The Renaissance more than any other age deals with violence, crime, and punishment. In most of the plays of the age, especially the Jacobean plays there are two distinct types of criminals. One type is the tyrant, a man whose thirst for power propels him to exploit other individuals, he is also able to disguise his vicious actions tmder the robe of respectability. The other type of criminal is the avenger, an individual victimized and exploited by the tyrant. Bosola, the villain of the play - The Duchess of Malfi (which has been discussed in this paper) is an individual who has been a victim and feels he has not been paid for in gratitude. As an avenger, Bosola takes justice and law into his own hands, as the centre of justice itself is corrupted. In the process of taking revenge, Bosola undergoes a change as he evolves into an evil and degenerate man, and thereby loses his true identity. Thus, in order to fight the corrupted system, he thinks he ought to become a part of it.
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