As the play is Older Than Steam, all spoilers on this page are unmarked.
The White Devil is a revenge tragedy by John Webster, written circa 1612. It was a flop when it was first performed, but had a successful revival in 1630. It has been occasionally revived since, with two stage productions and one radio version between 2010 and 2019. As of 2024 it hasn't been adapted into a film, and no version has been televised.
The plot, Very Loosely Based on a True Story, revolves around an affair and the murders that follow.
Vittoria Corombona and the Duke of Brachiano fall in love while both are married to other people. Brachiano conspires with Vittoria's brother Flamineo to get rid of the inconvenient spouses so he can marry Vittoria. It all goes downhill from there.
The full title is The White Divel; or, The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano. With The Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan.
Contains examples of:
- Anyone Can Die: And almost everyone does.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Lodovico appears in Act 1 Scene 1, then disappears until Act 3 Scene 2. He's a background character until he reveals he was secretly in love with Isabella, and in the end he kills Vittoria.
- Historical Domain Character: Vittoria
, the Duke of Brachiano, Isabella, and most of the other characters are based on real people. - Ironic Echo: Brachiano tells Isabella he's divorcing her. Isabella's brother is the Great Duke, and she knows that if he finds out about this it could start a war between the dukedoms. So as soon as her brother arrives, she pretends she's the one who wants a divorce, and uses many of the same words Brachiano used earlier.Brachiano: Let not thy love/Make thee an unbeliever; this my vow/Shall never, on my soul, be satisfied/With my repentance...noteIsabella: Let not my former dotage/Make thee an unbeliever; this my vow/Shall never, on my soul, be satisfied/With my repentance...
- Murder the Hypotenuse: All of the trouble starts when the Duke decides to do this.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: There was a Vittoria, Duchess of Bracciano, her second husband was suspected of killing her first husband and his first wife to marry her, and she was murdered.
