Antonio's Prophetic Atatements

One of the major echoes that occuurs in the beginning of the play is gestures that are made by the Duchess and Antonio, and also remarks that Antonio makes regarding the marriage. In Act I scene i, around lines 398, interesting conversation begins to take place. Antonio is speaking of the duties of being a father, and what it means to be a father. Tje Duchess calls attention to Antonion "bloodshot" eyes, in which the Duchess tells him to "use my ring 't"(l404). The Duchess explaims that it is her wedding ring from her previous marriage, which is important to note that ended in death. She said that she had never parted with it only to Antonio-her second husband. Once the Duchess has parted with her ring, Antonio says that [the ring] has made him "stark blind" and goes on to say that "There is a saucy and ambitious devil/Is dauncing in this circle"(ll 412-413). This entire scene is ver foreboding and someaht creepy. We get the idea that this ring is a sort of haunting-being once owned by her dead husband. When Antonio mentions the "saucy devil", it is very foreboding of the marriage that is to come. Considering that both Antonio and the Duchess' demise comes from this secret exchange of vows, it is interesting thatand quite prophetic on Antonio's part to make mention to the devil that is "dauncing" in their circle of marriage. The reader/audience can clearly see that Webster has used this scene to prepare those for what is to come for the married couple.Webster does not leave much room for ambiguity-for this scene is fairly straight forward in its remarks about the marriage.