'Tis Pity She's a Whore

by

John Ford

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'Tis Pity She's a Whore: Act 5, Scene 2 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Vasquez enters, expressing his shock to Soranzo at what has come to pass: first Soranzo married a whore who threw herself onto him, and then Annabella laughed at cuckolding him.
While Annabella did marry him as a pregnant women, it is a particularly harsh judgment to call her both a whore and to say that she laughed at making him a cuckold. She tried to avoid marrying him and causing him shame, but it would have been ruinous to be discovered pregnant as an unmarried woman. Additionally, Florio brought about her marriage; at no point did she express interest in marrying Soranzo. Thus, in many ways she is a victim of the men around her.
Themes
Desire vs. Duty Theme Icon
Female Sexuality vs. Social Expectation Theme Icon
Soranzo begins to develop another scheme. He says that he will bid Annabella to dress in her bridal robes, and then asks Vasquez if the Banditti are ready to wait in ambush. Vasquez vaguely assures him that they are. Soranzo commands Vasquez to invite the dignitaries of Parma to his birthday feast, including Florio and Giovanni. He confesses that his blood is boiling with a need for revenge.
Soranzo continues on his quest for revenge against the other characters, and it is he who begins the next plot. His bloodlust lays the groundwork for the rest of the deaths in the play, setting up the destruction that is often the result of such unbridled passion.
Themes
Passion, Lust, and Bloodlust Theme Icon
Quotes