Study Questions for The Duchess of Malfi
- What is the relevance of the comments about the French king at the
beginning of the play?
- What do you think More, Machiavelli, or Castiglione would say about the
characters in this play?
- What kind of character is Bosola? What kind of character is
Ferdinand?
- How would you describe the relationship between Antonio and the Duchess?
- What kind of character is the Duchess?
- What role does Bosola play in advancing the plot of the play?
- How would you describe Ferdinand's relationship with the Duchess?
- A considerable amount of time passes between the events at the end of Act
2 and the action at the opening of Act 3. Why does Ferdinand wait so
long to act on his knowledge?
- How is the Duchess killed? How would you characterize the way in
which she meets her death?
- How does Ferdinand respond to the death of the Duchess?
- What is the purpose of all the references to witchcraft and lycanthropy in
the play?
- How is the revenge plot resolved at the end of the play?