The Duchess (of Malfi): Playscript

You should know: I sing at parties, I wear colourful dresses, I am headstrong, I won’t wear my hair up because you say I should, or do this because you prefer it, in fact I might do the other just to be contrary, but I am utterly and always myself.

The Duchess is a young widow. And with money, sexual freedom and youth, she’s a threat to the status quo; she could get to determine her own life.

Terrified by her sudden power and its implications, her brothers Ferdinand and The Cardinal seek to block The Duchess’s desires and to dismantle her authority and spirit by any means at their disposal. The results are horrifying, with bloody vengeance from the most unexpected of sources.

The Duchess (of Malfi), Zinnie Harris’s radical take on Webster’s great revenge tragedy, premiered at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in May 2019.