Thomas, Helen S.2022-11-282022-11-28197319773834961https://hdl.handle.net/10657/12765During the last decade scholarly interest in John Webster has increasingly focused on theological aspects of his two tragedies, The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi. This trend together with the long-standing critical opinion that Webster's tragedies lack clearly-defined moral vision has formed the basis for a re-evaluation of his work against the religious background of seventeenth-century England. Webster's tragedies reflect virulent anti-Catholicism that was prevalent at the time by characterization of diabolically evil Cardinals, by imagery of the diseased and decadent society ruled by the Roman Catholic Church, and by inverted religious rituals satirizing Church sacraments. Although The White Devil and The Duchess of Halfi have long been accused of presenting no moral vision, the two plays, in fact, imply a powerful affirmative message in antithesis to the negative exempla presented by the almost totally evil Italian, Roman Catholic world they depict.application/pdfenThis item is protected by copyright but is made available here under a claim of fair use (17 U.S.C. Section 107) for non-profit research and educational purposes. Users of this work assume the responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing, or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires express permission of the copyright holder.Thesisreformatted digital