Cardinal Cruelty

In The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster paints a cruel and sinister picture of the Catholic church through the Duchess' brother, The Cardinal.  This image reminded me of the Cardinal's cold cruelty.  He has not, as of yet, exhibited any outbursts of emotion like his brother Ferdinand.  Instead, the Cardinal is more of the brains behind the operation, the one who cooly calculates and uses others to execute his plans.  In this illustration, the Pope is treading upon the neck of Fredrick the Emperor, which perfectly captures the complete and utter power of the Catholic Church.  The Catholic Church, as depicted in this image as well as in The Duchess of Malfi, seems to be an empire of its own, one that trumps the power of any other kingdom.  The Cardinal has the most agency out of anyone in the entire play; for the most part, he can do whatever he wants when he wants with whom he wants, because no one can punish him, as he has God on his side.  He wields the power of his priesthood in order to carry out dark and cruel deeds, and seems to have little, if any, remorse for using his title and image of goodness in order to commit crimes of the utmost cruelty.

Foxe, John.  Actes and Monuments.  London, 1596.