The Duchess of Malfi MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature


Updated on: November 8, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 16 min

The Duchess of Malfi MCQs

 

1. What does the judicious French king quit first?

A. Flattering sycophants
B. Reducing state
C. His royal palace
D. Infamous persons

C. His royal palace.
The King of France begins his state reform by removing flatterers and ill-reputed people from his court.

2. Antonio compares a prince’s court to what common structure?

A. A poisoned well
B. A silver stream
C. A common fountain
D. A dark engine

C. A common fountain.
If corruption poisons the fountain near the source (the prince), diseases spread throughout the whole land.

3. What name does Antonio give to Bosola?

A. The melancholic rogue
B. The only court-gall
C. A bloody monster
D. The ambitious soldier

B. The only court-gall.
Antonio notes that Bosola rails against things he actually wants, suggesting he is bitter but ambitious.

4. Where did Bosola serve the Cardinal for two years?

A. In the army
B. In the galleys
C. In a prison
D. In the Duke’s house

B. In the galleys.
Bosola wore towels instead of a shirt for two years while serving time in the galleys for the Cardinal.
5. The Cardinal and Ferdinand are compared to what trees?

A. Crooked plum-trees
B. Cedar-trees
C. Flowering willows
D. Nobel laurels

A. Crooked plum-trees.
They are rich and full of ‘fruit’ (wealth/power), but only corrupt figures like crows feed on them.

6. Bosola compares places in the court to what location?

A. A great battlefield
B. A long journey
C. Beds in the hospital
D. A gilded cage

C. Beds in the hospital.
He states courtiers are placed high or low, with one man’s head lying at another man’s foot.

7. What crime was Bosola notorious for, according to Delio?

A. A petty theft
B. A scandalous duel
C. A notorious murder
D. High treason

C. A notorious murder.
Delio remembers Bosola from seven years ago, noting his murder was likely suborned by the Cardinal.

8. What does Ferdinand expect courtiers to do when he laughs?

A. Look away
B. Draw their swords
C. Laugh when he laughs
D. Show much gravity

C. Laugh when he laughs.
Ferdinand commands his courtiers to be his “touch-wood,” taking fire when he laughs, no matter the subject.

9. Antonio notes the Cardinal’s bravery and fighting are only what?

A. Superficially flashes
B. Noble endeavors
C. Great spectacles
D. Early decency

A. Superficially flashes.
These brave actions (tennis, dancing, duels) hide his inward character as a jealous, melancholy, plotting churchman.
10. If Ferdinand laughs heartily, Antonio claims it is to laugh what out of fashion?

A. All merriment
B. All honesty
C. The court’s folly
D. Shameful sin

B. All honesty.
Ferdinand’s turbulent nature means his mirth is merely external, used to mock honest behavior.

11. Antonio states that the law, to Ferdinand, is like what object?

A. A hidden trap
B. A foul, black cobweb
C. A spider’s nest
D. A royal decree

B. A foul, black cobweb.
Ferdinand uses the law as his dwelling and a trap (prison) to ensnare people who will feed him.

12. Antonio sums up the Duchess’s worth, saying she does what to time?

A. Lights the past
B. Stains the time past
C. Fixes the future
D. Makes time fly

B. Stains the time past.
Antonio means her virtue is so great it darkens the goodness of past ages and illuminates the future.

13. Ferdinand asks the Duchess to grant Bosola what specific post?

A. Great-master
B. Provisorship o’ the horse
C. Lord of the court
D. Master of coin

B. Provisorship o’ the horse.
This is the official title Ferdinand procures for Bosola so he can remain close enough to spy on her.

14. Ferdinand explicitly tells Bosola he does not want the Duchess to do what?

A. Leave the court
B. Marry again
C. Spend too much
D. Laugh heartily

B. Marry again.
Ferdinand is adamant she remain a widow, asking Bosola not to inquire about his powerful reason.
15. What does Bosola call an intelligencer (spy)?

A. A witty knave
B. A cunning fox
C. An invisible devil
D. A thriving creature

C. An invisible devil.
Bosola recognizes the role as a “very quaint invisible devil in flesh,” meaning a human instrument of evil.

16. Ferdinand claims those who wed twice are in what condition?

A. Too ambitious
B. Most luxurious
C. Very simple
D. Full of malice

B. Most luxurious.
He suggests women who remarry are driven by lust, claiming their livers are more spotted than Laban’s sheep.

17. Ferdinand compares a secret wedding to what kind of event?

A. A funeral sermon
B. Being executed
C. A pleasant feast
D. An angry thunderbolt

B. Being executed.
He warns that a secret marriage is more appropriately described as an execution than a celebration.

18. What does the Cardinal call the marriage night?

A. A dangerous vow
B. A happy end
C. The entrance into prison
D. A joyful noise

C. The entrance into prison.
He and Ferdinand repeatedly warn the Duchess that marriage will bring confinement and misery.

19. What item does Ferdinand show the Duchess to implicitly threaten her?

A. A small silver ring
B. His father’s poniard
C. A velvet mask
D. A poisoned sweetmeat

B. His father’s poniard.
He shows her the rusty dagger, hinting at the violence he is willing to commit to enforce his will.
20. Where does the Duchess instruct Cariola to hide to witness the marriage?

A. In the bed-chamber
B. Behind the arras
C. In the gallery
D. Outside the court

B. Behind the arras.
Cariola hides to overhear the private contract, guaranteeing the validity of the marriage in law.

21. Antonio views marriage as locally containing what binary outcomes?

A. Wealth or poverty
B. Heaven or hell
C. Fortune or despair
D. Rage or quiet

B. Heaven or hell.
Like those who deny purgatory, Antonio believes there is no middle ground in the state of matrimony.

22. What type of legal contract makes their chamber marriage absolute?

A. Per verba de presenti
B. Sacred gordian
C. Quietus est
D. Magnanima menzogna

A. Per verba de presenti.
The lawyers confirmed that a contract made by declaration of present consent constitutes absolute marriage.

23. Bosola refers to the Old Lady’s cosmetics as what medical term?

A. Admirable wit
B. Scurvy face-physic
C. A perfect tragedy
D. A dead pigeon

B. Scurvy face-physic.
Bosola is insulting her, suggesting her makeup routine is a disgusting and unseemly medical treatment for her face.

24. Bosola suspects the Old Lady’s closet resembles a shop of what practice?

A. Grafting fruit
B. Scurvy logic
C. Witchcraft
D. Physiognomy

C. Witchcraft.
He suggests her cosmetic ingredients are repulsive, listing things like ‘spawn of snakes’ and ‘Jews’ spittle’.
25. What specific article of clothing indicates the Duchess’s pregnancy to Bosola?

A. A loose-bodied gown
B. A beaver hat
C. A linen ruff
D. A velvet mask

A. A loose-bodied gown.
She wears loose clothing, which is contrary to Italian fashion, making her condition apparent to the spy.

26. What fruit does Bosola give the Duchess to confirm his suspicions?

A. Green plums
B. Apricocks
C. Musk-melons
D. A Spanish fig

B. Apricocks.
Bosola offers her early apricots, knowing the quick ingestion will likely provoke symptoms of pregnancy/labor.

27. Where does the knave gardener supposedly ripen the apricocks?

A. In warm water
B. In horse-dung
C. Near the fire
D. Under a glass

B. In horse-dung.
Bosola claims the gardener used this foul method to increase his profit by ripening the fruit sooner.

28. Antonio claims what valuable objects are missing to lock up the officers?

A. Gold rings
B. Plate and jewels
C. Fine garments
D. Spanish figs

B. Plate and jewels.
He uses the pretense of stolen valuables (plate and jewels) to confine the officers until sun-rising.

29. What document does Bosola find that reveals the Duchess’s secret?

A. A marriage contract
B. A soldier’s letter
C. A child’s nativity
D. Her last will

C. A child’s nativity.
The astrological calculation details the birth of the Duchess’s son, including the date and time of the birth.
30. Upon reading the letter, what root does Ferdinand claim he has dug up?

A. A mandrake
B. A cedar tree
C. A black thorn
D. A lily root

A. A mandrake.
The mandrake was believed to induce madness when dug up, symbolizing Ferdinand’s extreme rage.

31. What does Ferdinand wish he could toss about the Duchess’s ears?

A. A poisoned pill
B. A black cobweb
C. A whirlwind
D. A bloody flag

C. A whirlwind.
He is so furious that he wishes to be a storm to destroy her palace, lands, and forests.

32. Ferdinand plans to use the pity-filled handkerchief to make what?

A. Soft lint
B. A noble shroud
C. A new scarf
D. A weeping willow

A. Soft lint.
He intends to use the cloth to create soft lint for the wounds he will inflict when he cuts his sister to pieces.

33. Ferdinand admits he will not sleep until he knows the identity of whom?

A. The astrologian
B. Who loves his sister
C. The vile woman
D. The court bawd

B. Who loves his sister.
His obsession centers on discovering the man who married her, whom he imagines to be low-born.

34. Antonio compares Ferdinand’s quiet, dangerous nature to what sleeping animal?

A. A dormouse
B. A sly fox
C. A poisonous snake
D. A sleeping panther

A. A dormouse.
Ferdinand is “so quiet that he seems to sleep the tempest out, as dormice do in winter”.
35. How does the Duchess describe Count Malatesti, whom Ferdinand proposes?

A. An honourable knight
B. A gallant soldier
C. Mere sugar-candy
D. A noble prince

C. Mere sugar-candy.
She dismisses him as weak and transparent, a man she could see through.

36. What Italian phrase does the Duchess use for her noble lie regarding Antonio?

A. Quietus est
B. Per verba de presenti
C. Magnanima menzogna
D. Caetera non scrutantur

C. Magnanima menzogna.
She invents the lie about Antonio’s false accounts to protect their honour and secure his safe escape.

37. Bosola scolds the Duchess for valuing Antonio’s descent, calling her a what?

A. Mercenary herald
B. Dishonest judge
C. Corrupted prince
D. Vile woman

A. Mercenary herald.
He criticizes her for examining men’s pedigrees rather than their true, inherent virtues.

38. Factions among great men are compared to what animal carrying fire?

A. Wolves
B. Dormice
C. Foxes
D. Salamanders

C. Foxes.
When their heads are divided, they carry fire in their tails, causing ruin to the surrounding country.

39. In a dream, what precious stones did the Duchess’s coronet change into?

A. Great sapphires
B. Diamonds
C. Pearls
D. Rubies

C. Pearls.
Antonio interprets the pearls as signifying tears, predicting she will soon weep bitterly.
40. Ferdinand’s letter to the Duchess equivocates that he wants Antonio’s what?

A. His heart
B. His estate
C. His counsel
D. His head

D. His head.
The Duchess immediately understands the “politic equivocation”: he doesn’t want advice, he wants Antonio dead.

41. Antonio compares man, proved best by suffering, to what crushed plant?

A. A plum tree
B. Cassia
C. Laurel
D. A yew

B. Cassia.
Like cassia, which smells best when bruised, man’s virtue is best demonstrated through hardship.

42. How does Bosola appear when he arrives to seize the Duchess?

A. Without a nose
B. Visarded
C. Full of rage
D. As a madman

B. Visarded.
He is wearing a mask (“visarded”) when he and the Guard arrest the Duchess upon her return to the palace.

43. The Salmon in the analogy claims her value is truly known when?

A. In the fisher’s basket
B. Swimming in floods
C. Near the shore
D. Far from the sea

A. In the fisher’s basket.
This means men are often valued most highly when they are nearest to great danger or death.

44. Ferdinand claims he cannot see the Duchess because of a vow he made to do what?

A. Never see her again
B. Never forgive her
C. Stay in Rome
D. Avenge her husband

A. Never see her again.
He uses this prior rash vow as an excuse to conduct his reconciliation and torture in the dark.
45. What gruesome object does Ferdinand give the Duchess in the dark?

A. A poisoned cup
B. A dead man’s hand
C. Her child’s shoe
D. A rusty poniard

B. A dead man’s hand.
This is the first step of his psychological torment, making her believe Antonio is already dead.

46. What horrifying objects are displayed to the Duchess after the hand is removed?

A. Madmen dancing
B. Figures of Antonio and children
C. A dead baby
D. A jewelled coffin

B. Figures of Antonio and the children.
These artificial wax figures are intended to represent her family dead, forcing her into despair.

47. What does the Duchess famously declare, asserting her identity near death?

A. I fear not death
B. I am Duchess of Malfi still
C. I am a true widow
D. I will forgive them

B. I am Duchess of Malfi still.
This assertion demonstrates her noble spirit and refusal to submit completely to their tyranny.

48. What method of execution is ultimately used to kill the Duchess?

A. Poison
B. Beheading
C. Strangling
D. Hanging

C. Strangling.
The executioners use a cord, fulfilling her desire for a quick death that makes her sleep.

49. What pestilent disease does the Doctor claim Ferdinand is suffering from?

A. Apoplexy
B. Frenzy
C. Lycanthropia
D. Melancholy

C. Lycanthropia.
This disease makes Ferdinand imagine himself transformed into a wolf, howling and digging up corpses.
50. How does the Cardinal kill his mistress, Julia?

A. By strangling
B. With a pistol
C. Poisoned book
D. With a poniard

C. Poisoned book.
He makes Julia kiss the poisoned Bible, instantly killing her to secure his secrecy regarding the Duchess’s death.

Brief Overview

Brief Overview

The Duchess of Malfi is a Jacobean revenge tragedy by John Webster, first performed around 1614. It is a dark and violent play that addresses themes of corruption, social class, and gender inequality within the Italian court.

The play opens in Italy, where the corruption of the Duke of Calabria, Ferdinand, and his brother, the Cardinal, is discussed. They hire the bitter spy, Bosola, to watch the Duchess of Malfi, a young widow whom her powerful brothers strictly forbid from marrying again.

The Duchess secretly marries Antonio, her honest steward, valuing his virtue over his lower social class. Their secret chamber contract is witnessed by Cariola. Bosola confirms the Duchess’s pregnancy after giving her apricots. When the brothers learn the truth, Ferdinand is driven to a jealous rage.

The Duchess invents a lie about Antonio’s bad accounts to help him escape before the brothers banish her. Ferdinand then subjects the Duchess to psychological torture. He gives her a dead man’s hand and shows her wax figures of Antonio and her children, making her believe they are dead. The Duchess maintains her dignity, declaring, “I am Duchess of Malfi still,” before Bosola and his men strangle her.

Later, Antonio returns to Milan. Bosola accidentally stabs and kills Antonio in the dark. Bosola then confronts the Cardinal, who dies from a stab wound. Ferdinand, suffering from madness, is also killed by Bosola. The play ends with Delio promising to safeguard Antonio’s young son, the last survivor.

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