*The White Devil

The intertwining of virtue and vice

The title of the play The White Devil is important in signifying the presence of both good and evil in
the play. White devil is an oxymoron which implies that good and evil are paradoxically joined
together. Who is the ‘white devil' of the title? Convention says that it is Vittoria, who is undoubtedly
a complex character with both good and bad elements in her makeup.

The White Devil is set in a Christian universe, which affects the ideas which permeate
it. Christianity is strongly represented by certain characters who give voice to specifically Christian
views. The most obvious of these is Cornelia who says in Act 1 scene 2:

‘What? Because we are poor,

Isabella also shows Christian virtues in sacrificing her own good name. She does this in order to
preserve her husband's reputation when she claims responsibility for the dissolution of their
marriage in Act 2 scene 1.

Good and evil characters

At a simplistic level, most of the characters in The White Devil can be divided into good and evil
‘camps':

Cornelia, Isabella, Marcello and young Giovanni could be said to be ‘good' character

The ‘bad' characters include Flamineo, Vittoria, Brachiano, Francisco, Monticelso and Lodovico.

Undoubtedly:

Brachiano is a ‘bad' character, showing cruelty and heartlessness towards his wife. He shows a
lack of moral values in his pursuit of Vittoria, another man's wife and is careless of the distress he
causes his son, Giovanni

Isabella is clearly a ‘good' character and stands out as a representative of Christian values

But is it as simple as this? Regarding the other ‘moral' roles for example:

The position of Cornelia and Marcello is more ambiguous to modern audiences because of their
treatment of Zanche (their racism would not have been such an issue for playgoers in Webster's
era)

However virtuous, Webster also depicts the ‘good' characters as ineffectual. They have little power
and influence and do not sustain their resistance to the ‘bad' characters.

Are the ‘bad' characters clearly evil?

Similarly, Webster gives positive aspects to his morally dubious protagonists, making them more
psychologically believable.

Vittoria, the ‘white devil' of the title, exhibits varied characteristics:

She is to be seen as immoral because she conducts a liaison with Brachiano whilst married and is
castigated as a prostitute during her trial. She is implicated in the death of her husband through
her association with Brachiano and Flamineo

However, she shows intelligence and bravery and demonstrates a conscience when confronted by
Cornelia.

Flamineo is probably the most complex character in the play:

He is deceitful and aggressive, a would-be extortionist and a murderer

However, he shows courage at the time of his death and he displays a sense of humour and self
awareness. His evil nature can be understood as a product of the circumstances he experiences.

Francisco is the most powerful character in the play:

He uses this power to exact revenge on his enemies and is obsessed with his sense of family
honour

Yet in his favour it could be said that his vengeful actions are inspired by his love for his sister,
Isabella.

Lodovico is presented from the outset as an angry murderer:

He displays a casual attitude towards his own death and that of others, failing to
express repentance for his involvement in murder. Although he is momentarily swayed from his
revenge by Monticelso's threat of damnation, the ‘reward' of one thousand ducats quickly
outweighs his moral pangs

He does seem to be strongly motivated by his love for Isabella. His service toward her, seen in the
dumb show, has echoes of the Medieval chivalric love code. However, in confession (Act 4 sc 3)
he describes it as ‘lust' rather than love.

Cardinal Monticelso is a key player in the conspiracy against Vittoria and Brachiano:

He corrupts the rule of justice at Vittoria's trial, acting as both her prosecutor and judge. His
Machiavellian use of people to achieve his own ends is indicated by his ‘black book' of villains,
revealed to Francisco in Act 4 scene 1

Once he is appointed Pope Monticelso withdraws from the conspiracy, apparently on the grounds
of conscience. Certainly his plea that Lodovico turn from revenge is impassioned. Yet we feel that
his accusation:

Dost thou imagine thou canst slide on blood

should be directed as much to himself as to Lodovico. His duplicity throughout the play means that
it is hard to regard Monticelso as a force for good.

Minor characters add to the atmosphere of evil:

Doctor Julio supplies poison for the murder of Isabella

The Conjuror produces the grisly Dumb Shows for Brachiano's ‘entertainment'

Monticelso has a ‘black book' with a list of villains. He describes them and their misdemeanours to
Francisco representing it as a ‘general catalogue of knaves', a comment on the state of
contemporary society.

All this adds to the general feeling of corruption.

Conclusion

Although there are many characters who have more evil than good in them, there are few who are
unambiguously ‘bad'. Webster presents us with a corrupt world where there is much immorality
and little goodness. But the motivation of many of the characters is mixed. It is said that Webster
presents us with a morally ambiguous world where the audience has to make up its own mind
about moral judgements. There is very little that can be said to be simply ‘good' or ‘evil'.