The Precarious Balance of John Marston

Abstract

In the first act of The Malcontent , the best known play of John Marston, Pietro is informed that his wife is engaged in an adulterous relationship with the usurping duke, Mendoza. Pietro's informant is Malevole, who is not content with a simple presentation of the facts. Instead, he taunts the foolish old man with a brutal account of the infamy of cuckoldom, tortures him with a lurid description of the wife's lascivious thoughts, suggests, finally, the possibility of unwitting incest: Mal. Nay thinke, but thinke what may proceede of this, Adultery is often the mother of incest. Piet. Incest. Mal. Yes incest: marke, Mendozo of his wife begets perchance a daughter: Mendozo dies. His son marries this daughter. Say you? Nay tis frequent, not onely probable, but no question often acted, whilst ignorance, fearelesse ignorance claspes his owne seede. Piet. Hydeous imagination. ( i .iii, pp. 149-150)

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