"By Unity the Smallest Things Grow Great": John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi as Monument

• In Event: Rethinking Form in Early Modern English Drama

Abstract

While some scholars argue that The Duchess of Malfi expresses skepticism about literature’s ability to create lasting memorials to the deceased, John Webster’s dedication and the commendatory poems from the play’s first printed edition attest to the work’s power as monument, a theme woven throughout the play and underscored most fully by the Duchess. As Webster himself notes, posthumous fame is not based solely on its ability to console, but rather on “the dignity of a great example,” which is attested to at the end of the play through the Duchess’ continuing influence on other characters. Reactions to both her dead body and the edifice constructed in her honor highlight the transformative power of the Duchess’ death and monumentalization. By linking physical ruins to textual monument, Webster shows how memorials serve as more than just reminders of worldly fame and instead act as spiritual catalysts that bring individuals to self-knowledge.

Author

• Jennifer Lillian Lodine-Chaffey, Washington State University Tri-Cities