Chapter 5 of The Duchess of Malfi is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Duchess of Malfi is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FERDINAND. I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL. Say you? FERDINAND. And I am grown mad with 't.
Chapter 5 of The Duchess of Malfi is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
(Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
From this reading “I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.”
the king of Castile and Aragon who ruled jointly with his wife Isabella
From this reading “FERDINAND.”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “And I am grown mad with 't.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.”
roused to anger
From this reading “And I am grown mad with 't.”
the root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic
From this reading “I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.”
express in words
From this reading “Say you?”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
(Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
the king of Castile and Aragon who ruled jointly with his wife Isabella
From this reading FERDINAND.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
roused to anger
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
the root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
express in words
From this reading Say you?
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I have this night digg'd up a mandrake.[67] CARDINAL.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And I am grown mad with 't.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Say you?
Chapter 5 of The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 5 holds 239 sentences of The Duchess of Malfi, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2587 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2232 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2232, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 215 minutes of reading across 518 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Duchess of Malfi section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Duchess of Malfi to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Duchess of Malfi, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
