Davin Chaltu Duchess of Malfi Act 3
One thing in The Duchess of Malfi that astounds me is the fact that Ferdinand and the Cardinal wont allow the Duchess to remarry. The Duchess is a grown women and i believe she can make decisions on her own and doesn’t need the approval of her brothers to do so. On page 70 Line 136 the Duchess says “Why should only I of all the other princes of the world be cased up like a holy relic? I have youth, and a little beauty.” For some reason the Cardinal and Ferdinand are completely against the idea of her having a second husband. Ferdinand even brings up the case that the Duchess has lost her Reputation. “You have shook hands with Reputation and made him invisible (Lines 134-135).”
My questions are:
1) Why are Ferdinand and the Cardinal against the Duchess remarrying?
2) Why is the Duchess allowing her brothers to control her life, causing her to be secretly married?
3) Do you agree with the fact that the Duchess is essentially a “holy relic”?
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