earticle

영어

Even though The White Devil has been considered as a tragedy, it lacks the central traits of traditional tragedies. We cannot find the profound tragic vision accompanying moral lesson and the recovery of order. However, the lack of tragic traits and of moral purpose does not derive from Webster’s lack of tragic vision but from his intentional violation of the tradition of tragedy. Webster’s vision is not just to present the negative and pessimistic view of the contemporary society through the morally corrupted characters, but to subvert the moral value that the traditional tragedy seeks for. It is certain that The White Devil is a kind of satire or accusation play rather than tragedy. That is why the play takes the characteristics of a combination of various genres. He represented a society where immoral women and typical villains are less hypocritical than cardinals, dukes, and even popes.