Cast Highlights: Adrian der Gregorian Giles Cooper David Dawson John Dougall James Garnon

Character: Duchess of Malfi
Production Status: 9 January – 16 February 2014
Venue: Globe Theatre
Director: Dominic Dromgoole
Designed by: Jonathan Fensom
Composed by: Claire Van Kampen
Genre: Tragedy

Plot Outline:
The widowed Duchess of Malfi longs to marry her lover, the steward Antonio. But her rancorous brothers, Ferdinand and the Cardinal, are implacably opposed to the match. When their spy, Bosola, discovers that the Duchess has secretly married and carries Antonio’s child, they exact a terrible and horrific revenge.

First performed by the King’s Men – Shakespeare’s own company – ‘privately at the Blackfriars and publicly at the Globe’, The Duchess of Malfi is a thrilling combination of brilliant coups de théâtre, horrific set-pieces and vivid characters – notably the tragic Duchess and the subtly villainous Bosola – all lit by Webster’s obsessional imagination. This most intimate Jacobean tragedy is the ideal curtain-raiser for our first season in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.

Gemma Arterton returned to The Globe to play the title role of the Duchess. Gemma made her professional stage debut at the Globe in 2007, when she won huge critical acclaim as Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

Gemma’s Role:
The protagonist, sister to Ferdinand and the Cardinal. At the beginning, she is a widow in the prime of her life. Though her brothers take every precaution to keep her from marriage, she secretly marries Antonio. Her brothers arrange to have her strangled. She is described as having a sweet countenance and noble virtue. Witty and clever, she can keep up with her brothers’ banter. She also has a tenderness and warmth that they lack. She has three children, two sons and a daughter by Antonio.

From the Photo Gallery:

Cast and Crew Quotes:

• “I’m really proud of it. I think it’s such a bizarre play. And I think this space really serves it in its most true sense.”
– Gemma Arterton

• “To play the Duchess of Malfi in a magical new theatre seemed an irresistible opportunity for me. I am thrilled to be coming back to Shakespeare’s Globe where I made my stage debut and I really look forward to the adventure of performing in such an intimate and wonderful space.”
– Gemma Arterton

• “Even if I hadn’t made my debut here, the Globe would be very special as there’s a magic here. There’s nothing extravagant about the Playhouse in terms of set or lighting, and it feels just right for this play. It’s an intimate space, which means you can focus on the language and you don’t have to embellish it in any way.

“The Duchess is an intense and oppressive piece and the theatre feels almost like a cage a because the audience is wrapped around you. It’s perfect for the Playhouse.”
– Gemma Arterton

• “The Duchess is so good under pressure. When she’s under pressure, that’s when she really flourishes and sharpens.”
– Gemma Arterton

• “The more I get into I’m realising how bold the Duchess is, much stronger than any other character I’ve played. It’s beautifully written.”
– Gemma Arterton

• “It’s so easy to allow yourself to go down the sense of doom, desperation, and despair, and drama. But she’s the opposite of that. That’s what the Duchess believes in, strives for. She’s light she’s hope, she’s love, she’s everything beautiful.”
– Gemma Arterton