Quotes

• 'poison't near the head / Death and diseases through the whole land spread'


  Antonio, speaking about how the kings behaviour affects everyone is the land - source of corruption
• 'I do haunt you still'


  Bosola, malcontent, angry at everything, discontented with his position with the Cardinal
• 'I fell into the gallies in your service'


  Bosola, consequence of working for the Cardinal, consequences of trying to gain status
• 'He and his brothers are like plum trees that grow crooked [...] none but crows, pies, and caterpillars feed on them'


  Bosola discussing how awful the brothers are, corrupt, surrounded by sycophants
• 'a notorious murder'


  Delio, warning Antonio that Bosola is not to be trifled with, he is dangerous and works for the Cardinal
• 'This foul melancholy / Will poison all his goodness'


  Antonio pitying Bosola, he is an optimist, discontent breeds malice
• 'want of action / Breeds all black malcontents'


  Antonio, discussing how ambition can cause malcontents
• 'Give him the jewel'


  Ferdinand taking it as his place to hand over his sister, objectifying the Duchess in the process
• 'laugh when I laugh'


  Ferdinand telling his sycophants to only laugh when he laughs, unstable nature, changeable, mercurial
• 'Some flashes of superficiality hang on him'


  Antonio discussing the falsity of the Cardinal
• 'for he strews in / his way flatterers, panders, intelligencers, atheists'


  Antonio noting the uncommon company the Cardinal keeps for being a religious figure
• 'The Duke there? A most perverse and turbulent / nature'


  Antonio noting the strange and unstable nature of Ferdinand, a very disturbed individual
• 'Twins?' 


  Delio asks this giving a sense of irony as the awful brothers are not the twins in the family but the lovely Duchess is
• 'But for their sister [...] so divine a continence


  Antonio, flattering the Duchess, she is so divine she inspires others to be pure as well, stark contrast with her brothers
• 'A worthy fellow h'is'


  Ferdinand asking the Duchess if he can choose her provership of your horse, asking on behalf of the Cardinal, Bosola, deceit and trick begin
• 'His nature is too honest'


  Cardinal criticising Antonio for being honest, his morality is so strong, he would never spy on the Duchess, not fit for the plan
• 'There's gold'


  Ferdinand tempting Bosola with a shallow motivation, attain wealth and status, drives Bosola
• 'Whose throat must I cut?'


  Bosola's response to Ferdinand's temptation, expects to do violence, ready for killing, graphic, shallow motivation
• 'She's a young widow / I would not have her marry again' 


  Ferdinand's controlling attitude over his sister, weird fixation on her relationships, threat of the knowledge of sex, disturbing
• 'a very quaint devil in flesh: / An intelligencer'


  Bosola speaking on his role of a spy, corrupt
• 'One of your familiars'


  Bosola calling himself Ferdinand's familiar, he knows what he is doing is wrong, dehumanisation of Bosola
• 'the devil / Candies all sins o'er'


  Bosola saying the devil is a tempter who makes committing sin look good, he knows its sin but he wants to badly
• 'You envy those that stand above your reach'

  Ferdinand calling out Bosola's motivation and drive
• 'Grew out of horse dung. I am your creature'


  Bosola stating his humble origins, he is made of toxic material, he is corrupt throughout
• 'Marry? They are most luxurious / Will wed twice'


  Ferdinand saying that it is too indulgent to marry twice, goes against God
• 'Whore by that rule are precious'


  Ferdinand rebuting what the Duchess said, misogyny, controlling the Duchess
• 'I'll never marry'


  The Duchess, she is half telling the truth and half lying, she doesn't marry immediately but she will shortly
• 'Your darkest actions, nay, your privat'st thoughts, / Will come to light'


  Feredinand trusting in their plan to spy on their sister with Bosola
• 'The marriage night / Is the entrance into some prison'


  The Cardinal's view on marriage, it is a trap, the Duchess is lucky to not be married, they don't want her to be married as they want to trap her themselves
• 'Wisdom begins at the end'


  The Cardinal, didactic message, tragedy, a kind of revelation is reached
• 'lusty widow'


  Ferdinand reprimanding the Duchess for wishing to be remarried, again perverted focus on her having sex
• 'I winked and chose a husband'


  The Duchess, arrogance of her ability to find a husband, breaking what she said earlier
• 'For I'll conceal this secret from the world'


  Cariola being complicit in what the Duchess is about to do