The characters of Cornelia and Giovanni represent a moral consciousness in The White Devil, Cornelia in her verbal condemnation of Bracciano and Vittoria in act 1 scene 2 and Giovanni in his leadership values, vowing one day to lead his own army into battle and release all prisoners without seeking ransom. How does this moral aspect function in the greater scheme of the play's dynamics? (I realize Webster was presenting more than a morality tale, but I'm not sure how to sort it out.)
The portrayal of gender roles and relations was a prominent topic in the city comedies we discussed. The White Devil offers more examples of women negotiating their public roles (Vittoria in the court room out-maneuvering both the lawyer and Monticelso) and men and women relating to one another (Bracciano with both Isabella and Vittoria). Given that the city comedies and this tragedy are contemporaries, what similarities and differences are there in the above portrayals? In terms of differences, how much is due to the genre and how much is a reflection of the author's views?
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