Le fait divers sanglant sur la scène tragique : rendre le hasard vraisemblable ?

Abstract

Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi (1613) is a relevant play to reflect on the representation of contingency in fictions inspired by news items: contingency plays an important part in the plot and many unexpected or surprising facts help pin down its specificity and meaning. In fact, the question raised by this bloody play, whose characters mourn their misfortunes, has to do with its interpretation. Webster’s spectators/readers are invited to engage in subtle hermeneutics: his play not only reflects the ideas of his time but also examines and gives shape to the difficult notion of contingency thanks to the inherent workings of the stage (dramatic situations and coups de theatre).

Keywords

• tragedy
• news item
• contingency
• chance
• knowledge
• unexpected