The White Devil

by John Webster

"The White Devil" by John Webster is a tragedy first performed in 1612. Based on the real 1585 murder of an Italian noblewoman, the play explores corruption, ambition, and the gap between appearance and reality. When a powerful duke falls violently in love with the married Vittoria Corombona, her scheming brother facilitates their illicit affair. Murders follow, then trials, imprisonment, and exile. But vengeance-seeking relatives pursue the lovers across Italy, disguised and determined to exact deadly revenge for those destroyed in passion's wake.