It is believed that John Webster wrote The Duchess of Malfi in 1612 or 1613. That puts the play’s creation at around the same time as Shakespeare’s The Tempest or Henry VIII. It was performed very widely when it was first written and has continued to be staged ever since. I can recall seeing it in London decades ago, but only have the faintest memories of the production. It is easy to see why it might resonate with modern audiences given its preoccupation with misogyny, power politics, and with men’s efforts throughout history to control women. It’s not short of violence and gore, so that might also partly explain its continuing appeal.

The modern adaptation I saw staged recently in London may introduce a new generation to the play, though its insistence on 21st century English gave little or no flavor of how Webster’s original text sounded. The themes survived, but the poetry of the original was lost.