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MALFI CHARCTERS- THE CARDINAL - Coggle Diagram
MALFI CHARCTERS- THE CARDINAL
ACT ONE
much like Ferdinand, the cardinal does not want the duchess to remarry act 1, scene 2
patriarchal society where expectations fro women was that they are subordinate to men- thus the duchess, as a widow, with no one to control her, is an issue. she has too much agency.
try to dictate who her next parter will be, aim to designate the Count, page 65, but she denies him because he's of lower status (interesting considering she chooses Antonio who has literally no rank)
the first interaction we see that includes the cardinal is with bosola- the cardinal is not interested in bosolas achievements, he refuses to reward him
right from the very outset, he is characterised as corrupt- this remains consistent throughout
the cardinal has induced bosola to murder before- MACHIAVELLIAN- thus he is a concealed orchestrator: key to his characterisation
perhaps the audience forgets about his influence, as ferdinands rage and scheming becomes so loud, perhaps webster allows us to forget to highlight just how well he conceals his evil nature.
ACT 2
act 2, scene 4- the cardinal and Julia. they express their lust for each other.
his order 'sit'- this can be preformed as overtly sexual, different performances display this in a different way. all the way through the scene he uses imperative, demanding language. he is in control.
he, as a cardinal, should embody christian virtue as a role model, ironic as he is the opposite. he is 'the cardinal' yet he becomes the perpetrator of cardinal sin. A clear display of the sin of lust.
moreover, Julia is married, so he engages in adultery. going against one of the 10 commandments, he is also flagrantly going agains the very tenets of christian faith
the cardinal is constantly concealing his true nature- appearances vs reality
how you can obfuscate your true reality. the cardinal uses his role to hide his true nature
the cardinal is characterised this way to reflect anti catholic rhetoric (very prevalent in protestant eng). Italy is seen as the centre of catholicism, so to set this play in itality, there is clear condemnation of catholicism.
the horoscope and the letter- last scene of act 2. the cardinal is calm, to a sinister extent. he contrasts with his crazed brother, perhaps he is already scheming for revenge.
the cardinal is more focused on reputation and their bloodline being tainted, how the duchess actions will look to the outside world, unlike Ferdinand who is arguably more focused on his feelings towards the duchess (incestual)
ACT THREE
the dumbshow- an aspect of stagecraft. webster purposely creates this dramatic moment
he wears military attire (costume)- reflects how he holds power in both religion and over society. enlarges his role, he is not only in a position of religious power, he has the power of the state behind him. he can use military force to take his revenge- makes him even more threatening. (act 3, scene 4)
removes the ring from the duchess finger.
condemns the duchess' marriage, a violent action of 'yanking' it off, forceful. the idea that he has control over her, and he is taking away some of her power (in the argument that the ring could represent power)
interferes with the sacrament of marriage. a marriage is a religious act done in the eyes of god, because the cardinal is a high status religious figure, perphaps a representative of god, he is suggesting that god too disapproves of their union
we can only assume this is the wedding wing- it isn't explicitly said
ACT 4
the cardinal is not present in the scene in which the duchess dies
he is not the direct perpetrator even though he is at the top of the chain of command that lead to this (cardinal- Ferdinand- bosola)
part of his role as the machiavel
highlights his power, his presence is not needed for his to remain in control. almost paradoxical that his absence suggests the power that he yields. they are fulfilling his vengeance plot even without him being actively present.
ACT 5
cardinal reads a book about hell - 151- the beginning of the final scene of the play
he is perhaps reading this novel because he believes he is destined for hell in the afterlife, signifies an awareness of his sins- this makes his character appear even more evil with the knowledge he Is aware that he is doing wrong.
he is trying to absolve himself from what he has perpetrated
'how tedious is a guilty conscience'
highlights that the cardinal is not pschopathic, he feels and knows what he did was cruel.
JULIA
murders her through kissing a poisoned bible
he has to do this because he confesses to killing the duchess (page 139) and she responds negatively
why does he confess this to Julia? one interpretation is he already planned to kill her and so wanted to get it off his conscience fist, another is that he kills her due to her reaction. he is not unsettled by what he has done, tells her very calmly.
both the cardinal and the duchess exhibit compusure- although for the duchess this creates an impression of stocism, makes her appear more virtuous, while it makes the cardinal appear emotionless, pschopathic, lacking any remorse
although on page 147, act 5 scene 4, he fees disconnected from god, like he can't pray.
webster once again trying to highlight the corruption of the Catholic Church. just how far removed the cardinal is from being a virtuous individual. he uses religion in murder.
the deaths
the cardinal orders people not to come into the room even if they hear screams/struggles
but bola enters unbidden, desperate to killl the cardinal both to avenge the duchess and himself , and to recompense
bosola stabs the cardinal initially, then on page 154, ferdianand wounds the cardinal aswell. Ferdinand mistakes the cardinal for the devil- the concealed machiavellian nauture of his character, the malice, is made plain as the play progresses
could argue that Ferdinand wounding the cardinal is the coming through of his own hatred for the cardinal for orchestrating the duchess murder.
final words- 'let me be layed by and never thought of'
he wants to remain hidden like he has throughout. as someone so focused on reputation, this is a strange request. does he mean never be thought of in association to this, or never thought of at all?