ASSIGNMENT 2

DRAMA: THE DUCHESS OF

MALFI
ACT 2: SCENE 1
SUBMITTED BY: AFSHA BIBI
SUBMITTED TO: MA’AM
KHADIJA
Summary
In this act, Bosola is messing around with Castruccio by
saying that your ears are totally big enough to make you
look like a convincing judge, he is teasing him. While he
was doing this, an old lady comes in and Bosola tells her
how ugly she is, ending by likening her to a woman who
looked like "an abortive hedgehog." After harassing the
old woman for a while, Castruccio and the old lady leave.
Bosola notice that the Duchess is looking different these
days. She has put on weight and is wearing
unfashionable, loose clothes. He assumes that she is
pregnant and in order to confirm it he plans to give her
apricot. Meanwhile, Antonio tells Antonio's just telling
Delio that he and the Duchess have been married for
months, and swears Delio to secrecy.
Then Antonio meets Bosola and they both were having
conversation when the Duchess comes in with her
attendant and Bosola realizes that his apricots are
working and inducing labor. Antonio was planning to
take the Duchess somewhere else and have her give
birth away from the court, but Bosola's apricots have
ruined that plan.

Analysis
The theme of mockery and politics is observed in this
scene. Bosola mocks at and Castruccio’s desire to be an
“eminent courtier,” meaning that he wants to become
both a courtier of high rank and a lawyer or judge. Bosola
makes fun of Castruccio’s appearance, and he says that
Castruccio would be a ridiculous and absurd judge.
Bosola also use politics to prove that duchess is
pregnant. Here Bosola reminds himself that he is a spy
and it is his job to know if the Duchess is pregnant.
Bosola will administer apricots to force the Duchess into
labor, a devious and physical assertion of male authority
over the female body.
Furthermore, the char acter of Bosola is revealed that he
is uses tricks and intelligence to prove something. Also,
he is described as a person who mocks others and laugh
at them.
Antonio is depicted as a character who keeps secrets
from others. He is a character who despite of his lower
class is in relation with the upper class.