In Act V Scene iv of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Giovanni refers to the murder of his sister as "the rape of life and beauty" (ln. 19). I am intrigued by this use of the word rape. Is Ford punning on the etymology of Rape (to seize or take by force [OED])? It appears as the scene goes on that Giovanni is sexualizing the murder, but I'm interested in the rational for this choice. Is this supposed to distance the audience from Giovanni? Is this a sort of jealous madness that overtakes him?
It seems to me that the following question is the key to understanding how one reads The Changeling. Does Beatrice-Joanna dislike Alonzo before she meets Alsemero? There is no evidence that can definitively answer this, but a given reader's assumption about the answer to this question has a strong effect on that individuals reading.
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