The White Devil: Character Mind Map & Summary
John Webster’s The White Devil in brief: the key characters, who dies and how, the famous lines, a quick summary and the exam facts.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Vittoria Corombona
A beautiful, proud Venetian lady married to the foolish Camillo. She becomes the lover of the Duke of Brachiano, and both their spouses are murdered so they can marry. Fair on the outside and guilty within, she is the “white devil”: evil disguised as innocence. Yet her courage at her trial wins grudging admiration.
My soul, like to a ship in a black storm, / Is driven, I know not whither.Fate: murdered by Lodovico’s men
🗡️ The Lovers & Their Tool
The guiltyDuke of BrachianoVittoria’s lover
Role: Arranges the murders of his wife Isabella and Vittoria’s husband Camillo, then marries Vittoria.
Poisoned, then strangledFlamineoVittoria’s brother · the malcontent
Role: A witty, cynical and ambitious secretary who acts as pander to his own sister and murders for gain, even killing his brother Marcello.
Murdered by Lodovico’s men💔 The Victims
The murdered spousesIsabellaBrachiano’s wife · Francisco’s sister
Role: Loving and loyal, but rejected by her husband.
Dies kissing Brachiano’s poisoned portraitCamilloVittoria’s foolish husband
Role: A jealous but stupid husband.
Neck broken in a staged vaulting accident⚖️ The Avengers
Justice & revengeFrancisco de MediciDuke of Florence · Isabella’s brother
Role: Plots revenge for his sister, disguising himself as a Moor named Mulinassar.
Cardinal MonticelsoCamillo’s uncle · later Pope
Role: Prosecutes Vittoria at her trial (the “arraignment”) and keeps a “black book” of criminals. He is elected Pope.
LodovicoA banished count
Role: Secretly loved Isabella; he carries out the final revenge killings.
Who Dies & How
Typically Jacobean: poison, trickery and a bloodbath at the end.
Famous Lines & Links
What examiners usually ask about.
Quick Summary
The plot in five lines.
Act 1The Affair
- Brachiano desires Vittoria; Flamineo helps them meet. Vittoria tells a dream that hints at murdering their spouses.
Act 2Two Murders
- Isabella dies kissing a poisoned portrait, and Camillo’s neck is broken in a staged accident.
Act 3The Trial
- Vittoria is tried in Rome. She defends herself boldly but is sent to a house of “convertites” (reformed women).
Act 4Escape
- Francisco plans revenge. Monticelso becomes Pope. Brachiano and Vittoria flee to Padua and marry.
Act 5Revenge
- Brachiano is poisoned and strangled. Flamineo kills Marcello; Cornelia goes mad. Lodovico kills Vittoria, Flamineo and Zanche.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Date & Performance
Printed and performed in 1612 by Queen Anne’s Men at the Red Bull theatre, where it failed. Webster’s preface blames the audience.
Real Source
Based on the true story of Vittoria Accoramboni, murdered in Padua in 1585.
Title Meaning
A “white devil” is a hypocrite, evil hiding behind a fair appearance. An old saying held that “the white devil is worse than the black”.
Webster’s Other Work
The Duchess of Malfi (c. 1613–1614), his other great Jacobean revenge tragedy.
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