One of the major controversies that surround the drama of 'Tis Pity She’s a Whore is John Ford’s portrayal of the incestuous relationship between Annabella and Giovanni as inevitable. The inescapable (if ill-fated) nature of their relationship is introduced in the very beginning of the play during Act 1, Scene 1. In the passage below, Giovanni uses a hyperbole to explain to the Friar just how insurmountable he views the task of giving up his feelings for his sister:
It were more ease to stop the ocean
From floats and ebbs than to dissuade my vows.
By making such an extreme statement, Giovanni reveals the extent to which he has already succumbed to his sinful inclinations. The language he uses is lyrical and vibrant, invoking the great power of the natural world—of God’s own divine creation—to emphasize the strength of his determination to love the woman he should never have desired in the first place. Additionally, this hyperbole proves to be yet another signal of his impending doom, warning the audience that the path Giovanni is on will only continue to flow forward, like an unstoppable tide. Despite the fact that Giovanni’s words paint his desires as a force outside the realm of his control, his steadfast assurance and certainty in his vows condemns him in the eyes of the Friar—and ultimately, in the eyes of the audience as well.
