We are both fascinated and repelled by the obsessions of others
In the light of this view, consider ways in which writers portray obsession and its
effects.
Both Milton’s didactic epic, Paradise Lost, and Webster’s drama The Duchess of Malfi
depict the potent ramifications of a highly classist, stratified society, and explore human,
devilish and divine obsession with retaining or usurping power. The writers showcase the
dangers of both male and female command, seeking to display the peril of ambitions in
leading one astray from the rigid social boundaries, reminiscent of those dictated by
James I and Charles I respectively. Yet, for both Adam and Antonio, it is not obsession
with power, but instead obsessive love and uxoriousness that is at the crux of their
demise.
The malcontents of both texts, Bosola and Satan, resist the class oppression sustained by
tyranny in their respective societies and thus obsesses in their quest for rank and power; it
is this very desire however, which leaves them subject to their undoing, suggesting that
Webster and Milton alike, render ambition for status futile. Bosola, a quintessential
character of Jacobean tragedy, describes the Machiavellian politics of Malfi and the
corrupters involved, particularly through Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Bosola is
“entangle[ed]” in the “foul black cobweb” of Ferdinand’s corruption, but while he blames
his misery on the “spider” and his consequential entrapment, it is instead the
repercussions of obsession in rising the ranks of the court that has induced his misery.
This ignorance of his own volition, a product of all-consuming obsession, is particularly
repelling for an audience who must endure the tragic, resultant death of the innocent.
Bosola’s tragic, nihilistic declaration that mankind is “merely the stars’ tennis balls”
alludes to King Lear, a work that likely influenced Webster. In Lear, the idea that the gods
“kill us for sport” similarly presents a universe governed by cruelty and indifference.
Bosola’s remark therefore evokes a ruthless, predetermined world, arguably comparable
to Eden after the Fall, where Adam and Eve are left in anguish with “tears watering the
ground.” Within this framework, the hierarchy of Malfi appears to function merely as a
mechanism through which higher powers assert dominion and inflict suffering. This bitter
lament is further represented in Dromgoole’s Royal Shakespeare Company Production, in
which the characters perform a puppet-like dance at the end of the play, thought to be a
metaphorical representation of divine control over humanity. Nonetheless, Bosola’s
statement marks a turning point: the abrupt end of his earlier obsession with gaining
status, as he begins to recognise that such ambition conflicts with the fate assigned to him
within society. This bleak realisation would likely have resonated and fascinated a 17th
century audience, wherein society was characterised by limited social mobility due to
, legacy of inherited rank and position despite education. Furthermore, Bosola’s ambiguous
representation provokes both repulsion and intrigue. The underlying causes of his
wrongdoing and later redemption, represent a psychological battle between good and
evil, contrasting other characters who are depicted as either fully virtuous or absolutely
evil. While some may rebuke Bosola’s obsession with bettering his position, acting as a
rouge agent in the vein of corrupt leadership, others find appeal in his anagnorisis and
ultimate pursuit of vengeance for the Duchess. Milton’s work too explores the disdain for
lowly status in a stratified society, for Satan’s first attempt to corrupt mankind leads him
to lament his “foul descent” down the divine hierarchy, jealous of his former position of
“sitting with the highest” as Lucifer. Perhaps the Devils renunciation reflects Miltons
own experience of living in exile following the restoration of Charles II’s monarchy, a
cruel contrast to his former role as Secretary of Foreign Tongues. Whilst this would
support William Blakes view that the poet is “of the Devils party”, the strength of this
argument is undermined by Milton’s staunch Puritanism , which would not wish to
compare the monarch whom he abhorred to God. Nonetheless, Satan’s obsession with
usurping power beckons the ultimate repulsion for readers, as it consequently led to the
fall of man, and for a feminist audience a means for denigrating women; the temptation
of “Milton’s bogey” (Wolfe) is categorically conveyed as a seduction by the ‘serpent’, to
which she later becomes the seducer, calling on Adam to eat the apple. On the other hand,
however, the fascinating argument that “it is better to reign in hell than to serve in
heaven” unearths the idea of God’s tyranny and conveys Satans obsession with rank as a
manifestation of overcoming the shackles which bound him to a life of servitude. His
lowly status acts as an enemy to his happiness as it arouses insatiable feelings of “envie”
and animosity to God’s “new favourite” who are chosen to occupy and maintain Paradise,
instead of him. This equivalence of God as tyrant is further portrayed in the excessive
“annual humbling” of the fallen angels, which J.M Evans goes as far as to depict God as
a “Spiteful magician”. Ultimately, for both Bosola and Satan, their attempts to rail against
the forces which condemn them to subordination cultivate an unwavering obsession to
transcend the limitations of strict hierarchies. Milton, however, presents Satan as a largely
more unsympathetic character due to his flaws of vengeance and pride which further
corroborates the view that such undesirable emotions are connected to his fall in status.
Adam and Antonio, despite being positioned as intellectual authorities, succumb to their
fatal flaw of uxoriousness due their obsessive, excessive devotion to their wives which
subverts 17th century gender norms, ultimately placing them in positions of vulnerability
and subjecting them to female dominance; while some may find intrigue in this
transgression contemporary male audiences perhaps found their willingness to abide by a
matriarchal system repellent. From the outset, Antonio “is conveyed as a highly
In the light of this view, consider ways in which writers portray obsession and its
effects.
Both Milton’s didactic epic, Paradise Lost, and Webster’s drama The Duchess of Malfi
depict the potent ramifications of a highly classist, stratified society, and explore human,
devilish and divine obsession with retaining or usurping power. The writers showcase the
dangers of both male and female command, seeking to display the peril of ambitions in
leading one astray from the rigid social boundaries, reminiscent of those dictated by
James I and Charles I respectively. Yet, for both Adam and Antonio, it is not obsession
with power, but instead obsessive love and uxoriousness that is at the crux of their
demise.
The malcontents of both texts, Bosola and Satan, resist the class oppression sustained by
tyranny in their respective societies and thus obsesses in their quest for rank and power; it
is this very desire however, which leaves them subject to their undoing, suggesting that
Webster and Milton alike, render ambition for status futile. Bosola, a quintessential
character of Jacobean tragedy, describes the Machiavellian politics of Malfi and the
corrupters involved, particularly through Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Bosola is
“entangle[ed]” in the “foul black cobweb” of Ferdinand’s corruption, but while he blames
his misery on the “spider” and his consequential entrapment, it is instead the
repercussions of obsession in rising the ranks of the court that has induced his misery.
This ignorance of his own volition, a product of all-consuming obsession, is particularly
repelling for an audience who must endure the tragic, resultant death of the innocent.
Bosola’s tragic, nihilistic declaration that mankind is “merely the stars’ tennis balls”
alludes to King Lear, a work that likely influenced Webster. In Lear, the idea that the gods
“kill us for sport” similarly presents a universe governed by cruelty and indifference.
Bosola’s remark therefore evokes a ruthless, predetermined world, arguably comparable
to Eden after the Fall, where Adam and Eve are left in anguish with “tears watering the
ground.” Within this framework, the hierarchy of Malfi appears to function merely as a
mechanism through which higher powers assert dominion and inflict suffering. This bitter
lament is further represented in Dromgoole’s Royal Shakespeare Company Production, in
which the characters perform a puppet-like dance at the end of the play, thought to be a
metaphorical representation of divine control over humanity. Nonetheless, Bosola’s
statement marks a turning point: the abrupt end of his earlier obsession with gaining
status, as he begins to recognise that such ambition conflicts with the fate assigned to him
within society. This bleak realisation would likely have resonated and fascinated a 17th
century audience, wherein society was characterised by limited social mobility due to
, legacy of inherited rank and position despite education. Furthermore, Bosola’s ambiguous
representation provokes both repulsion and intrigue. The underlying causes of his
wrongdoing and later redemption, represent a psychological battle between good and
evil, contrasting other characters who are depicted as either fully virtuous or absolutely
evil. While some may rebuke Bosola’s obsession with bettering his position, acting as a
rouge agent in the vein of corrupt leadership, others find appeal in his anagnorisis and
ultimate pursuit of vengeance for the Duchess. Milton’s work too explores the disdain for
lowly status in a stratified society, for Satan’s first attempt to corrupt mankind leads him
to lament his “foul descent” down the divine hierarchy, jealous of his former position of
“sitting with the highest” as Lucifer. Perhaps the Devils renunciation reflects Miltons
own experience of living in exile following the restoration of Charles II’s monarchy, a
cruel contrast to his former role as Secretary of Foreign Tongues. Whilst this would
support William Blakes view that the poet is “of the Devils party”, the strength of this
argument is undermined by Milton’s staunch Puritanism , which would not wish to
compare the monarch whom he abhorred to God. Nonetheless, Satan’s obsession with
usurping power beckons the ultimate repulsion for readers, as it consequently led to the
fall of man, and for a feminist audience a means for denigrating women; the temptation
of “Milton’s bogey” (Wolfe) is categorically conveyed as a seduction by the ‘serpent’, to
which she later becomes the seducer, calling on Adam to eat the apple. On the other hand,
however, the fascinating argument that “it is better to reign in hell than to serve in
heaven” unearths the idea of God’s tyranny and conveys Satans obsession with rank as a
manifestation of overcoming the shackles which bound him to a life of servitude. His
lowly status acts as an enemy to his happiness as it arouses insatiable feelings of “envie”
and animosity to God’s “new favourite” who are chosen to occupy and maintain Paradise,
instead of him. This equivalence of God as tyrant is further portrayed in the excessive
“annual humbling” of the fallen angels, which J.M Evans goes as far as to depict God as
a “Spiteful magician”. Ultimately, for both Bosola and Satan, their attempts to rail against
the forces which condemn them to subordination cultivate an unwavering obsession to
transcend the limitations of strict hierarchies. Milton, however, presents Satan as a largely
more unsympathetic character due to his flaws of vengeance and pride which further
corroborates the view that such undesirable emotions are connected to his fall in status.
Adam and Antonio, despite being positioned as intellectual authorities, succumb to their
fatal flaw of uxoriousness due their obsessive, excessive devotion to their wives which
subverts 17th century gender norms, ultimately placing them in positions of vulnerability
and subjecting them to female dominance; while some may find intrigue in this
transgression contemporary male audiences perhaps found their willingness to abide by a
matriarchal system repellent. From the outset, Antonio “is conveyed as a highly
