At the historical moment when The Duchess of Malfi is written, times are a changin' in a big way. With the birth of capitalism, English society is moving away from the old social model where the prince was the source of all secure identity and your lot in life was determined by where you landed socially in his eyes.
Now, we're transitioning into an age where status can be achieved (instead of just being ascribed to you at birth), by merit, favor, or bribery. People's roles and stations are turning into their jobs, and their labor has value in and of itself. Paralleling this shift, there's growing anxiety about the mixing of the social classes, about people exactly like Antonio or Bosola moving up in the social ranks. Throughout the play, the Duchess is warned about marrying beneath her, but Antonio too is warned repeatedly against expressing "ambition" and reaching above his social station.
Questions About Society and Class
- What is Bosola's social position?
- Is Antonio actually socially ambitious? Does the level of his ambition change as the play goes on?
- Bosola claims early on that serving princes doesn't actually get you any reward—so why does he take Ferdinand up on his offer to work as an intelligencer?
- Is social ascension even possible? Everyone's scrabbling upwards, but is anybody in this play actually capable of changing his or her social position?
Chew on This
Social ambition—both in the form of Antonio's marrying upward and Bosola's desire to serve Ferdinand—is what ultimately brings about the play's tragedy.
Bosola hates the idea of the aristocracy, but works for Ferdinand because, hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.