John Webster

John Webster (c. 1580-c. 1634) was a highly respected playwright of his time. He published plays and sometimes poetry that investigated the darker side of humanity. Although little is known of Webster's biography, his famous works The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil have left a long-lasting impact on the canon of English literature. Webster's tragedies are also exemplary of the Jacobean drama genre.

Fig. 1 - As a playwright, Webster's plays often filled theatres.

John Webster: biography

Not much is known of John Webster's biography as very little of it was ever recorded during his lifetime. He was born in approximately 1580, likely near London. John Webster was named after this father, a carriage maker. His mother was the daughter of a blacksmith, and Webster grew up in Newgate, London.

It is thought Webster attended Merchant Taylors' School in London to gain an education in tailoring. His father was a member of the prominent Guild of Merchant Taylors. There are also records of Webster attending Middle Temple in 1598, an institution that taught law to those wishing to enter the legal profession.

Webster does show relatively extensive knowledge of the law in some of his plays. Attending both these institutions to study was an impressive education for a man with a working-class background. However, some also believe he worked in his father's profession of carriage-making for a period.

John Webster: Marriage and career

Webster got married in Islington, London, to Sara Peniall in 1605. It is likely that Webster was significantly older than Sara. Sara was also seven months pregnant when the couple married, which was unusual for this time. Pregnancy was typically expected to be restricted to within marriage. The couple's son was born in 1606 and named after his father. It is thought Webster went on to have more children with Sara, but little record of them remains.

As was common at the time, as a playwright, Webster often worked in collaboration with others. For example, he worked extensively with playwright Thomas Dekker on Caesar's Fall, a tragedy which was never formally published. The two playwrights also wrote Westward Ho! (1604) and Northward Ho! (1605) together.

Today, Webster is best remembered for his two Italian tragic plays. The first, The White Devil (1612), was performed in 1612 to an unreceptive audience. Webster initially considered the play a failure. It is based on the true story of the assassination of Italian aristocrat Vittoria Accoramboni.

Webster's second Italian play, The Duchess of Malfi (1623), based on the tragic life of another Italian aristocrat, was a much bigger success. It is a revenge tragedy and the play that Webster is best known for today.

The only other recorded play that Webster wrote alone was The Devil's Law Case (1623). He co-wrote Anything for a Quiet Life (1621) with Thomas Middleton and A Cure for a Cuckold (1624) with William Rowley.

There is very little known about John Webster's death. He is thought to have died around 1634, likely in London.

John Webster: writer

John Webster's writing style is noted for its emotional intensity, psychological depth, and use of dark and violent themes. His plays often delve into the psychological motivations of his characters, creating a deeply immersive and complex narrative.

Webster explored the dark side of the human psyche in his plays. This difficult subject matter may be the reason why not all of his plays were well received on their first performance.

Webster's language is poetic and highly metaphorical, with vivid imagery that heightens the dramatic tension and emotional resonance of his works. He's known for creating an atmospheric world steeped in moral ambiguity, reflecting the tumultuous sociopolitical environment of the Jacobean era.

Webster also tapped into pertinent social and political issues that impacted people. His works deal with corruption, regularly depicting those in the upper classes as cruel and self-serving.

John Webster: plays

John Webster is celebrated as one of the major dramatists of the Jacobean era. Known for his tragedies, Webster excelled in creating dark, complex narratives filled with intrigue and revenge. His plays often focus on the corruption of power and the frailties of human nature.

His characters, particularly his female characters, are complex, well-developed, and ahead of their time in their display of independent thinking and resilience. Read on to find out more about The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi.

John Webster: The White Devil (1612)

The White Devil is based on the real assassination of an Italian aristocrat, Vittoria Accoramboni, in Padua in 1585, who was killed for having an affair. Webster names his central character, Vittoria Corombona, a similar name. Vittoria is having an affair with the Duke of Brachiano, although both of them are married to other people.

The Duke, along with Vittoria's brother, Flamineo, arrange to have Vittoria's husband and the Duke's wife killed. Flamineo is shown to be a cruel character who only cares about Vittoria marrying the Duke because it may advance their family's social status. This murder plot is successful.

Only Vittoria is persecuted for murder, with the Duke and Flamineo getting away free. She is sent to a convent designed for women who are judged to have broken gender and sexual norms and are therefore dubbed 'whores'. Eventually, she and Brachiano elope, ruling over the city of Padua together. Francisco, the brother of Brachiano's murdered wife, Isabella, organises an elaborate plot to avenge his sister. He succeeds in murdering Brachiano by poisoning.

Fig. 2 - The city of Padua.

Flamineo, who has been claiming innocence by virtue of madness, goes to Vittoria and tries to convince her that a suicide pact is their only way out. He gives her a pistol to kill herself, but she instead shoots him. Flamineo reveals that the pistol was not loaded, and he was merely testing her loyalty.

Two men working for Francisco then enter and fatally stab both Vittoria and Flamineo. The play draws to a close with the death of the majority of the central characters. The actions of the play are often driven by the want for revenge, making this a revenge tragedy.

John Webster: The Duchess of Malfi (1623)

Just like The White Devil, The Duchess of Malfi is also a revenge tragedy. It, too, is loosely based on real events that happened in 1500s Italy.

The Duchess of Malfi has been recently widowed, but her brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal do not wish for her to marry again. They hope to inherit her riches and title and, further, wish to preserve their family's sexual purity by controlling the Duchess's sexuality. They send a former criminal named Bosola to spy on the Duchess to ensure she keeps her promise not to marry.

However, Bosola eventually discovers that the Duchess has fallen in love with and married a worker on her estate, Antonio. The couple have three children together. Ferdinand and the Cardinal are infuriated by this turn of events.

Ferdinand has the Duchess and two of her children kidnapped, tortured, and killed. He is later driven to madness by guilt over his actions. In the meantime, Antonio has fled with his remaining child.

Bosola dislikes what Ferdinand and the Cardinal have manipulated him to do, and so he resolves to help Antonio escape the brothers' wrath. However, in a case of mistaken identity, Bosola murders Antonio. This sets off a chain of events that results in Bosola, the Cardinal, and Ferdinand all killing each other. On an even greater scale than in The White Devil, none of the central characters in this play survive until the end.

John Webster: poems

While best known as a playwright, John Webster also wrote a selection of poems. Much like his dramatic works, Webster's plays typically investigate themes of death, darkness, and the more negative sides of the human experience.

For example, the poem 'Vanitas Vanitatum' (1623) explores the inevitability of death. The Latin title of the poem translates to the 'vanity of vanities'. This phrase means that simple earthly pleasures and luxuries mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. All people are the same in death.

Similarly, 'Death Song' (unknown publication date) focuses on a similar theme of death, as evidenced in the title. The poem addresses an unnamed female subject, with the narrator advising her to make herself comfortable before her life ends and she 'come[s] away'.

John Webster: quotes

Below is a table of key quotes from Webster's work.