Tis a Pity She's a Whore Essay Questions

Why is this play so controversial?

There are two main reasons for the controversy surrounding this play. The first is the subject matter: incest is the central conflict in the play, and despite what readers may think about early modern England, was still considered taboo during the Renaissance. However, many critics found that it was not the subject matter that offended them the most, but the way that Ford presented and dealt with it. Instead of showing an incestuous relationship as a perversion of nature, some argue that the play presents it more as a tragic, forbidden love. Thus, some maintain that the play is an endorsement of incest rather than a condemnation of it. Contemporary scholars tend to take a more generous approach to the play, pointing to its ambiguities to suggest that it is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation but simply an exploration of alternative psychologies.

Are there any truly likable characters in this play?

The only truly likable character in this play is Florio. He is father to Annabella and Giovanni, and is an obviously loving and kind father, and a man who seems to be respected within the Court. Audiences might find themselves feeling sympathy for him when Giovanni reveals the siblings' affair, and the shock actually kills him.

Richardetto is Hippolyta's husband and this fact alone makes him a character for whom we feel immediate sympathy. Although he has seemed to do nothing wrong, his wife is cheating on him and plotting his murder so that she can be free to marry Soranzo, her paramour. He appears to be a man of honor, who does not deserve the treatment he receives within the play.

Florio and Richardetto apart, the characters are largely unlikable with differing degrees of redeemable qualities. For example, Vasquez is a man who is gifted at subterfuge but is very loyal to his master Soranzo. Soranzo has gone back on his word to Hippolyta, but is passionately in love with and committed to Annabella. The complexity of these characters is what makes it difficult to discern a particular protagonist or antagonist throughout the play.

Why is Puttana condemned to be burned at the stake?

Being burned at the stake was not an uncommon practice in the medieval period of English history (though it had fallen out of fashion by the time Ford was writing). This was typically a punishment reserved for alleged witches and heretics. It is safe to say the condoning of incest would qualify as a type of heresy. At the end of the play there are very few characters left alive for the Cardinal to punish, and of those who are still standing, only Puttana is of low enough social status to receive such a punishment. Furthermore, the play clearly presents a disparity in the treatment of condemned women versus men, and Puttana's gruesome punishment only emphasizes this gap.

What does the play have to say about gender?

It is no secret that the play showcases a vast difference between societal expectations placed on men and women. Indeed, when Puttana endorses Annabella's relationship with Giovanni, she actually endorses female sexuality more generally, arguing that a woman should be able to sleep with whomever she wants. This endorsement, of course, is ultimately what sentences Puttana to a cruel punishment of blinding and eventually burning, suggesting that women's transgressions are punished more intensely than men. When the Cardinal states at the end of the play, "'Tis pity she's a whore," he is referring to Annabella's engagement in incest with her brother. However, many interpret this final quotation ironically, arguing that the play presents this religious and male-dominated perspective as one that judges women too harshly.

What is the symbolic significance of Annabella's death?

Giovanni argues that in killing his sister, he is protecting her reputation (they have been discovered for their incestuous relationship and are about to be punished). During a passionate kiss, Giovanni stabs Annabella in the heart and then proceeds to attend Soranzo's birthday feast with Annabella's heart impaled on his dagger. This murder has immense symbolic significance in the play; after maintaining an incestuous affair, Giovanni's stabbing of Annabella mimics the sexual union they have been involved in throughout the play. Annabella's murder is therefore a type of "consummation" that also affirms the promise the siblings made to each other at the beginning of the play – that they would love each other, or kill each other.