Webster based its plot on a true story set in Italy, a story that has inequality, injustice and corruption as its central themes. In my opinion, one of the best techniques Webster used to convey these themes was to make the characters seem like something they are not. Furthermore, all the important characters in the play have both positive and negative sides, and some of them (the Cardinal) are “bad” but appear to be “good”. This contrast between good and evil and personality changes help the author to build a work full of tragedy and therefore keeps the reader's attention focused on the work and eager to see what will happen next. To begin with, from the beginning of the play, when the reader knows nothing about Ferdinand and his goals, it is assumed that all he wants is the best for his sister. It seems like he is protecting her, as he doesn't want her to get married because her name would be "tainted" and seen as an improper act. However, Ferdinand is a younger repressed twin and his desire for the Duchess's death can be interpreted in many ways. He obviously wants to dominate and control her, but his desire seems somewhat futile, given that she has already been married and has thus gained her powerful status. Furthermore, the character Ferdinand stands out for his exaggerated feelings and violent and offensive language. Some may think that her characterization is so extreme that it makes The Duchess of Malfi difficult to take seriously, but she plays a central role in the dynamic of the play. "Ferdinand: And women like the part that, like the lamprey, There is not even a bone in it. Duchess: Shame, sir! Ferdinand: No, I mean the tongue” [Act 1, scene II] This excerpt shows the Ferdinand's darkness... in the center of the card... ..has reassured one, but it cannot be both, even if in certain moments he lives as he affirms a “double life”. This quote from the poem: "But one says "Stay" and one says "Go" And one says "Yes" and one says "No", expresses his doubt about who he wants to be and, depending on the circumstances, it is one person or the other. The same in “Duchess of Malfi”. It can be described as two people in one. In conclusion the author creates characters with two different personalities to describe the lies that people are immersed in day after day, as people do not know who they really are and act according to what society says or how they should act due to their rank. This is why there are two different personalities: the one who is the real person and the one who the person is supposed to be or is being manipulated into..