Her suffering makes the audience feel sad and angry Cruel Villains The Duchess s brothers Ferdinand and the Cardinal are very cruel villains They do not want their sister to marry again This is because they want to get the Duchess s wealth When she remarries they plan to destroy her Ferdinand says I would have their bodies Burnt in a coal-pit This line shows his cruelty Ferdinand shows her fake dead bodies to make her believe that her husband and children are dead He also sends madmen into her cell to make her go mad Finally he sends some executioners to kill her and her two children by strangling These cruel acts are evil and shocking like in a melodrama Shocking Violence This play is full of shocking violence We see gruesome moments like strangling stabbing poisoned books and madmen screaming In melodrama these shocking scenes shock and scare the audience Secrets and Lies Melodrama is full of secrets and lies The Duchess secretly remarries Antonio Bosola works as a sinister spy for the Duchess brothers He tricks lies and betrays the Duchess Strong Emotions The play is full of fear love anger jealousy and sadness These strong feelings are a big part of melodrama In short The Duchess of Malfi is not just a tragedy It also has many melodramatic scenes that make the story more powerful and emotional nbsp