HSY2601 Assignment 3 Semester 1 2023 (211581)

Where is the DOM set? - -Italy, . -Why was DOM set in Italy? - --Italy had a wide appeal to English writers in the Jacobean period due to what it represented. It enabled writers to comment on English courts/society without directly alluding to it. -It holds a historical lens to the (then) contemporary court of James I. It was set years earlier that when it was written. -What did Italy represent and how is this dramatically significant? - --For a Jacobean audience, Italy was viewed as a home of corruption and vices. -Machiavelli figure (Cardinal)- a symbol of religious prejudice that caused a lot of corruption in Italy. -Italy was the centre of Catholicism, and England was protestant. The Cardinal then may represent anti-Catholic sentiments at the time. -Setting the play in Italy enabled Webster to both criticise foreign countries and James I's court, who was indulgent and had favourites. -How is place/setting established in DOM? - -Very few stage directions, so Webster relies on language to set the scene. Opening exchanges- Antonio/Delio/Bosola- and vivid language describe the ideals of the French court verses the reality of the Italian court. It is very much open to interpretation A toxic environment is established from the start through language Shares a deep sense of claustrophobia with ASND.