‘People will do anything, no matter how foolish, to get what they want’ - In the light of this view, discuss ways in which Webster represents ambition in The Duchess of Malfi.

The character Bosola is a man who has suffered unfairly at the hands of those he has worked for, leading him to become a man who can no longer trust those around him and leaving him with very little compassion and a fragmented conscience. When Ferdinand asks him to spy on the Duchess he accepts the duty rather unwillingly and speaks of himself as Ferdinand’s ‘creature’. Bosola is clearly aware of the corruption surrounding this deed, and seems to question his conscience before giving in to Ferdinand for the promise of money and social rank, saying ‘say then that my corruption grew out of horse-dung’. He seems disgusted at the essence of his task and also possibly the idea of selling himself out to the brother of the man who had previously betrayed his trust and lead to his imprisonment. Yet he does accept the duty and it seems that the temptation of money and Bosola’s own ambition for social rank overrides his morals in this situation. He goes on to kill the Duchess under Ferdinand’s orders, further emphasising the powerful influence that greed and ambition can have when the rewards associated with them seem to be within easy reach. Bosola’s morals deteriorate and despite a gain in rank and wealth he becomes haunted by his own grim actions and goes on to take revenge on the men who lead to his corruption. Through Bosola Webster makes it clear that ambition and strong desires can cause a person to give up their own ideals for the sake of personal gain.In ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ ambition is not something that is represented positively by Webster, but rather something that clouds people’s morals and sensibility. The characters allow their ambitions to dominate their lives and disregard the consequences of their actions in pursuit of their self-promotion, ultimately leading to the multiple deaths that make this play a tragedy.