Within the first act of his play, "The White Devil", Webster describes his central character as manipulator, victim, reluctant wife and willing lover.
“The Duke of Bracciano…
…seeks to prostitute
The honour of Vittoria Corombona,” (The White Devil,I, i 40-2)
It is significant that, although she does not appear on stage until scene 2, Vittoria is the subject of conversation from the opening scene. The language Lodovico uses presents Vittoria as a woman of some standing and there is a suggestion of her as both capable of manipulation (lines 42-44) and potentially vulnerable to it (lines 40-42).
The exchange between Vittoria and Bracciano in scene 2 (lines 1-2) suggests a mutual respect between the two and presents Vittoria as a courteous gentlewoman at ease with the manners of the court. In her absence her brother Flamineo, anxious to facilitate an alliance between Bracciano and Vittoria, presses home the positive impression she has already made by referring to her as “fair” and “happy” (line 6). At the same time, it is important to realise that while Flamineo is “talking up” his sister to her would-be lover, he is also offering her to him. In lines 10-24 Flamineo’s offer becomes an assurance that Vittoria is Bracciano’s for the taking.
What is interesting is that, while Flamineo speaks specifically of his sister in the highest terms, his language becomes coarser as he turns his attention to women in general. Women, he insists, are cunning creatures who know how to keep themselves in sexual demand by controlling supply. In the space of a dozen lines Flamineo reduces the “happy sister” that her chambermaid is proud to serve (lines 14-15) to a lustful, and sexually manipulative, woman (lines 20-24) thus echoing Lodovico’s reference to her in scene 1.
“Vittoria, she that might have got my pardon
For one kiss to the duke.” (I, i 43-44)
The fact that Vittoria is discussed some time before her entrance serves to establish her as a pawn to the desires of others. This impression is pushed further, not only by the language Flamineo uses about her but also by the fact that he observes her encounter with Bracciano. As their language becomes more intimate Vittoria is presented as wilfully accommodating rather than simply submissive. At last, the much talked of “manipulator” finally reveals herself. It is therefore Vittoria’s own language, carefully appropriate to every occasion, that reveals a woman aware of both the society in which she lives and her position within it and how to make
both work to her advantage.
