Coupled Twins

I have found the idea of twins, and how their duality, plays a role in the "Duchess of Malfi." The most compelling aspect of this idea is the fact that Ferdinand has a very interesting desire for his sister. While he can neither succumb to his desire nor can he walk away from his sister, Ferdinand remains a troubling character insofar as he compells us to think about relationships, especially those between male and female twins, in a unique way. Does he only desire the Duchess, his sister, for her body or is there a more pyschological reason behind his intense desire to have her in his life? Is the reason he becomes jealous purely out of lust or is there another reason why he pursues her so intensely?

This image and the quote that I found that goes with it, "Beauty and love are like coupled twins...who both at once received birth, nurtriment, and death" are important to understanding the "Duchess of Malfi" because they suggest a type of relationship between Ferdinand and the Duchess that goes far beyond both ordinary sibling love and lustful desire (Baron, act 2, scene 3). "Coupled twins" is very suggestive of the desire for the other in a set of twins, but it also suggests that thier lives are intricately intertwined. By this, I mean to say that Ferdinand and the Duchess's lives are separate yet conjoined. This could suggest an interpreation that Ferdinand seeks to join with his sister the same way they were joined in birth, and the same way they will ultimately be joined in death (as suggested by "who both at once received birth, nurtriment, and death"). In the image, the hearts are pierced together as if they could not be separated. This is could be suggestive of the idea that once something is joined it can never be separated. This is what I believe Ferdinand feels. As such, perhaps his desire for his sister is not just corporal but also intensely psychological. He needs her just as he needs air and water because she is part of him, just as they were created in the same womb, at the same time.

Image and text taken from EEBO:

Baron, Robert. Erotopaignion, or The Cyprian academy.1647.