”You are welcome to your country”: initiation and re‐encounter in the dramatic world of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi

This article considers the structural, thematic and dramaturgical dimensions of the first scene of John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi. Particular attention is paid to the formulation of a framing device, key concepts which underpin the intrigue being played out onstage and the construction and resolution of the dramatic narrative of the first scene. Readers are also invited to consider the earlier classical and medieval dramatic traditions which shaped Webster's writing of this scene.