Ownership Of Power For Women In John Webster's The Duchess Of Malfi

The female body is often described as a temple: a place that requires care and love from the woman who owns it. Ownership of one’s body for women in the seventeenth century, however, was non-existent. Women did not have the right to argue against men’s decisions: even when it involved their own lives. The Duchess in John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi decides she no longer wishes to live under anyone and takes it upon herself to get remarried. Despite numerous warnings from her siblings, the Duchess attempts to claim control over her life. Her attempt, unfortunately, fails due to several factors such as her physical body, her family, and her status. This begs the question of who in this power struggle truly owned the Duchess, if not herself. Throughout Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, readers are never told the name of the Duchess. The only information given is that she is widowed due to the recent passing of her husband and that she has two brothers. All the information

This is the driving force behind why Ferdinand takes it upon himself to fix the wrongdoings of his sister. Ferdinand himself had affairs and was not penalized for it due to his male body. Men, without the ability to get pregnant, can hide what they have done from the public eye unless the woman gets pregnant. Men are not meant to keep this unrealistic expectation of remaining pure, as they could often save their reputations just by word of mouth if they were clever enough. Even when it came to widowhood, men and women did not have the same results. Should a man lose his wife, remarrying was not seen as shocking or damaging to one’s reputation. Sandra Cavallo and Lydan Warner discussed this idea of widowhood and state how losing a husband changed the woman’s life, while men did not have as much of a change in their everyday lives (3-4). Ultimately, Ferdinand had power due to his body that the Duchess could never