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The young and beautiful widow of the Duke of Malfi has been forbidden from remarrying by her two powerful brothers, the Cardinal and the Duke of Calabria, who seek to maintain control over her and her inheritance. Defying her brothers, the Duchess seduces her steward, Antonio, and the couple are secretly married. Meanwhile, the Duke employs Bosola, recently released from a term on the galleys, to spy on his sister and report her activities and movements. Some time later, the Duchess becomes pregnant and secretly bears Antonio's child. But, depite their efforts to disguise the pregnancy, Bosola had become suspicious and after the child is born he soon discovers the truth - which he then reports to his master, the Duke. Nothings happens for a few more years, during which time the Duchess bears Antonio two more secret children. But then the Duke comes to visit to confront her with her 'indiscretions'. To save them, she sends Antonio and their eldest child away into exile, meaning to join them later. But she mistakenly takes Bosola into her confidence and he again betrays her to the Duke who captures and imprisons her with her maid and two youngest children. Now she is trapped at the mercy of her malevalent and increasingly deranged brother. Will he, or her other brother the Cardinal, find mercy in their hearts for her. Before long blood is shed as all descends into murder and madness.
The story of 'The Duchess of Malfi' is based upon actual events that occured in Italy in the early sixteenth century. Its author, John Webster, was a late contemporary of William Shakespeare and the drama is developed in the best traditions of the latters greatest tragedies, but the dialogue is more open and I found easier to follow (for modern ears) than most of the great bard's work. Although the story has been brought forward to post-second world war Italy it fits well into that environment and it was only the occasional references to galleys and galley slaves in the dialogue that seemed out of place.
A complex set consisted of a number of raised and lowered backdrops, one consisting of side sliding panels, and furniture set-peices moved on and off stage on sliding platforms. Back stage, and revealed throughout most of the second act (the backdrops concealing it in the first), was a representation of a darkened cellar with boiler, and spiral metal staircase to a platform above.
The story contains some scenes of shocking violence and one scene of a sexual nature.
Imogen Stubbs gave us a sultry-voiced and very beautiful Duchess who could easily have charmed the heart of any man with red blood in his veins. Her Duchess comported herself with an almost childlike innocence and directness that contrasted strongly with the Machiavellian scheming of her self-serving brothers. Her attempts to resist them were brave but futile so that we felt strongly for her predicament. Timothy Walker's portrayal of a slow descent into madness as the the Duke Ferdinand was superb. His regard for his sister was unnatural, bordering on incestuous, and his grip on sanity tenuous so that in every act of cruelty he perpetrated against her he took one step further along the road to madness. The Cardinal on the other hand, played to great effect by Guy Williams, was totally sane - a greedy, immoral, calculating and manipulative villain. His was the guiding hand that turned Ferdinand against their sister with murderous effect. James Albrecht as Antonio, the second innocent in this tragic story, gave a creditable performance but for me his diction was a little too clipped so that some of the emotion was lost and we didn't identify with him the way we did with the Duchess. His Antonio was basically a good man, not seeking to rise above his station but overcome with a genuine love for his mistress. Sebastian Harcombe gave a totally convincing portrayal as the tortured Bosola, essentially a weak man, easily manipulated by his powerful masters - even when it went against his conscience. Jane Bertish as the Duchess' maid Cariola and Melanie Jessop as the Cardinal's odalisque Julia also gave strong character performances.
An epic story of love, tragedy, murder and bloody revenge. Not for the faint-hearted.