Historical Context
When reading Ford's drama, one often suspects that the playwright is exaggerating, as it seems implausible that any society could be as unstable and corrupt as the Parma he portrays. Although some elements of the play—especially Annabella's death at the end—appear excessive (and some critics might even call them "baroque"), the historical period during which Ford wrote was indeed tumultuous. To fully grasp the context of King Charles I's reign, under which Ford wrote his "Caroline" dramas, it is essential to understand the history of England's earlier monarchs.
When Henry VII passed away in 1509, he left England in relatively stable financial condition. However, his son Henry VIII, through costly foreign wars and lavish personal spending, initiated a dangerous trend of accumulating debt. The issue then arose regarding who would bear the burden of repaying this deficit. Those who faced increased taxation began demanding greater influence over how the king spent their money. By the seventeenth century, a rift had developed between the king and the landed gentry—the landowners represented in Parliament—which ultimately led to civil war in 1642 and the execution of King Charles I in 1649.
During this chaotic era, discussions on political theory often revolved around a debate between Royalism and Republicanism. Royalists advocated for monarchical absolutism, supporting the king's absolute power. In contrast, Republicans, inspired by the relatively democratic models of classical Athens and contemporary Italian city-states like Florence, Siena, and Venice, argued for a balance of power between the executive branch—the king—and the legislature—Parliament—in a representative democracy. This interest in Italy partly explains Ford's decision to set his play in Parma.
Religion further complicated these economic and political matters. In 1517, Martin Luther's "Wittenberg Theses" initiated the Protestant Reformation, leading to breaks with the Catholic Church. In 1534, Henry VIII himself broke away from Rome (the seat of the Catholic Church), primarily because the Pope refused to annul his childless marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Through the 1534 Act of Supremacy, Henry VIII declared himself the head of the English Church. Religion remained a contentious issue, as Henry's son Edward VI continued England's shift towards Protestantism, a trend that was violently reversed by the Catholic Queen "Bloody" Mary after his death.
In 1558, Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne and navigated a militant centrist path between English Catholics and traditional "High Church" Anglicans on one side, and reformist "low church" Dissenters and Puritans on the other. Although these religious issues might seem complex, they help explain Ford's negative portrayals of the Catholic Friar and Cardinal. Additionally, it clarifies why, within the play, religion—about which people may hold divergent beliefs—fails to provide an absolute standard of ethical conduct.
Ford was born in 1586, a year before Protestant Elizabeth executed Catholic Mary Queen of Scots and two years prior to Protestant England's encounter with the Spanish Armada. In 1601, at the age of fifteen, Ford witnessed one of his relatives being captured during Essex's rebellion against Elizabeth. Following the queen's death and the ascension of James I in 1603, Ford and his fellow law students closely followed the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh. This trial, which was grossly unfair and served as a referendum on Raleigh's aggressive stance toward Catholic Spain in the New World, concluded with Raleigh's execution in 1618. In 1605, Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up the king and Parliament in the infamous Gunpowder Plot.
Decker Roper presented another instance where the history of the era was just as peculiar as the fiction in Ford's dramas. The new Earl of Essex married Francis Howard, but their marriage was annulled so Frances could wed the Earl...
(This entire section contains 704 words.)
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of Somerset, a favorite of King James. Thomas Overbury, a fellow student of Ford at the Middle Inns who criticized these actions, was imprisoned in the Tower and subsequently poisoned by Somerset and his new wife. Some believe Ford contributed to a collection of elegiac poetry commemorating Overbury's death.
The religious and political conflicts of Ford's time prove to be as dramatic as his fiction. Although critics have not pinpointed specific historical figures as sources for Ford's characters, the tensions surrounding marriage and power, religion and ethics, and the dynamics between the nobility and the affluent bourgeoisie play crucial roles in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore.
Literary Style
Revenge Tragedy
As the term suggests, a Revenge Tragedy is a play where the quest for vengeance
leads to a tragic outcome. This genre gained popularity during the Elizabethan
era with plays such as Thomas Kyd's Spanish Tragedy. A more
sophisticated example of this form is Shakespeare's Hamlet. This
dramatic subgenre draws inspiration from Roman plays with similar themes,
particularly the tragedies penned by Seneca.
Courtly Love
The concept of courtly love originated in the medieval period, first appearing
in the poetry of the Provencal troubadour poets. It involves a lover seeking to
win the affection of the most esteemed woman, often the queen or the wife of a
powerful man. Scholars debate whether this love was ever consummated, but it
gave rise to a complex code of erotic language and practices. The stereotypes
of lovers losing sleep and appetite stem from courtly love. A medieval example
is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, where the lord's wife attempts to
seduce Sir Gawain. Other examples include various Arthurian romances and sonnet
sequences by Renaissance writers such as Sidney, Surrey, Wyatt, Shakespeare,
and Spenser.
Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism refers to the elaborations of Greek philosopher Plato's ideas,
which evolved from late antiquity into the nineteenth century. Although
complex, in general, they propose (1) that the physical world is not real but a
flawed reflection of an ideal world of "Forms" that exists beyond it; and (2)
that there is a connection between beauty and ethics, suggesting that humans
seek beauty in the physical world because it reminds them of the good they
experienced in the ideal world. These ideas permeate Medieval, Renaissance,
Neoclassical, and even Romantic philosophy and literature.
The Four Humours
According to the theory of Humour psychology, the balance of four bodily fluids
determines human personalities. People who are unusual or "humorous" have an
imbalance in either blood, phlegm, yellow bile, or black bile. An excess of
blood makes a person sanguine, happy, and amorous; too much yellow bile makes a
person choleric, stubborn, and impatient; an excess of phlegm results in a
phlegmatic personality—dull and cowardly; while too much black bile makes a
person melancholy, introspective, and sentimental.
Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy, which explores the relationship between love and the humours, strongly influenced Ford. This theory also helps categorize various Renaissance characters (for example, in Shakespeare's works, Hamlet is melancholy, Hotspur is choleric, etc.). Over time, the Comedy of Humours developed, satirizing characters driven by a single aspect of their personalities, leading to the modern meaning of the word humor.
Compare and Contrast
1633: The affluent have greater access to formal justice systems, such as law courts, compared to the poor. However, wealth does not always equate to power, and court politics significantly influence who gets punished for specific crimes. For the impoverished, riots are the most common method of protesting issues like rising food prices or rent. Since Britain will not establish a police force until the mid-nineteenth century, vigilantism and revenge are prevalent means of seeking justice.
Today: Revenge remains a central theme in popular literature and films, especially those featuring a vigilante hero or heroine. However, most people generally trust institutional justice and expect courts to handle crime and punishment. This belief contributes to the popularity of movies and TV shows about police departments or lawyers.
1633: The church did not officially define and condemn incest until the thirteenth century. However, due to large families living in cramped quarters and often sharing beds, incest still occurred. In Britain, up to 60% of boys and 75% of girls between puberty and adulthood lived with employers, relatives, or family connections rather than with their parents. This practice may have helped reduce the temptation to commit incest.
Today: Incest is recognized as a form of child sexual abuse often linked to wider family issues. Most sexual abusers were themselves victims of abuse as children; while they may become sexual predators as adults, they were victims in their youth. This understanding does not excuse their actions but aids psychologists in treating sexually abused children, with the aim of preventing them from becoming abusers when they grow up.
Media Adaptations
The 1973 film adaptation by Giuseppe Patrone Griffi, distributed by London's Miracle Films, features Oliver Tobias in the lead role. Although it is not a completely faithful rendition of the play, the movie captures the essence of Ford's original work.
In 1962, BBC radio's Third Programme aired a radio version of the play.
The BBC produced another radio adaptation on Radio 3 in 1970.
In 1980, Roland Joffe directed a television adaptation of the play for BBC2. Joffe's version sympathetically portrays Giovanni and Annabella as rebels, highlighting the hypocrisy of the mercantile, courtly, and religious society in which they exist.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Cantor, Paul A. "John Ford" in the Dictionary of Literary Biography,
Volume 58: Jacobean and Caroline Dramatists, edited by Fredson Bowers,
Gale, 1987, pp. 91-106.
Eliot, T. S. "John Ford" in Selected Essays, Faber and Faber, 1934, pp. 193-204.
Further Reading
Leech, Clifford. John Ford, Longmans, Green, 1964.
Leech effectively places Ford's dramatic work within the historical framework
of Jacobean and Caroline theatre traditions. He views Ford as being influenced
by Fletcher and earlier playwrights, noting a connection to Queen Henrietta
Maria's Platonic Love cult.
Oliver, H. J. The Problem of John Ford, Melbourne University Press,
1955.
Oliver provides an excellent overview, beginning with chapters on Ford's era,
non-dramatic writings, and collaborations, followed by a chapter dedicated to
each major play. This book is an excellent starting point for research.
Roper, Derek. Introduction to 'Tis Pity She's a Whore,
Manchester University Press, 1997.
This edition of the play is superb, featuring comprehensive notes and scholarly
apparatus, a twenty-two page introduction, and a bibliography for further
research.
Sensabaugh, G. F. The Tragic Muse of John Ford, Benjamin Blom,
1944.
Sensabaugh's influential work analyzes Ford's drama within the context of
Renaissance thoughts on ambition, science, and individualism. His discussion on
Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy and humor psychology is
particularly insightful.
Stavig, Mark. John Ford and the Traditional Moral Order, University
of Wisconsin Press, 1968.
Stavig provides strong introductory chapters on Ford's world and ideas,
followed by chapters on each of the major plays, including 'Tis Pity She's
a Whore. He draws on Burton and other sources to outline various character
and personality types he believes are present in Ford's dramas.
