Webster’s Theatricality

Abstract

In the preceding chapters we have noted at least three main areas of Webster’s theatricality. First, there are the moments at which characters draw attention to their own fictional and dramatic status: for example, Flamineo at his death; Vittoria’s self-conscious rhetorical stances; Bosola’s continued references to himself as a devil or villain; and the existence of commentator characters (including Bosola at times). Secondly, Webster marshals visual and physical arrangements of characters in patterns, creating a visible and self-consciously choreographed formality, spectacle and dramatic meaning. And thirdly, we have noted the way he uses large ‘set-piece’ scenes, which coalesce visual and narrative motifs through self-conscious use of specific visual settings. Self-conscious theatricality is often called ‘meta-theatricality’: look at the Introduction for a definition of this term.