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Some  have  seen  Vittoria  as  an  innocent,  unjustly  accused;  others  as  a  
calculating,  confident  manipulator  of  the  truth
...
 Whilst  it  is  evident  from  the  way  in  which  the  
trial  of  Vittoria  is  conducted  she  is  subject  to  gross  injustice  and  sexism  she  is  not  just  a  mere  victim
...
 
 
Let  us  first  consider  the  role  of  Vittoria  as  a  seductress  and  an  immoral  character  within  ‘The  
White  Devil’
...
 In  the  trial  Monticelso  calls  
Vittoria  a  ‘most  notorious  strumpet’  which  is  deeply  insulting  implying  she  is  being  described  as  
nothing  more  than  a  prostitute  especially  as  she  comes  from  ‘Venice’  which  was  famous  for  
prostitution
...
 For  example,  Vittoria  wears  the  jewel  
Brachiano  giver  her  ‘lower’  which  is  a  sexual  reference  which  alludes  to  the  pair’s  adulteress  like  
behaviour
...
 
 
Vittoria  may  also  be  thought  not  to  be  a  victim  in  the  trial  scene  as  she  is  demonstrates  
confidence  in  her  trial
...
 
Firstly,  Vittoria  objects  to  the  use  of  Latin  demanding  that  the  lawyer  speak  in  ‘his  usual  tongue’  so  
that  others  in  the  court  may  understand  the  proceedings
...
   Moreover,  if  a  Vittoria  were  a  victim  then  it  would  be  unlikely  for  
her  to  be  able  to  demonstrate  such  confidence  in  the  court  room  as  victims  are  often  portrayed  as  
feeble  and  weak  characters
...
 This  act  makes  Vittoria  look  even  less  of  a  victim  as  she  is  
manipulating  the  situation  to  get  what  she  wants  her  trial  even  seems  a  little  fairer  as  a  result
...
   The  audience  know  
this  accusation  to  be  false  because  they  have  witnessed  the  murder  in  a  dumb  show  in  the  previous  
act  and  know  the  true  perpetrator  to  be  Flamineo
...
 Therefore,  as  Flamineo  is  letting  his  own  sister  take  the  blame  for  a  crime  he  
committed  it  could  be  said  that  he  is  actually  the  calculating  character  in  the  play
...
 Flamineo  says  he  puts  on  a  
‘feigned  garb  of  mirth’  in  order  to  ‘gull  suspicion’  explicitly  stating  that  he  is  trying  to  deflect  the  
blame  onto  his  siblings  Vittoria  and  Marcello  who  are  also  arrested
...
   

  
Not  only  is  Vittoria  subject  to  an  unjust  accusation  but  she  could  also  be  viewed  as  a  victim  
of  sexism  or  even  misogyny  in  the  trial  scene
...
 When  Vittoria  is  
declared  immoral  for  not  wearing  morning  dress  and  replies  she  did  not  know  her  husband  was  dead  
Vittoria  is  said  to  be  ‘cunning’
...
 Furthermore,  Vittoria  has  no  defence  but  
herself  when  she  accused  by  a  whole  court  including,  to  begin  with  a  lawyer  which  seems  hugely  
unjust  as  a  man  would  not  be  tried  in  such  a  manner
...
 
However,  even  this  strategy  does  not  result  in  Vittoria  being  freed  as  she  is  prosecuted  on  
circumstantial  evidence
...
   
 
In  conclusion,  whilst  Vittoria  cannot  be  viewed  as  innocent  as  other  characters  in  the  play  
can  be  such  as  the  virtuous  Marcello  or  Cornelia  she  is  not  wholly  guilty  of  the  charges  brought  
against  her  in  the  trial
...
 To  add  to  the  unfairness  of  Vittoria’s  trial  it  is  carried  out  
in  a  way  in  which  she  cannot  defend  herself  and  is  subject  to  sexism  which  allows  the  audience  to  
feel  sympathy  for  her
...
   
 



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