Who is the Real Whore of Parma? – Representation of Women in Ford’s "'Tis Pity She’s a Whore‪"‬

Not only because of its provoking title, ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore can be described as John Ford’s most controversial play (Anderson 92). The play’s main plot portrays the passionate but forbidden love between the siblings Giovanni and Annabella. Moreover, ‘Tis Pity is an extraordinary violent play with “… several vivid action sequences” (Abate 94). All in all, there are five murder victims, Annabella’s tutress Putana is blinded, and her father Florio drops dead. The play reaches its brutal climax when Giovanni enters the feast with Annabella’s heart on his dagger. Nonetheless, the Cardinal does only blame one person for what has happened in the course of the play: “Of one so young, so rich in Nature’s store, | Who could not say, ‘Tis Pity she’s a whore?” (V.vi.158-159). The Cardinal’s final condemnation seems to be “… unnecessarily vindictive” (Hopkins ix) because Annabella has not only repented of her sins, but she was also killed by her brother and her heart was displayed on his dagger. Besides, Corinne S. Abate points out that there are several other characters “… who could claim this denunciation and our pity” (Abate 94).