Summary OCR A-Level English Literature The Duchess of Malfi Contextual Information

‘The Duchess of Malfi’ Historical and Autobiographical Context

Context Phrases:
Past Context:
1. Clearly the author is responding to…
2. Taking inspiration from…
3. This is a manifestation of…
4. The text engages with…
5. Clearly the author was influenced by…
6. Drawing from their experiences of…
7. Seems to be a criticism of…
8. The author offers a comment on…
9. Seems to be referring to…

Future Context:
• This idea clearly resonated for years to come, with….
• This episode has echoes in…
• Undoubtedly this idea had influence on…
• This notion reverberates among future dystopian writers, such as…
• This idea was eerily prescient, with X happening only Y years later…
• This seems to presage…

Comparative Language (AO4):
• This is also seen in…
• In a similar way…
• By contrast…
• Just as X… so Y does…
• This mirrors…
• This reflects what was happening at the time…



Evidence Contextual Link
The Duchess can be seen as a direct inspiration from the powerful female
monarch Elizabeth I:

• Elizabeth I was an independent ruler who defeated many rebellions and
The Duchess as a
threatening councillors such as Norfolk and Essex
comparison to
• Her image as a powerful, dutiful leader could also be seen in the defeat of
Elizabeth I
the Spanish Armada
• She involved in romantic scandal with Robert Dudley (although she
knew not to marry him due to status and scandal)
• She believed in Astrology, curses, and horoscopes as did Antonio



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