The Duchess of Malfi

A young widow stands against the expectations of her family. A woman striving for love and agency in a society which demands she claimed neither, she stands firm in the face of torture and even death. Unravel the gripping layers of John Webster’s 17th-century masterpiece The Duchess of Malfi, with Professor Suzannah Lipscomb and Dr. Will Tosh. The harrowing plot of the Duchess asserting her place in the world is all the more remarkable for being written by a man in the 1600s. Suzannah and Will explore why this tale of love, power, and betrayal remains a fixture on the stage, resonating across the centuries, and discuss the dramatic history of its performances, the transformative power of early modern theatre lighting, and the poignant representation of female agency. MORE: Going to the Theatre https://open.spotify.com/episode/7lbdfK2fbgxtXReriTyydM Normal Women with Philippa Gregory https://open.spotify.com/episode/0b5aXZh1HLVhJxyTyQuf2y Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Alice Smith, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.  You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on