Summary:
At the start of the act Bracciano’s wife Isabella arrives in Rome with their son, Giovanni. She asks for help from Francisco de Medici (her brother), and Cardinal Monticelso. Both men approach Bracciano and confront him with his adultery. Bracciano meets with Isabella and is cruel to her and thus decides upon a legal separation. Isabella is extremely angry towards Vittoria for what she has done to her marriage, but later agrees to a divorce as she thinks it is what’s best. Isabella publicly requires to divorce her husband where as Brachiano wants to divorce her in private.
Both Bracciano and Flamineo then plot the murders of both Isabella and Camillo. Flamineo finds a doctor to poison Isabella and says that he will personally take care of Camillo. Flamineo tricks Camillo and then breaks Camillo’s neck and tries to make it look like it was an accident.
Key parts of Act Two:
- Webster is well known for his animal imagery which can be deemed to be used ironically as it implies that his characters have become less human like. Francisco describes Camilo’s house as “a dove house” which is symbolic for peace and innocence which he suggests is haunted by “pole-cats” which are known for foul smelling. (could also mean prostitutes).
- There are two dumb shows within this scene (dumbshow – a piece of dramatic mime)These were common in revenge tragedy, usually used as an introduction to the play. However, Webster uses them to show: how it contributes to the plot; what we learn of the characters that is depicted in the dumb show and not through the scenes; what can be shown of Brachiano who observes these shows; the contrast between the two dumb shows and finally how the device affects the audience’s response.
The Room of Requirement. 