The Duchess of Malfi is considered by many to be the greatest Renaissance tragedy not written by Shakespeare.  For those interested in learning more about John Webster’s play, English Professor Frank Whigham will be giving a free lecture in the Joynes Reading Room (CRD 007) on Thursday, February 7 at 7:00 pm.  His talk will be on “Sexual and Social Mobility in The Duchess of Malfi.” The following week, students can see actors from The American Shakespeare Center perform the play on campus.

Through the sponsorship of the University Honors Center and the L.L. and Ethel E. Dean Endowment, a limited number of discounted tickets for the February 13th performance will be available to students who attend the free February 7th lecture. Ticket applications will be available on a first come, first served basis at the February 7th lecture in The Joynes Reading Room.

Professor Whigham is one of the world’s experts on The Duchess of Malfi.  His article on the play, originally published in PMLA and reprinted multiple times, is one of the most important works of recent criticism on John Webster’s tragedy, which is also discussed in his book, Seizures of the Will in Early Modern English Drama (Cambridge University Press, 1996).  Professor Whigham will introduce some of the play’s key ideas and answer questions from the audience.

For more information, write to matt.valentine@austin.utexas.net or call 512-471-5787