The Duchess of Malfi: Foil 2 key examples

Bosola and Antonio serve as foils for each other. They are on opposing sides of the central conflict, but there are important similarities in their upbringing and social position. Antonio initially becomes an employee of the Duchess out of a desire for wealth and power. He eventually gains access to both when he and the Duchess secretly marry. His initial desire to enjoy the aristocratic world of the Duchess and her brothers is one of the things that binds him to Bosola. At the beginning of the play, Bosola is presented as a character with a dark past whose sole desire is stability and upward mobility. He becomes the Cardinal’s employee against his better judgment because he is desperate to change his life. Bosola and Antonio are similar, therefore, because they are both outsiders—men born without wealth and luxury who are each, in their own way, attempting to access it through the same aristocratic family. 

The Duchess and Julia serve as foils in the play; they are the two central female characters, and their agency and sexuality is policed by the men around them. The treatment of these two women by the men around them reveals important aspects of how all of the characters think about power and sexuality. Most of the play’s conflict takes place over the Duchess, as her brothers attempt to control her, prevent her from remarrying, and ultimately destroy her life. The Duchess’s sexual behavior is therefore severely policed; she is ostracized for secretly marrying Antonio and having children with him. Julia, on the other hand, is cheating on her husband with the Cardinal. Initially, this makes it seem as though she has a degree of sexual freedom that allows her to enjoy sex outside of her marriage. However, she is consistently berated by the Cardinal for her lack of morality. Despite their different circumstances, these two women are ultimately most similar in how they are murdered.