# The Duchess of Malfi

**Author:** John Webster
**Tags:** Drama, English drama, Tragedies, Brothers and sisters, Retribution
**Price:** Free
**Formats:** DOCX, EPUB, FB2, PDF, TXT
**Downloads:** 33
**Added:** 10.07.2026
**URL:** https://samolit.com/books/96206

## Description

In the shadowy courts of Renaissance Italy, John Webster's harrowing tragedy unfolds. The recently widowed Duchess of Malfi, a woman of spirit and noble blood, dares to defy her powerful brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal. Driven by greed for her inheritance and a perverse desire to control her, they forbid her to remarry. Yet, the Duchess, valuing love over status, secretly weds her honest steward, Antonio, and bears him children.

Their clandestine union sparks a brutal campaign of vengeance. Employing the cynical and morally complex servant Bosola as their spy, the brothers relentlessly pursue the Duchess and her family. What begins as an act of forbidden love spirals into a nightmarish descent into madness, betrayal, and relentless retribution. Imprisonment, psychological torture, and a horrifying series of murders consume the court, culminating in a bloody finale where almost all involved meet a violent end. This gripping drama explores themes of societal corruption, the abuse of power, and the profound cost of defying oppressive authority, leaving a lasting impression of human darkness and the enduring struggle for personal freedom.