Stupid Whore
Comments(5) In John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore, why does Putana so easily surrender the truth to Soranzo’s lowly assistant? This is a woman who has a lifetime of experience in using her sexuality to control men. Certainly, after all those years, she has developed more common sense than to allow a patronizing servant to get the better of her! “Heaven forgive us!” cries Putana when Vasques warns her of Soranzo’s forthcoming wrath. How quickly is she tricked into confessing the truth of Annabella and Giovanni’s incestuous relationship. Perhaps my modern day concept of a whore corrupts my opinion of Putana. To me, whores are hardened, distrustful, bold and unafraid. Throughout the play, Ford treats us to Putana’s recognizably whorish traits—she endorses incest, premarital sex and secrets of the heart. Then, when the character of a whore really counts, she falters! Putana is stupid and disappointing to whores everywhere—from early England to late Now. –Christopher Stoddard
Chris that was a hysterical post. It’s true though, I don’t know why Putana loses her wits when wooed by Vasquez. You’d think she’d be smarter now, more knowledgeable of the tricks men can play on women (or think they can play.) It seems that Putana has lost her wisdom.
When Professor Deutermann discussed this in class, she made a very valid point. Perhaps Putana spills the beans, because she really doesn’t think anything is wrong with Annabella and Giovanni being together. Brother, Father, all the same- right Putana?
Yes that was really funny Chris. You’re going in an interesting direction with it, and I didn’t think of it until I heard it mentioned in class.
These women(Putana and Annabella) epitomize the ability to maintain secrecy, but she seems to give it up at the first inquiry.
Alyssa, you also pointed out something valid though. The thing is that there is a line where Putana says she will maintain this secret “for the speech of the people”. She knows what it would mean if people found out about this incestuous relationship, but still lets it all out.
Well guys I guess she can’t be that smart if she’s a whore to begin with, right? It actually didn’t shock me that Vasques would betray her; I knew it from the start. Women were portrayed within these plays and these times as inferiors whether they were noble blood or servants. There has always been the sexist double standard (which still exists today) of society that deems women as weak and incapable of doing a lot of things that a man willingly can do.In turn, since they are deemed as an inferior to a man (within their class or not it doesn’t matter)they did not have the same rights as men. Thus, women were not granted the same rights as men. Do you remember when women were allowed to vote for the first time in our country with a ballot? Our country had men in power for over a century already. She gives up her secrecy because she is being portrayed not only as a whore but as a weak women (emotionally and physically). Men in these times conspired evil doings and did unjust things to others yet it was pardoned. If women weren’t chaste or did ‘evil’ things they’d be condemned to death because they were not deemed as socio-political equals to the men within their society.
I loved your post and post title Christopher, it was funny! We’re still calling Putana a stupid whore centiuries after this play was written; that’s the message our playwright composer was trying to portray.
I wish I could write lmaooo here, if it were approriate. But Chris is absolutely right. Putana acts like the character that has all of the other characters down to a science and acts as though she invented sex. So why does she falter to someone as impotent as Vasquez? My assumption is that the playwright is trying to say whore’s are known to be fast, I guess that includes fast learners too and when you rush to learn you miss a lot, so in other words, a whore can only know so much.
Very funny Chris! And very true. Putana reminded me of a female version of Firk from a Shoemaker’s Holiday- with the sexual innuendos and unapologetically vulgar lines that exposed the true characters of the play, with a splash of whoredom on the side of course. The only difference between them was that Firk was obviously smarter and truer to his ‘character’ than Putana – who in the end was unsuccessful in living up to her expectations, and yes, stupid. With this in mind, I think we should remember the conventions of these plays, one being that women were seen as fickle. I also think that Putana functions as a polar nature to Annabella who marries Soranzo also against her character (and her heart’s will) but does so in order to preserve the secrecy of her love affair with Giovanni. The more I think about the ending, the more I want to make the bogus statement that the final line of the play “Tis Pity She’s a whore” is obliquely referring to Putana because unlike Annabella, Putana did not keep her mouth shut and it is because of her that the incestuous lover’s are doomed. This play definitely has many layers with the last line leaving an immense space for discussion and assumptions.