![]() ![]() Her brother Ferdinand displays incestuous desire for her body as a result of his conflation of the body natural and the body politic. Like El mayordomo, The Duchess of Malfi also advocates for a new social order based on merit rather than blood, but it does so through its portrayal of the Duchess and the problems of her two bodies. Through its portrayal of Antonio, the male steward and de facto ruler, El mayordomo advocates for a new social order based on merit rather than nobility, although the play does ultimately end with the restoration of the traditional patriarchal order. Lope's text portrays the female ruler in a much less positive light because it is more concerned with questioning whether honra (inner virtue) or honor de opinion (bloodline/nobility/reputation) should be prioritized in male rulers. These two plays are based upon the same source text, and therefore illuminate the differing concerns of both playwrights and both nations. ![]() This thesis uses the theory of the king's two bodies to interrogate the portrayal of the female ruler in both Webster's The Duchess of Malfi and Lope de Vega's El mayordomo de la duquesa de Amalfi. ![]()
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