful gentleman In ‘s mother’s right.” Delio to Malateste



Research Summary of "'She is herself a poem': Caresse Crosby, Feminine Identity, and Literary History"
Caresse Crosby is a woman. Pure and simple. She is analogous to the Duchess of Malfi in many ways. She is a controversial character, an American ex-expatriate living in Paris. Full of contradictions and many different identities. Crosby is a feminist while still maintaining a traditional, stereotypical domestic persona. She also married, but had other lovers as well. Her identity is incredibly complex, even her name she changed. Self-fashioned woman that retains elements of old world traditions. That is the kind of person she is.

There is a great parallel between the Duchess of Malfi and Caresse Crosby even though the two characters are so unalike in many ways. They both represent and present a view of the feminist during each of their perspective time periods. The Duchess was written as a character in Roman Catholic Italy during the 1600’s and Caresse being an actual woman during the 1920’s and living in Paris as an American expatriate. Even though reality and fiction separate them with an added gulf of hundreds of years, the two women share remarkable attitudes and persona.

The Duchess and Caresse are women of women. That is to say that they have many many different facets of themselves that they show depending on the situation. Because of that the identity that the two of them have are constantly shifting and changing. The important thing is that they are aware of this and use it to their advantage. The Duchess as a widow, seeks love even though her brothers forbid it. Caresse considers herself the equal of man, sharing lovers as her husband would even though he would beg to differ.

Because she is a widow that is being restrained by her brothers the Duchess takes pains to play the part. And because she does, she is able to get away with infractions because her brothers see what they wish to see. Similarly Caresse does the same by acting the part of the feminine hostess, allowing a smokescreen to cover her more vivacious activies. By using the identity of a submissive and demure female, both the Duchess and Crosby are able to expand their actions and options away from the blind eye that is paying attention to what it expects to be there. The two of them are feminists that maintain a traditional domestic persona to achieve their ends.

These examples serve to show that feminine identity is not static, nor is it excessively dynamic. The Duchess must maintain a balance between these two extremes. That is one of the great themes of The Duchess of Malfi. The feminine self. Even though she fails to maintain this balance in the end and gets executed, she does not regret her actions nor does she feel the need to justify them. They were just something that she did because she wanted to, willing to pay with her life.

Missing Passage from //The Duchess of Malfi //
Older Copy //Pescara leaves while Delio remains to comfort Antonio’s son; the heir.// Delio: Son, thou art heir to our beloved court of Malfi. I trust in your ability to govern us properly. Heir: Delio, I take thee words to heart, but I find my worth lacking. I am in a sad situation due to murder and the consequences of. Delio: Thou art descended from great people. Antonio fought for your families safety, while your mother defied all odds against her. Your sire would want this for you, their heir. Heir: Mayhaps you are correct Delio, I shall govern Malfi, in honor of my mother, and I shall do as she would do. //Pescara enters// Pescara: Forgive my intrusion during this time of sorrow and reflection, but I insist that we plan soon for the funeral of the ones who have flown the mortal coil. Heir: Not for my uncles I presume? Pescara: All of your kin is to be included in the ceremony. It is only right. Heir: Blasphemy! My uncles have paid their thirty pieces of silver, though in death they still bleed from my eyes as the tears of hell! I will not abide by Judas! Delio: My apologies son of Antonio, it is only right though they did bad deeds before death, they were still people. I must have a word with Pescara, go off in peace my son. //The heir leaves and goes to pray to God. Pescara and Delio remain and speak.// Delio: We upset the boy in harsh times my friend, mayhaps we should hold their burial separate or naught at all… Pescara: Are you playing me the fool? Tis their right to a funeral, deeds before their death should not be visited upon their memory. Deep down they were good, honorable people. Delio: Pescara, do not play the traitor my friend. They were naught. Know this is his family, his blood. His word is our will. Pescara: Dead and buried shall I be before that happens! I shan’t tarnish their good name! Death take you before the burial proceed without the Cardinal and Ferdinand! Delio: Pescara, thou would wish another death? Thou wish for the boy more tragedy? You are a demon to wish that upon him! //Delio pulls a dagger from his sheath.// Delio: No demon am I, but if another dead is what thou wish for. I shall make your life quick as the flame expired from the strike of a match with this golden blade I bear before thee. Pescara: So be it. Have at it quickly, but know you only make more phantoms to haunt this place by murder. //Delio stabs Pescara without a struggle// Pescara: So ended I am. God allow these sinners to repent. Wicked is time is there where blood washes blood and hands shall be stained red. //Pescara dies. Enter the heir//. Heir: What manner is this I see?! A token of time hath passed as I pray to God for my Uncles’ souls to be received unto Heaven. Oh how I wish all this would end. Your deed cannot go unpunished. To be able to accept my Uncles if not their actions. Only to see death yet again. What do you hope to gain by more death? Nay, you cannot go unpunished. Delio: Sadly, I am no better man than they. Do as you will with mineself. The Devil himself taken hold of me. Is no one protected against such evil? Tis a vicious thread that everyone unravels to find the other end. Unraveled til thee last breath. //The Heir grabs the dagger from Pescara’s body.// Heir: Another ill begotten quagmire I am stuck in. How shall I reply? Shall it end with my father’s friend? Or shall it end with myself? Which scripture shall I uphold? The good book calls for turning the other cheek, yet the old code demands blood tribute. //The Heir ponders silently, holding the dagger to decide the fate of Delio.// Heir: Mine eyes witness so much death these last few days that killing another would simply beget more senseless death. Being a friend of Father I thought that you would know better. Delio: No doubt, I was impulsive and inexcusable. Yet I can scarcely rein my anger for thou Uncles and their actions. I bless thee my lord for taking pity on my soul. Heir: Tis not me you must bless, but the man you have just slain. Delio: I do not understand. What do you wish milord? Heir: You will dig his grave, lower his body, and speak of his life. That shall be your duty. //Delio looks shocked and frightened.// Delio: My lord! I cannot do that for a man I have slain! //The Heir is outraged.// Heir: Say again!? You would insult me and my judgment at a serious time as this? Delio: Nay sir. The church is bound… //The heir quickly holds the dagger to Delio’s chest.// Heir: Heed mine words. I am lord here. What I see fit is for you to dig the grave, speak and bless the body. If you do not, you will not even get a last word. This is your punishment. Do I make myself clear? //Delio nods in fear, standing motionless.// Delio: As you will it milord. Forgive me. Heir: See that you do it well. Remember this mercy. Delio: Yes milord. Heir: Thank you Delio, for not forcing my hand to add yet another bloodstain to these haunted halls. //Exit Delio taking Pescara’s body out.// Heir: Yet another meaningless death to impulse and insanity. How foolish are we humans in this world. //Enter Death//. Death: And yet how they struggle against their bonds. Your mother had such a defiant soul, until the very end she fought, accepting my hand so graciously. Heir: You are… Death: Foolish is the nature of humans, just as you say. I know the world. That is in mine nature. Two deaths I hath arrived for just now and yet only one has passed. Heir: Pescara and…Delio? Death: Yes, escaped that one did. How interesting, your actions young one have just changed the man called Delio’s future. No matter, everyone comes sooner or later. Heir: Haha, to have be having a conversation with Death. It must be a fluttering of shadows upon my mind. Death: I look to the future and the stories you shall have, milord. //Exit Death.// Heir: To escape the embrace of Death…I am truly thankful that my decision did not lead to another dirge. Mayhap good can be had out of this horrible situation, ensuring mistakes are not made once more. //Exit Heir.//

Recent Translation //Pescara leaves while Delio remains to comfort Antonio’s son; the heir// Delio: Son, you are the heir to our beloved court of Malfi. I trust in you and your ability to govern us properly. Heir: Delio, I appreciate your comfort, but I do not feel worth of this power that has been passed down to me due to murder. I am simply in power of due to evil. Delio: You are the son of two great people. Your father fought for your families safety, while your mother defied all odds against her. Your parents would want this for you, their heir. Heir: Maybe you are right Delio, I shall govern Malfi, in honor of my mother, and I shall do as she would do. //Pescara enters// Pescara: Sorry to interrupt during this time of sorrow and reflection, but I insist that we plan soon for the funeral of the ones who have passed today. Heir: Not for my uncles I presume? Pescara: Yes, your whole family is to be included in the ceremony. It is only right. Heir: This is blasphemy! My uncles have betrayed my family, though in death they still bleed from my eyes as the tears of hell! I will not attend in the memory of those wretched people! Delio: I am sorry son of Antonio, it is only right though they did bad deeds before death, they were still people. I must have a word with Pescara, go off in peace my son. //The heir leaves and goes to pray to God. Pescara and Delio remain and speak.// Delio: We have upset the boy in harsh times my friend, maybe we should hold their funerals separate or call them off… Pescara: Are you kidding? They deserve to be in the funeral, deeds before their death should not be visited upon their memory. Deep down they were good, honorable people. Delio: Pescara, do not walk on treacherous grounds my friend. They were nothing of the sort. Remember, this is his family, his blood. We shall do as he requests. Pescara: Over my dead body! I shall not have you smear their good names! I would have you die before the funeral proceeds without the Cardinal and Ferdinand! Delio: Pescara, do you want another dead? Do you wish for the boy to suffer even more? You are a demon to wish that upon him! //Delio pulls a dagger from his sheath.// Delio: I am no demon. If you so desire another death, then I shall be quick to offer yours by this golden blade of mine. Pescara: So be it. Make it quick if you must, but know you only make another vengeful spirit to haunt this place. //Delio stabs Pescara without a struggle// Pescara: So I end. God allow these sinners to repent. We are in a wicked time where blood washes blood and stains hands. //Pescara dies. Enter the heir//. Heir: What do I see?! Only a mere minute ago I pray to God for my Uncles’ souls to be received into Heaven. Oh how I wish all this would end. Your deed cannot go unpunished. To be able to accept my Uncles if not their actions. Only to see death yet again. What do you hope to gain by more death? Nay, you cannot go unpunished. Delio: Sadly, I am not the better man. Do with me as you will. The spirits of this hall have possessed me. Is no one protected against such evil? It is a vicious thread that everyone pulls at to find the other end. The string shall be pulled until no one breathes to pull it. //The Heir grabs the dagger from Pescara’s body.// Heir: Yet another problem. How do I deal with this now? Shall it end with my father’s friend? Or shall it end with myself? Which path shall I walk? The Book calls to turn the other cheek, yet honor demands blood. //The Heir ponders silently, holding the dagger to decide the fate of Delio.// Heir: I have been exposed to so much death in these last few days that killing another would simply lead to more senseless death. Being a friend of Father I thought that you would know better. Delio: Yes, I agree I was impulsive and inexcusable. Yet I cannot hold back my anger for your Uncles and their actions. I bless you my lord for taking pity on my soul. Heir: It is not me you must bless, but the man you have just slain. Delio: I do not understand. What do you wish my lord? Heir: You will dig his grave, lower his body, and speak of his life. This is your duty. //Delio looks shocked and frightened.// Delio: My lord! I cannot do that for a man I have slain! //The Heir is outraged.// Heir: What!? You would insult me and my judgment at a serious time as this? Delio: No sir. It’s just that the clergymen are the ones who… //The heir quickly holds the dagger to Delio’s chest.// Heir: You will do as I say. I am lord here. What I see fit is for you to dig the grave, speak and bless the body. If you do not, you will not even get a last word. This is your punishment. Do I make myself clear? //Delio nods in fear, standing motionless.// Delio: It is as you say my lord. I am sorry. Heir: See that you do it well. Do not forget this mercy. Delio: Of course not my lord. Heir: Thank you Delio, for not forcing my hand to add yet another bloodstain to these haunted halls. //Exit Delio taking Pescara’s body out.// Heir: Yet another meaningless death to impulse and raging feelings. How foolish are we humans in this world. //Enter Death//. Death: And yet how they struggle against their bonds. Your mother had such a defiant soul, until the very end she fought, accepting my hand so graciously. Heir: You are… Death: Foolish is the nature of humans, just as you say. I know everyone everywhere. That is in my nature. Two deaths I had come for just now and yet only one happened. Heir: Pescara and…Delio? Death: Yes, it seems one is missing. How interesting, your actions young one have just changed the man called Delio’s future. No matter, everyone comes sooner or later. Heir: Haha, to have be having a conversation with Death. I must be losing my mind. Death: I look forward to the stories you shall tell me in the future, my lord. //Exit Death.// Heir: To escape the embrace of Death…I am truly thankful that my decision did not lead to another meaningless death. Maybe I can truly do some good out of this horrible situation, to make sure it does not happen once more. //Exit Heir.//

<span style="color: rgb(0,8,255);">Works Cited
Capo, Beth Widmaier. "'She is herself a poem': Caresse Crosby, Feminine Identity, and Literary History." __Legacy__ 26.1 (2006): 30-44. (Lionel Yang) Coontz, Stephanie. "The Importance of a Highborn Wife." __Marriage, a History__ 6 (2005): 100-103. (Robert Snow) Hunt, Maurice. "The Spiritual Echoes of The Duchess of Malfi." __Essays in Literature__ 14 (1987): 171-187. (Cody Carlin)Wikipedia.org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage#European_marriages