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Act 4, Scene 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Passion, Lust, and Bloodlust
Desire vs. Duty
Injustice
Religious Piety vs. False Idols
Female Sexuality vs. Social Expectation
Summary
Analysis
Annabella enters on the balcony with a letter. She says goodbye to pleasure and tells Time to take its course, hoping that someone will tell her woeful tragedy in the future. She admits how guilty she is, and the Friar enters unseen, below. She reveals her hope that only she is punished for her sins, and not Giovanni. She goes on to describe how the Friar told her many times that she was going to Hell, but she stuck to her sins anyway.
Annabella’s repentance moves the Friar as she acknowledges her wrongdoing and understands the punishment that may come from her sins. The Friar is moved by her wish to no longer be driven by her passions. However, she has not completely lost her love for Giovanni, as she wishes that he will not have to be punished for the sins that they both have committed.
Themes
The Friar is moved by Annabella’s honest and free confession, and when she reveals her hope that she might bear her letter of repentance to some good man, he reveals himself. She gives her letter to him and tells him to give it to Giovanni and command him to repent. She also wants the Friar to tell him that she is imprisoned in her chamber and is not even allowed to see Putttana, and that he should not trust Soranzo. The Friar agrees to do so.
The Friar is moved by Annabella’s words, and it is notable that he aims to give her a chance to right her wrongs rather than letting her become a victim of Soranzo’s passion. Though he may not be able to free her himself and carry out justice, his morality is consistent throughout, demonstrating that religious virtue (as exhibited by the Friar if not by the Cardinal) is the goal towards which all the characters should strive.
Themes
