Both Williams and Webster present female sexuality as a destructive force. An example of this in The Duchess of Malfi is that of the Duchess herself, as it is her desire and ability to be sexually free due to her status that leads to her death as she rebels against the brothers who forbid her from remarrying. they, mainly Ferdinand, hope to inherit her wealth after her death: "I had the hope – if she had remained a widow – of having gained an infinite mass of treasure by her death." This may represent the lower status of women in Jacobean England, as the Duchess occupies a higher status than Ferdinand, but the belief at the time was that women should obey their fathers; after the death of the father, they had to obey their brothers. Christy Desmet states: "(The Duchess) represents the plight of women in a difficult masculine age", supporting the theory that she, and all other women of the time, led inferior lives to men despite their social status . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the case of A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche's need for companionship is what leads to her being fired by Stanley and Stella while she “relies on the kindness of others” to survive. This may be because Blanche grew up in a very wealthy family, and typically in pre-Civil War America, wealthy fathers would try to marry their daughters off to other wealthy families. This was the case for Blanche when she married Allan and after his suicide was left with Belle Reve, the funeral and herself to pay for, which, as Blanche states, "I couldn't pay for all that." , not on a limited budget.” salary of a teacher. This ties into the Duchess of Malfi in how Blanche is treated differently from men due to her gender, she was not raised to be a manual worker, she was taught to be a pretty wallflower. This then leads to her losing Belle Reve to debt and staying at the "Tarantula Hotel", where she shared intimate moments with men who could buy her pretty things: "That's where I took my victims. I had many intimacies with strangers after Allan's death. » Nicolas Oynett suggests: “Blanche becomes a social pariah because she refuses to conform to conventional moral values. " This may ring true in the story, because when Stanley discovers her many intimacies, Mitch is no longer interested in marrying her because she "isn't clean enough to take her back to (his) mother." This demonstrates the view of women in 1940s America as second-class citizens who were only expected to take care of the children and keep the house tidy. I think that in The Duchess of Malfi, female sexuality is presented as a force that works against women rather than against women. in their favor. The Duchess is perhaps a prime example of this because, despite knowing the consequences she would face if she remarried, she still chooses to do so, even with Antonio's concern: "But for your brothers ? This could show the Duchess' rebellious side as she attempts to gain more control over her own body, perhaps demonstrating female empowerment. However, it may also highlight the stereotypes of the time that women were weak in the face of temptation and this is what drives the Duchess to marry and have children. Throughout the play, the Duchess is presented as witty and in control, showing no hesitation in herdesires. for Antonio, demonstrated by her allowing him to wear his wedding ring, "It takes a little conjuring, when your finger can do it: then, is it good?", as well as her sexual desires, "I would like that you lead your Fortune by the hand to your marriage bed. Alison Findlay states that "the ring (like the vagina) is open, a hole penetrated by the fingers of the lower classes like Antonio's". She takes control of the people she has sex with by choosing to propose to Antonio. By choosing someone of a much lower class than her, she goes against the male authority of a dominated society. by men, particularly Ferdinand and the Cardinal, who would have disapproved of this choice Her choice to marry Antonio may also be a statement of power, because by marrying someone of a lower class she is taking control of her husband. , who would usually be the ruler of the relationship Additionally, through the imagery of the vagina, it could be suggested that the Duchess is not ashamed of her and Antonio's sexual desire. This may be related to Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, as she was willing to share many intimacies with different strangers after the death of her husband, even a student at the school where she taught, as Stanley reveals in scene seven, “A seventeen-year-old boy with whom she had gotten mixed up.” This may show that she is similar to the Duchess in that she is not afraid to show her sexuality. Additionally, at the end of the fifth scene, Blanche flirts with a young man collecting donations for the Evening Star: "I want to kiss you...I have to be good and not touch the children." This may again indicate that Blanche is not afraid to show her sexuality or flirt. Regarding the "numerous intimacies with strangers", it has been suggested that she allowed them because they were able to buy her pretty clothes and accessories, "gifts from an admirer". However, in the case of young men, they are not able to pay for her, so it could be suggested that she flirts with the paperboy and studies him simply because she wants to, perhaps to reinforce his self-confidence, as we know it. Blanche is very self-conscious about her appearance and her age: “You will see, I have a terrible vanity about my appearance, even now that my appearance is slipping.” Since it is Stanley who exposes Blanche for her past, JM McGlinn may be right to say: "(Stanley) wishes to destroy (Blanche's) composure to make her recognize that she is the same as him, a sexual animal. » It could be suggested that Julia's sexual force also has a negative impact on her life, much like Blanche and the Duchess. This could be because she is the cardinal's mistress and falls in love with Bosola: "Which of my wives did you hire to put love powder in my drink?" Bosola then manipulates Julia's promiscuity in order to obtain information from the Cardinal: "I'm going to work on this creature." Muriel Bradbrook suggests that "(Julia) is a foil to the Duchess, who takes a man as she feels the impulse", this rings true because although she already has a husband in another city and a lover at home cardinal, Julia still chooses to flirt with Bosola, which leads to his death due to her inability to keep what the cardinal told her a secret. Bradbrook's opinion also holds true for the Duchess as she seems to rush into her marriage to Antonio without hesitation. Stella is quite different from Blanche in that she only sleeps with her husband but her sexuality is still a dominant force against her. As we see in scene four, she returns to Stanley after he mistreats her and they have sex, "Well, you had to have sex”.