In John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, the audience's opinion of the anti-hero Bosola and her moral integrity changes throughout the play due to his sudden catharsis and change in behavior. behavior after realizing the consequences of his work for the Cardinal and Ferdinand. Bosola's main goal, at the beginning of the play, is to gain social status and climb the hierarchy; this mentality of effort can be seen when he first attempts to "return the money" offered to him by Ferdinand, but then agrees to work for him for a higher role at court. Although we are initially told that Bosola is reformed after spending time on the gallows, this is clearly not true, as he accepts corruption for what is essentially a promotion. Bosola's almost instant acceptance of Ferdinand's corrupt job offer leads the audience to initially believe that he himself is a morally corrupt character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essay Critic Rupert Brooke described Webster's world as filled with "people, driven like animals" by their "instincts"; This interpretation of the characters in The Duchess of Malfi would posit that Bosola's work for the brothers is motivated solely by greed. Bosola's desire to gain social power is reflected in Milton's character of Satan in Paradise Lost, as he aims to take control of the earth and assume the role of God. It could be said that Bosola's morality is only corrupted when he is offered a reward, much like Eve when she eats the fruit of Paradise Lost. The fact that elements of Bosola's personality can be compared to both Satan and Eve reflects the dynamism of his character, with many different facets of his person that are open to interpretation. The description of Bosola as a "puzzle" in this statement itself mirrors the description of Satan as a "maze" when he appears in the form of a serpent. Both of these descriptions depict a complex character who is difficult to understand and open to audience interpretation. Therefore, the innocence or guilt of both characters could be considered justified. By the end of the play, it could be argued that we now sympathize with Bosola, because he sacrificed himself to achieve justice for the Duchess. The Globe Theater's 2014 production of the play portrayed Bosola as someone the audience could sympathize with by omitting scenes in which Bosola ridicules an old woman. So we are not exposed, as an audience, to the crueler sides of his personality. Similarly, Milton describes Satan as a complex character that the reader is able to support in Paradise Lost, while God is presented as a "mighty oppressor." This controversial idea is supported by William Blake's assertion that "Milton is of the Devil's party without knowing it." At the time of writing, Milton's sympathetic portrayal of Satan was received negatively, as most readers were strict Protestants who considered his writings blasphemous. Further comparisons could be made between Bosola and Satan in that they both had a history of uncorrupted morality and opportunity; we know this because Satan was initially an angel and Bosola was educated as a "scholar" "at Padua", which was a very famous university contemporary with the writing of the play, before being put in prison for working with the cardinal. From there, we.