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Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Act 2, Scene 1
Explanation and Analysis—Wolves:
The motif of the wolf is used throughout the play and therefore accumulates multiple meanings and applications to the unfolding story. Initially, Bosola uses a simile that includes a wolf, but his statement hinges on an important double-meaning of the word. After his conversation with Castruccio in Act 2, Scene 1 is interrupted, Bosola turns on the perpetrator: a bewildered old woman. His rage is inexplicable, although the audience understands that he has a growing feeling of unease over the Duchess and is venting his frustration on anyone available to him. He says:
But in our own flesh, though we bear diseases
Which have their true names on ta’en from beasts,
As the most ulcerous wolf and swinish measle
Bosola implies here that the diseases of mankind are aptly named after the horrible beasts that menace their society. He uses the word wolf doubly, implying that wolf is a source of decay in the court, a statement that stands because the word wolf is also a disease. Later in the play, the audience sees a manifestation of disease that is associated with wolves. The character Ferdinand is seemingly lycanthropic; he has an obsession with wolves that marks his descent into madness. He frequently uses them as a symbol to justify or explain his perceptions. In one case, in Act 3 Scene 2, he bursts into his sister’s chamber and encourages her to kill herself. During their conversation he says:
The howling of a wolf
Is music to thee, screech owl—prithee peace!
This mention of a wolf during a moment of violence between Ferdinand and his sister gives the audience context for Ferdinand’s future madness. He uses the wolf as a symbol for her secret lover, and implies that the wolf stands for the misdeeds that have taken place. This instance is significant, however, because Ferdinand comes to use the symbol of the wolf very frequently throughout the rest of the play, at one point even calling the Duchess’s children "young wolves." However, he is not diagnosed until Act 5, Scene 2, when a doctor finally pronounces his illness:
A very pestilent disease, my lord
They call lycanthropia.
Ferdinand’s disease is finally stated outright, and its introduction propels earlier uses of the wolf as a motif into deeper meaning. His perception of himself as a wolf is a mental illness, not unlike the one Bosola refers to in the play’s second act. However, his delusion is symbolic of a break between his mind and his body, which has altered his perceptions. The wolf steps in as a beastly counterpart, and Ferdinand has lost the ability to tell whether the symbol haunting his imagination is really present with him.
Act 3, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Wolves:
The motif of the wolf is used throughout the play and therefore accumulates multiple meanings and applications to the unfolding story. Initially, Bosola uses a simile that includes a wolf, but his statement hinges on an important double-meaning of the word. After his conversation with Castruccio in Act 2, Scene 1 is interrupted, Bosola turns on the perpetrator: a bewildered old woman. His rage is inexplicable, although the audience understands that he has a growing feeling of unease over the Duchess and is venting his frustration on anyone available to him. He says:
But in our own flesh, though we bear diseases
Which have their true names on ta’en from beasts,
As the most ulcerous wolf and swinish measle
Bosola implies here that the diseases of mankind are aptly named after the horrible beasts that menace their society. He uses the word wolf doubly, implying that wolf is a source of decay in the court, a statement that stands because the word wolf is also a disease. Later in the play, the audience sees a manifestation of disease that is associated with wolves. The character Ferdinand is seemingly lycanthropic; he has an obsession with wolves that marks his descent into madness. He frequently uses them as a symbol to justify or explain his perceptions. In one case, in Act 3 Scene 2, he bursts into his sister’s chamber and encourages her to kill herself. During their conversation he says:
The howling of a wolf
Is music to thee, screech owl—prithee peace!
This mention of a wolf during a moment of violence between Ferdinand and his sister gives the audience context for Ferdinand’s future madness. He uses the wolf as a symbol for her secret lover, and implies that the wolf stands for the misdeeds that have taken place. This instance is significant, however, because Ferdinand comes to use the symbol of the wolf very frequently throughout the rest of the play, at one point even calling the Duchess’s children "young wolves." However, he is not diagnosed until Act 5, Scene 2, when a doctor finally pronounces his illness:
A very pestilent disease, my lord
They call lycanthropia.
Ferdinand’s disease is finally stated outright, and its introduction propels earlier uses of the wolf as a motif into deeper meaning. His perception of himself as a wolf is a mental illness, not unlike the one Bosola refers to in the play’s second act. However, his delusion is symbolic of a break between his mind and his body, which has altered his perceptions. The wolf steps in as a beastly counterpart, and Ferdinand has lost the ability to tell whether the symbol haunting his imagination is really present with him.
Act 5, Scene 2
Explanation and Analysis—Wolves:
The motif of the wolf is used throughout the play and therefore accumulates multiple meanings and applications to the unfolding story. Initially, Bosola uses a simile that includes a wolf, but his statement hinges on an important double-meaning of the word. After his conversation with Castruccio in Act 2, Scene 1 is interrupted, Bosola turns on the perpetrator: a bewildered old woman. His rage is inexplicable, although the audience understands that he has a growing feeling of unease over the Duchess and is venting his frustration on anyone available to him. He says:
But in our own flesh, though we bear diseases
Which have their true names on ta’en from beasts,
As the most ulcerous wolf and swinish measle
Bosola implies here that the diseases of mankind are aptly named after the horrible beasts that menace their society. He uses the word wolf doubly, implying that wolf is a source of decay in the court, a statement that stands because the word wolf is also a disease. Later in the play, the audience sees a manifestation of disease that is associated with wolves. The character Ferdinand is seemingly lycanthropic; he has an obsession with wolves that marks his descent into madness. He frequently uses them as a symbol to justify or explain his perceptions. In one case, in Act 3 Scene 2, he bursts into his sister’s chamber and encourages her to kill herself. During their conversation he says:
The howling of a wolf
Is music to thee, screech owl—prithee peace!
This mention of a wolf during a moment of violence between Ferdinand and his sister gives the audience context for Ferdinand’s future madness. He uses the wolf as a symbol for her secret lover, and implies that the wolf stands for the misdeeds that have taken place. This instance is significant, however, because Ferdinand comes to use the symbol of the wolf very frequently throughout the rest of the play, at one point even calling the Duchess’s children "young wolves." However, he is not diagnosed until Act 5, Scene 2, when a doctor finally pronounces his illness:
A very pestilent disease, my lord
They call lycanthropia.
Ferdinand’s disease is finally stated outright, and its introduction propels earlier uses of the wolf as a motif into deeper meaning. His perception of himself as a wolf is a mental illness, not unlike the one Bosola refers to in the play’s second act. However, his delusion is symbolic of a break between his mind and his body, which has altered his perceptions. The wolf steps in as a beastly counterpart, and Ferdinand has lost the ability to tell whether the symbol haunting his imagination is really present with him.
