An analysis of widowhood in John Webster's plays

This thesis explores the world of the widow in seventeenth century England as the playwright John Webster saw it. Webster's three plays, The Devil's Law Case, The White Devil, and The Duchess of Malfi , all represent the ideal widow and what it really meant to be a widow in England during his time. However, some of these widows are condemned as whores or adulterers and are considered low socially in their society. In part, then, the historical role of the widow is questioned and shown not necessarily to correspond to social ideals. Ultimately, this thesis argues that John Webster shows with his three lead female characters the conflicting views of more or less independent women during the early seventeenth century in England.