The Duchess of Malfi: Allusions 7 key examples

Ferdinand compares the livers—the organ of desire—of those who remarry to the spotted sheep from the story of Laban. Laban is a shepherd who, in the book of Genesis, gives Jacob the spotted/black sheep of his flock. Ferdinand’s comparison alludes to a lesser-known part of the Bible, but the implications of his statement are clear. He implies that those who remarry are marked by their lust and impropriety, and he therefore seems to be saying that he’s trying to protect his sister from this grave stain. However, his allusion also seems to imply that the worst thing the Duchess could do is desire pleasure for pleasure’s sake. In his attempts to convince her never to remarry, Ferdinand also reveals his attitudes about sex and marriage. His desire to control his sister should therefore be framed within the context of his religious knowledge and personal philosophies.

In the previous line, Antonio made a pun about wedding sheets, and the Duchess’s response now allows him to continue to approach the real source of his desire. Saint Winifred was a seventh-century Welsh saint who enraged her suitor by deciding to become a nun. When he decapitated her, her head became a fountain. The Duchess’s invocation of her story is more complicated than a denial of Antonio’s advances, however, because the word "will" is a pun on "well" and allows for her response to have multiple meanings.  She says that Saint Winifred had a strange will by desiring to escape her engagement. Antonio picks up on this in his response, saying: 

'Twere strange if there were no will in you 
To marry again.

Cite this Quote

This scene is a slow build toward outright affection, and before the future couple can confess their feelings for each other, they have to communicate in a veiled, elusive manner. The Duchess references the story of Saint Winifred in order to invoke both the story of her decapitation and the pun on her well that follows. The double use of well/will invokes the meaning of the word "will"—desire or inclination to—which allows Antonio to question whether she wants to marry again. The Duchess hints at her intentions to marry through the story of Saint Winifred’s well, and therefore opens the door for Antonio to ask her more directly. She and Antonio are being very clever in their communication, and the intricacies of their verbal jousting can only be communicated with the appropriate context. That is especially true in this case, because of the layering of true meaning.

Bosola is comparing himself to Tantalus, the figure from Greek mythology who was punished for stealing from the gods. Tantalus’s punishment was to stand beneath a tree laden with delicious but unreachable fruit. He was therefore tortured by eternal hunger within sight of a great feast. Bosola’s comparison of himself to Tantalus conveys his desperation for power and stability. Because he recognizes that he must engage with immoral people in order to come within reach of those things, he is hesitant to agree to their partnership. At this point in the play, it’s important for the audience to understand what Bosola desperately wants, and his invocation of the story of Tantalus in this scene provides that important context.

In this quote, Antonio says that the Cardinal subjects his political enemies to extreme torment. He uses the story of Hercules to do this, calling on the many trials of Hercules to illustrate his point. Hercules, a powerful Greek hero, became famous by surviving nine trials, defeating a series of terrifying mythical creatures and overcoming impossible situations. The extremity of Hercules’s trials helps Antonio convey the gravity of the misfortune that the Cardinal brings on his enemies. Antonio’s allusion to Hercules has a dual effect. Firstly, it characterizes the Cardinal as a very powerful man. The extent of his power is such that he can bring about great harm to anyone he wishes—harm comparable to creatures like the Nemean lion and the Hydra (both of whom Hercules faces and slays). It also implies that those who cross the Cardinal are destined to be destroyed. Any normal man would be unable to accomplish the same feats as Hercules, and he therefore would be defeated by whatever punishment the Cardinal might bring about. The way that the Cardinal is characterized in this scene hints at the nature of the Roman Catholic church at the time, since the Cardinal is at the center of this system of power and corruption. 

Antonio’s simile references the story of Troy, specifically the story of the Trojan horse, when Greek soldiers presented a wooden horse as a gift and hid inside it in order to gain access to the city of Troy. After years of siege, it was through this deft trick that the Greeks were ultimately victorious. Antonio sees horsemanship as something that builds character, and  he explains that virtues emerge from diligent activity like men emerged from the Trojan horse. Antonio’s simile is relevant because the men are discussing horsemanship, but also because he is invoking an important historical usurping through deceit. His simile suggests that his strength of character may come as a surprise to Ferdinand. He therefore implies that his talent at horsemanship is representative of his approach to life. His assertion of his own character is important because he is talking to Ferdinand, whose adamant protection of the Duchess’s virginity will lead to opposition between these two men later in the play.

The Cardinal’s allusion to Galileo helps him explain the nature of his own search. He is looking for a "constant woman" but understands that he is unlikely to find it in the moon. Because the moon is continually changing, the implication of his allusion is that he is looking in the wrong place. He uses Galileo’s invention, the fantastic glass—or telescope—to expand upon his philosophy about Julia and about women generally. The moon, which famously waxes and wanes, cannot provide constancy. The Cardinal’s perception of Julia’s behavior informs his speech—because he doesn’t approve of her infidelity, he can make this type of judgment about her character. Galileo’s telescope and the moon give him the tools to do so, and her response is tearful and reflective.

The Duchess’s statement is, at face value, an accurate description of Charon’s duties. His boat carries souls across the river Styx to the underworld, where they will be sorted into their respective afterlife. He is therefore a symbol of imminent death and transformation but also of passage from one life to another. Her dark allusion is a sign of her imminent death, but it also gets at Bosola’s role in her life. In some ways, Bosola is like Charon to her. He is the spy who feeds secret information to her brother and essentially ushers in her death by doing so. His hand is the one leading her toward passage into the next life. Significantly, this is not the first allusion to Greek mythology. Over the course of the play, many characters reference Greek myths and heroes. The Duchess does so in this scene, and her reference to Charon is a dark indication of the violence to come.