In Webster's Jacobean revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi and A Streetcar Named Desire by Williams, written in 1947, both men consider the themes of chastity and the effect that chastity has on the reputations of major female characters within society. Both are widows, but Blanche is desperate to remarry after escaping her reputation for promiscuity, while the Duchess is unashamed of her sexuality and secretly marries a man beneath her social status, against her brothers' wishes. Blanche is very interested in appearing pure, while the Duchess is more interested in her own happiness and power. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBoth plays were written in times of a patriarchal society, so a woman's chastity was critical in determining society's view of her, which Williams and Webster investigate. Webster explores the value of chastity through the brothers' control over the Duchess, such as their attempt to arrange a marriage between her and Malateste. "Malateste" means "bad testicles", which, combined with the mockery of his masculinity in Act 3, Scene 3, e.g. "He put gunpowder in the hollow tooth, // For the toothache". It can be believed that Ferdinand wants the Duchess to marry a relatively weak man who cannot control her, so that position would be left to him; alternatively, this, combined with Ferdinand's allusions to incestuous feelings towards the Duchess, may suggest that he hopes that Malateste will not have sex with the Duchess, and his chastity will remain as it is. Webster also demonstrates Ferdinand's resistance against the Duchess's sexuality in Act 1, Scene 1, when he responds with "Whores, by that rule, are precious" to a progressive statement about female sexuality made by the Duchess. This shows the strength of how much Ferdinand values ​​the Duchess' chastity, as he shuns her for even considering the idea. Webster also shows the effect that the duchess's lack of chastity has on her fate in her death scene: just before she is strangled, the hangman says "Here is your wedding ring" as he shows her the noose. Webster is essentially revealing that the Duchess's marriage is what will kill her: her marriage went against the wishes of her brothers, who wanted her to be a widow, and her disobedience ultimately led to her death. This was potentially foreshadowed by Ferdinand threatening her with a dagger in Act 1, Scene 1 and in Act 3, Scene 2, when discussing her sexuality and marriage. Webster explores the social value of chastity through the unhealthy desire of the Duchess's brothers (mainly Ferdinand) to control her. This can be disputed by the critic Christopher Hart, who wrote that "The two brothers are driven not by any sense of possessive outrage, however distorted, but by a pleasure in malice itself, an 'unmotivated malignity' even against their own flesh and blood." ", suggesting that the brothers were controlling for the sake of control, rather than ulterior motives, although Ferdinand's actions belie this. Williams also explores the value society places on chastity through the male characters' treatment of Blanche after she finding out about Mitch's past promiscuity, shown by Stanley telling Stella that Mitch thought Blanche had "never been more than kissed by a boy" in scene 7, shows the value of chastity, as Mitchhe expected purity and chastity from Blanche, despite her past marriage. Mitch's shock eventually turns to anger and disgust, as in scene 9 he tells Blanche "you're not clean enough for me to bring into the house with my mother." This suggests that Mitch doesn't actually care about her past and the reputation she has, but that she is no longer pure to him, which fuels his anger and belief that he can use her for sex, demonstrated by his attempted rape of Blanche. This reflects the patriarchal society, which maintained traditional values ​​that placed women on a moral pedestal above men, resulting in double standards that expected women to remain pure, while male promiscuity was accepted. Simone de Beauvoir's book "The Second Sex" explores the idea that women are second to men, which corresponds to the ideas and expectations of each gender in a patriarchal society. Williams has Stanley use a mocking name for Blanche, such as "Sister Blanche", ironically comparing her to celibate nuns and saying she is "no lily". The metaphor of a lily evokes an image of purity, as white connotes virginity - which Blanche no longer has, but a lily's reproductive organ stains everything it touches, which mimics the way Blanche's sexuality she has clouded society's view of her, which suggests that she is like a lily. Finally, just as Webster suggests that the Duchess's marriage led to her death, Williams does the same during Blanche's journey to Stella and Stanley's apartment. First he takes the tram called "Desiderio", then the one called "Cimiteri", getting off at the "Campi Elisi" stop. This physical journey is a metaphor for Blanche's death, as her sexual desire led to her death and the Elysian Fields were the afterlife in Greek mythology. Both Williams and Webster explore the dangerous levels of value placed on chastity through their cautionary tales. Webster and Williams also consider how important a good reputation was in society at the time both works were written. Blanche's desperate attempt to maintain a good reputation and hide her bad reputation due to the fear of being an outcast from society is evident in her avoidance of the light, which Williams used as a symbol of truth. Williams writes in the stage directions that when Mitch snatches the lantern from the light bulb in scene 9, Blanche "gives a startled gasp." His fear demonstrates the importance of reputation, as he is afraid of the consequences now that Mitch has literally been enlightened to the truth of his past and subsequent reputation. When Stanley tells Stella about Blanche's past, he says that "she's as famous in Laurel as if she were the president of the United States, only she's not respected by any party!". The comparison of Blanche's infamy to that of a politician, only Blanche has a lack of respect, suggesting that politicians are immune to disrespect may be linked to Webster, as the Duchess's reputation culminates in her office being taken away, as the Pope had heard of her "debauchery". Webster also examines the effect that a reputation for being important has on male characters, and not just sexual reputation: the Cardinal kills Julia because "he knew you couldn't take my advice." Webster is suggesting that he fears that Julia, exposing him for his role in the duchess's murder, perhaps as well as his affair with a married woman, will damage his reputation as a man of the church. In the Jacobean theatre, corruption in the Catholic church was a common feature, as it was an easy target for anticlericalism in Protestant England. This is redundant, since i.