John Webster English playwright Date of Birth: 01.01.1578 Country: Great Britain

1. John Webster: A Master of the "Tragedy of Blood"
2. Webster's Literary Career
3. Masterpieces of Tragedy
4. "The White Devil"
5. "The Duchess of Malfi"
6. Webster's Style and Technique
7. Attributed Work

John Webster: A Master of the "Tragedy of Blood"

John Webster, an English playwright who lived during the same era as Shakespeare and Ben Jonson, excelled in the genre of "tragedy of blood." Unfortunately, little biographical information about Webster has survived, except that he was the son of a tailor.

Webster's Literary Career

Webster's body of work spanned from 1602 to 1624. Before 1612, he collaborated with various playwrights, including Dekker, Marston, Heywood, and others, to write pastoral comedies, domestic comedies, and bourgeois farces. Some scholars believe that these early works lacked artistic maturity and failed to showcase Webster's true talent for the macabre.

Masterpieces of Tragedy

Webster's fame rests on two masterpieces: "The White Devil" (1612) and "The Duchess of Malfi" (1613-14).

"The White Devil"

Set in Renaissance Italy, "The White Devil" centers around the infamous courtesan Vittoria Corombona. Webster's depiction of the debauchery of the court, aristocratic oligarchy, and all-powerful Catholic clergy reflects his embrace of humanist values.

"The Duchess of Malfi"

Borrowing its plot from Bandello's novel, Webster's "The Duchess of Malfi" portrays the titular character's tragic fate as she falls in love with a man beneath her social status.

Webster's Style and Technique

Webster's tragedies belong to the genre known as "tragedies of blood," following in the tradition of Kyd's "The Spanish Tragedy." They feature elements such as dark supernaturalism, gruesome stage effects, and an abundance of violent crimes. The character of Vittoria Corombona, a woman driven by cruelty and hypocrisy, stands out as a particularly vivid creation.

Despite occasional flaws in plot construction, Webster's plays display a remarkable linguistic richness and brevity. His use of alternating prose and verse, lyrical intensity, and passionate metaphors establish him as not only a brilliant playwright but also an outstanding poet.

Attributed Work

One other tragedy, "Appius and Virginia," was once attributed to Webster, but scholarship has since proven it to be the work of Heywood.