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- Publisher
- University of North Carolina Press
- Copyright
- Copyright © Studies in Philology, Incorporated
- ISSN
- 1543-0383
Abstract
<p>Abstract:</p><p>This article contextualizes John Webster's <i>The Duchess of Malfi</i> within early modern usage of the adage "homo homini lupus" in the period's political philosophy. Webster draws on sixteenth-century usage of the phrase in the work of Scottish and French resistance thinkers to depict tyranny, but then he extends its meaning through Ferdinand's lycanthropy. <i>The Duchess of Malfi</i> anticipates representations of human nature typical of seventeenth-century contract theory but is skeptical of political solutions to human brutality. The play exploits the human negative exceptionalist logic that is implicit within "homo homini lupus" to create a deeply pessimistic depiction of human nature and the future of politics.</p>
Journal
Studies in Philology – University of North Carolina Press
Published: Jan 27, 2022