Comparative Essay
The Duchess of Malfi The Merchant’s Tale
The Duchess and the symbol of the ring - There May and the symbol of the key - May is seen as
is a sexual reference with the Duchess giving a mouldable person who then uses a mould of
the ring to Antonio. But both the symbol of the the garden key to let Dayman in. It enables her
Key and the Ring show a forbidden relationship, to cheat on January and represents her
and both can be seen as enablers. corruption.
The wealth of the Duchess - The Duchess lives The wealth of January - January has spent his
in a court and has everything at her disposal. entire life living in luxury and is worried about
This may be why her brothers are both so who will get his wealth once he is dead. This is
worried about her remarrying as they are her part of the reason why he wants to be married,
nearest relations for her wealth. in order to have an heir
The brother’s control of women - Ferdinand January’s control of women - He believes that
and the Cardinal's belief that they can force he will be able to manhandle his wife into
their sister into submission/dictate her actions submission ("Warm wex with handes plye")
The Duchess’s and Antonio’s unconventional January and May’s unconventional marriage -
marriage - the Duchess is a noble who has The couple have a large age gap and also come
already been married and is now a widow, she from varying backgrounds. May is from humble
marries Antonio who is technically below her origins and January is a knight. she is also much
rank. Due to this and her brothers view in younger than January is, he talks of young flesh
remarriage, her relationship with Antonio and and can maybe the reader uncomfortable.
subsequent children must be kept a secret.
Ferdinand deceives his sister using wax figures May uses wax in her deception of Januarie to
and deceives the audience equally as they copy the key allowing Damien access to the
make the same assumption as the Duchess. garden. Unlike the Duchess who is the victim of
the deception, May is the manipulator in
ultimate control.
The Duchess has to hide her pregnancy from May deceives January by making it seem as if
her brothers as the child is proof of hers and she is pregnant with his baby, when it is
Antonio’s forbidden love. actually Dayman’s child.
Antonio and The Duchess’s relationship - the Mays and Dayman’s relationship - May's
duchess establishes a family and has clear relationship with Dayman is portrayed as more
romantic love for Antonio. The duchess has a immoral because she is only concerned with
marriage with a legal witness, showing the the sexual aspect. May uses the tree to
moral correctness and justifies their forbidden consolidate her purely sexual relationships with
relationship Dayman, as they only exist outside in the tree
The Duchess who deceives herself and Antonio Januarie deceives himself and lives within his
into thinking the darkness will pass. own fantasy, creating his pleasure garden (like
Eden)
The Duchess and Antonio must be very May and Dayman have to hide their
secretive and hide their relationship, as relationship from January and have to sneak
Ferdinand and the Cardinal don’t want the around to not be caught.
duchess to remarry, meaning they have to
move away.
The duchess is punished for her deception of Dayman and May are successful in their
her brothers by a painful death. Her loved ones deceptions, presenting infidelity as inevitable
also die, presenting deception as a bad thing. rather than unacceptable as neither characters
are punished.
In The Duchess of Malfi, the characters who The Merchant’s tale May and Damian are not
break social boundaries are punished punished for their deception and instead it is
Januarie.
The Duchess of Malfi The Merchant’s Tale
The Duchess and the symbol of the ring - There May and the symbol of the key - May is seen as
is a sexual reference with the Duchess giving a mouldable person who then uses a mould of
the ring to Antonio. But both the symbol of the the garden key to let Dayman in. It enables her
Key and the Ring show a forbidden relationship, to cheat on January and represents her
and both can be seen as enablers. corruption.
The wealth of the Duchess - The Duchess lives The wealth of January - January has spent his
in a court and has everything at her disposal. entire life living in luxury and is worried about
This may be why her brothers are both so who will get his wealth once he is dead. This is
worried about her remarrying as they are her part of the reason why he wants to be married,
nearest relations for her wealth. in order to have an heir
The brother’s control of women - Ferdinand January’s control of women - He believes that
and the Cardinal's belief that they can force he will be able to manhandle his wife into
their sister into submission/dictate her actions submission ("Warm wex with handes plye")
The Duchess’s and Antonio’s unconventional January and May’s unconventional marriage -
marriage - the Duchess is a noble who has The couple have a large age gap and also come
already been married and is now a widow, she from varying backgrounds. May is from humble
marries Antonio who is technically below her origins and January is a knight. she is also much
rank. Due to this and her brothers view in younger than January is, he talks of young flesh
remarriage, her relationship with Antonio and and can maybe the reader uncomfortable.
subsequent children must be kept a secret.
Ferdinand deceives his sister using wax figures May uses wax in her deception of Januarie to
and deceives the audience equally as they copy the key allowing Damien access to the
make the same assumption as the Duchess. garden. Unlike the Duchess who is the victim of
the deception, May is the manipulator in
ultimate control.
The Duchess has to hide her pregnancy from May deceives January by making it seem as if
her brothers as the child is proof of hers and she is pregnant with his baby, when it is
Antonio’s forbidden love. actually Dayman’s child.
Antonio and The Duchess’s relationship - the Mays and Dayman’s relationship - May's
duchess establishes a family and has clear relationship with Dayman is portrayed as more
romantic love for Antonio. The duchess has a immoral because she is only concerned with
marriage with a legal witness, showing the the sexual aspect. May uses the tree to
moral correctness and justifies their forbidden consolidate her purely sexual relationships with
relationship Dayman, as they only exist outside in the tree
The Duchess who deceives herself and Antonio Januarie deceives himself and lives within his
into thinking the darkness will pass. own fantasy, creating his pleasure garden (like
Eden)
The Duchess and Antonio must be very May and Dayman have to hide their
secretive and hide their relationship, as relationship from January and have to sneak
Ferdinand and the Cardinal don’t want the around to not be caught.
duchess to remarry, meaning they have to
move away.
The duchess is punished for her deception of Dayman and May are successful in their
her brothers by a painful death. Her loved ones deceptions, presenting infidelity as inevitable
also die, presenting deception as a bad thing. rather than unacceptable as neither characters
are punished.
In The Duchess of Malfi, the characters who The Merchant’s tale May and Damian are not
break social boundaries are punished punished for their deception and instead it is
Januarie.
