Murderous Honor Past and Present: Webster’s Duchess of Malfi and Contemporary Crimes of Honor

Abstract

The United Nations estimate around 5000 yearly cases of ‘honor killings’ worldwide, numerous NGOs and human rights activists guess that the numbers of crimes committed in the name of ‘honor’ is closer to 10 000. ‘Honor killings’ are not limited to class, geography or gender (although the majority of the victims are women) but a socio-political issue that needs to be addressed globally. Current cases of Banaz Mahmod (UK) and Arzu Ö. (Germany) received wide media coverage. One of the finest Jacobean plays, John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi, becomes exceptionally relevant when looking at the relationship of ‘honor’, family, justice and women’s rights then and now.