The Duchess of Malfi: Act 3

by John Webster
Money, power, and love destroy a noble family in this semi-historical tragedy by John Webster. Learn these words that first shook The Globe Theater in 1614. Read the full text here.

Here are links to our lists for the play: Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, Act 4, Act 5
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. pedigree
    the ancestry or lineage of an individual
    she's an excellent
    Feeder of pedigrees; since you last saw her,
    She hath had two children more, a son and daughter.
  2. tempest
    a strong storm with violent winds
    He is so quiet that he seems to sleep
    The tempest out, as dormice do in winter.
    Those houses that are haunted are most still
    Till the devil be up.
  3. scandalous
    giving offense to moral sensibilities
    But, sir, I am to have private conference with you
    About a scandalous report is spread
    Touching mine honour.
  4. extenuate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or degree of
    Yet, say that it were true,
    I pour it in your bosom, my fix'd love
    Would strongly excuse, extenuate, nay, deny
    Faults, were they apparent in you.
  5. mountebank
    a flamboyant deceiver
    Away! these are mere gulleries, horrid things,
    Invented by some cheating mountebanks
    To abuse us.
  6. flatter
    praise somewhat dishonestly
    That you
    Are your own chronicle too much, and grossly
    Flatter yourself.
  7. defect
    a failing or deficiency
    That friend a great man's ruin strongly checks,
    Who rails into his belief all his defects.
  8. untimely
    badly scheduled
    Alas, your shears do come untimely now
    To clip the bird's wings that's already flown!
  9. vile
    morally reprehensible
    And for thee, vile woman,
    If thou do wish thy lecher may grow old
    In thy embracements, I would have thee build
    Such a room for him as our anchorites
    To holier use inhabit.
  10. strict
    characterized by severity or restraint
    You are in this
    Too strict; and were you not my princely brother,
    I would say, too wilful: my reputation
    Is safe.
  11. reputation
    the state of being held in high esteem and honor
    Dost thou know what reputation is?
    I'll tell thee,—to small purpose, since the instruction
    Comes now too late.
    Upon a time Reputation, Love, and Death,
    Would travel o'er the world; and it was concluded
    That they should part, and take three several ways.
  12. dowry
    money brought by a woman to her husband at marriage
    Love gives them counsel
    To inquire for him 'mongst unambitious shepherds,
    Where dowries were not talk'd of, and sometimes
    'Mongst quiet kindred that had nothing left
    By their dead parents
  13. forsake
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    'Stay,' quoth Reputation,
    'Do not forsake me; for it is my nature,
    If once I part from any man I meet,
    I am never found again.'
  14. malevolent
    having or exerting a malignant influence
    I will not blame the cause on 't; but do think
    The necessity of my malevolent star
    Procures this, not her humour.
  15. confiscate
    take temporary possession of a security by legal authority
    We do confiscate,
    Towards the satisfying of your accounts,
    All that you have.
  16. extortion
    unjust exaction, as by the misuse of authority
    Here's an example for extortion: what moisture is drawn out of the sea, when foul weather comes, pours down, and runs into the sea again.
  17. prosperity
    the condition of having good fortune
    That these are rogues that in 's prosperity,
    But to have waited on his fortune, could have wish'd
    His dirty stirrup riveted through their noses,
    And follow'd after 's mule, like a bear in a ring
  18. dissemble
    hide under a false appearance
    Princes pay flatterers
    In their own money: flatterers dissemble their vices,
    And they dissemble their lies; that's justice.
  19. coffer
    the funds of a government, institution, or individual
    Poor! he hath amply fill'd his coffers.
  20. mercenary
    profit oriented
    Will you make yourself a mercenary herald,
    Rather to examine men's pedigrees than virtues?
  21. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
    For you have made your private nuptial bed
    The humble and fair seminary of peace
  22. merit
    the quality of being deserving
    many an unbenefic'd scholar
    Shall pray for you for this deed, and rejoice
    That some preferment in the world can yet
    Arise from merit.
  23. feigned
    not genuine
    I do not like this jesting with religion,
    This feigned pilgrimage.
  24. faction
    a clique that seeks power usually through intrigue
    These factions amongst great men, they are like
    Foxes, when their heads are divided,
    They carry fire in their tails, and all the country
    About them goes to wrack for 't.
  25. oppression
    the act of subjugating by cruelty
    That cardinal hath made more bad faces with his oppression than ever Michael Angelo made good ones.
  26. pang
    a sharp spasm of pain
    These are your true pangs of death,
    The pangs of life, that struggle with great statesmen.
  27. seize
    take control without authority
    They are a free state, sir, and her brother show'd
    How that the Pope, fore-hearing of her looseness,
    Hath seiz'd into th' protection of the church
    The dukedom which she held as dowager.
  28. cease
    put an end to a state or an activity
    From decay'd fortunes every flatterer shrinks;
    Men cease to build where the foundation sinks.
  29. circumvent
    beat through cleverness and wit
    That he so much distrusts my husband's love,
    He will by no means believe his heart is with him
    Until he see it: the devil is not cunning enough
    To circumvent us in riddles.
  30. fortitude
    strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity
    Make patience a noble fortitude,
    And think not how unkindly we are us'd:
    Man, like to cassia, is prov'd best, being bruis'd.
  31. strive
    exert much effort or energy
    Do not weep:
    Heaven fashion'd us of nothing; and we strive
    To bring ourselves to nothing.
  32. allure
    dispose or incline or entice to
    I would have you tell me whether
    Is that note worse that frights the silly birds
    Out of the corn, or that which doth allure them
    To the nets?
  33. pity
    the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others
    With such a pity men preserve alive
    Pheasants and quails, when they are not fat enough
    To be eaten.
  34. wretched
    characterized by physical misery
    So to great men the moral may be stretched;
    Men oft are valu'd high, when they're most wretched.
  35. sway
    controlling influence
    I am arm'd 'gainst misery;
    Bent to all sways of the oppressor's will
Created on Mon Apr 10 15:28:38 EDT 2017 (updated Tue Apr 09 13:13:24 EDT 2019)

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