Zena Rehman

12Y

“The afterlife is the only place where justice can be found.” Explore how your chosen texts present

death and the afterlife in the light of this view.

Webster and Rossetti both demonstrate justice and afterlife as central themes in their work.

Rossetti's ‘Melancholy desire for death’ and Webster, who was ‘much obsessed with death’ is clearly

demonstrated within their texts. However, there is a different view on justice, Rossetti is more

concerned with the divine and justice with God but we see that Webster portrays his characters to

be less religious and caught up ‘in earthy desires’, which is seen through the Cardinal and Ferdinand.

Despite this, Webster shows us the female protagonist demonstrates her ‘earthly desires’ to be

domesticity. Ribner states ‘the Duchess, not her brothers, stands for ordinary humanity, love and the

continuity of life through children’. Rossetti was writing in the 19th century, on the other hand

Webster published The Duchess of Malfi in the 1600’s. We see that they both take a completely

different approach regarding the afterlife as death is very close to Rossetti, she shows that ‘justice

can be found’ through her work however, we do not see this in Webster’s work. This may be due to

the shift in denomination from Catholicism to Protestantism, the religious anxieties at the time, lead

to a decrease in trusting of the court and therefore religion due to the corruption present in James I

court.

On the whole we see Rossetti’s poems on the afterlife and death have a positive attitude. It is clear

to see that there is hope portrayed due to her strong belief in redemption and mercy. There is a

peaceful image she presents as she is an Anglican Tractarian. As she believes in soul sleep, this is a

Catholic view and interpretation of the afterlife, meaning a Christian is rewarded with Paradise. The

Bible has parts which mirror Rossetti’s Goblin Market. Although Lizzie and Laura both consume the

juices of the evil goblin men, they are able to redeem themselves through becoming closer to God.

Now able to ‘retell their story’. This can be linked to the voluntary work Rossetti aided the ‘fallen

women’ to repent and improve in the Highgate penitentiary, this portrays the faith she obtained in

the Omnibenevolence of God, as they will be rewarded for struggling in order to become closer to

the divine. Laura, a Jesus-like figure sacrifices herself and desires in order to save her sister - just as

Jesus did for Christians. In the poem ‘when I am dead, my dearest’, this peaceful image of the

afterlife is portrayed due to the speaker accepting that death is a part of life. The imperative used,

‘Sing no sad songs’ demonstrates the assertiveness the speaker and therefore Rossetti has.

Transgression is demonstrated through the character of the Duchess, she is the only character in the

production that has ‘peace of mind’ as she expects to be sent to heaven, stating she will ‘meet such

good company in the other world’, The Duchess is certain of the afterlife and knows she's going to

heaven. This contrast her brothers; this is used to portray the difference in political and religious

corruption of the court and powerful figures of authority. The Duchess of Malfi takes place in Roman

Catholic Italy, which English Renaissance audiences would have associated with the stereotype of

‘sophisticated corruption.’ Bogard states that ‘the ultimate tragedy of Webster's world is not the

death of any individual but the presence of evil and decay which drags all mankind to death.’ The

lack of religion and morals being implemented is what leads to the destruction and society and

characters. The harsh qualities of The Cardinal and Ferdinand lead to the death of most characters,

this may have been used intentionally by Webster as fear of morality in the court can be a cause of

post-reformation and a religious turbulence. This is to mock James I court due to corruption. This

infected court causes religious uncertainty about the afterlife and justice. The brothers attempted to

gain their ‘wild kind of justice, as Bacon states in the ‘earthy world’ fulfilling their desires, leading to

their downfall. Unlike Rossetti and her speakers, the battle of ‘mind and the soul’, it segregates the

‘earthly desires’ from religious aims. This control of temptation is what allows the peace felt towards

the unknown, the afterlife. The uncertainty is also portrayed by Julia, due to her promiscuous actions

Afterlife and death essay

Histoire des religions antiques (21200006)

Université Jean-Moulin-Lyon-III

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