Beatrice Reflecting Throughout the Plays

"An host of enemies entered my citadel / Could not amaze like this. Joanna! Beatrice! Joanna!" (5.3.148).

Vermandero's words are a not so subtle hint at the the title of the play and one theme which the authors preoccupy themselves throughout the work. Like Beatrice's name, her character contains two different identities, one that is chaste, honest, innocent, and despises Deflores, the other that is sexually deviant, treacherous, blood-stained, and seemingly loves Deflores for his "service" to her. This transformation and duality is reflected in many other characters in the play, leaving the reader confused and the characters within the plot unsure of each other's motives and positions. This duality destabilizes the world of the play, leading to the violations, whether they be murder, rape, or breach of trust, that we've witnessed in this play and throughout the semester.