Broadcast: BBC Home Service – Wednesday, 25th February, 1959
Repeated: Under the title ‘National Theatre of the Air’ by the BBC Home Service on 20th August, 1961 at 20.30, and as ‘The Sunday Play’ by The BBC Home Service on 3rd April, 1966 at 14.30
Character: Master Wendoll
At the time of broadcast, the BBC had been presenting a series of revived plays by Mr. Raymond Raikes (British theatre producer, director and broadcaster) who appears determined to enlighten theatre-goers about what they have been missing.
Thomas Heywood’s A Woman Killed with Kindness, first performed around 1603, is one of the finest examples of the domestic tragedy, a genre that shifted dramatic focus away from kings and heroes and onto the lives of ordinary people. Unlike the grand revenge tragedies and political dramas that dominated the Elizabethan and Jacobean stage, Heywood’s play explores the consequences of adultery, honour, forgiveness, and remorse within an English household. The result is a remarkably modern work, one that derives its power not from sensational violence but from emotional truth and psychological insight.
The central story concerns John Frankford (Norman Woodland), a prosperous and respected country gentleman, who appears to possess an ideal marriage with his devoted wife, Anne (Marjory Westbury). Their domestic happiness is disrupted when Frankford welcomes Wendoll (Peter Wyngarde), a charming but financially struggling gentleman, into his home. Frankford treats Wendoll as both friend and family, extending to him extraordinary generosity and trust. It is this very trust that becomes the foundation of the tragedy.
Wendoll gradually develops feelings for Anne and, despite recognising the dishonourable nature of his intentions, pursues her. Anne initially resists his advances, understanding both her marital obligations and the consequences of betrayal. Yet Heywood avoids portraying her as either wholly virtuous or wholly corrupt. She is presented as a recognisably human character whose moral weakness leads her into an affair. The relationship between Anne and Wendoll becomes the emotional centre of the play, not because of its romantic passion, but because of the guilt, shame, and self-destruction it inevitably creates.
One of the play’s greatest strengths lies in its treatment of Frankford. In many dramas of the period, a wronged husband would seek bloody revenge. Audiences accustomed to the violence of Hamlet or The Revenger’s Tragedy might expect Frankford to challenge Wendoll to a duel or murder both offenders. Instead, Heywood presents a man guided by restraint and dignity. Upon discovering the affair, Frankford confronts the guilty couple with devastating calm. His disappointment and heartbreak prove far more moving than rage could have been.
The famous title derives from Frankford’s response to Anne’s betrayal. Rather than physically harming her, he banishes her from his household and condemns her to live apart from him. This punishment is undertaken with apparent kindness, yet it ultimately proves fatal. Deprived of her husband, home, and children, Anne wastes away under the burden of remorse. The title therefore carries a profound irony. Frankford literally kills his wife with kindness, not through violence, but through forgiveness mixed with rejection.
Anne’s decline forms some of the most affecting scenes in the play. Heywood allows audiences to witness genuine repentance rather than simple punishment. Anne fully recognises the magnitude of her actions and accepts responsibility for them. Her suffering is not imposed solely from outside; it comes from within. As she approaches death, her overwhelming desire is not for forgiveness from society but reconciliation with the husband she has wronged. These scenes possess a sincerity that remains surprisingly powerful more than four centuries after the play was written.
The character of Wendoll is equally complex. He is neither a melodramatic villain nor a heroic lover. Throughout the play he is conscious of his betrayal and repeatedly acknowledges the debt he owes Frankford. His seduction of Anne stems less from malice than from weakness and selfishness. This moral ambiguity makes him a more believable and compelling figure than many stage villains of the period. Audiences may condemn his actions while still understanding the human frailties that motivate them.
Alongside the main plot, Heywood includes a secondary storyline involving Sir Charles Mountford and Sir Francis Acton. This subplot concerns honour, debt, and reconciliation, providing a useful counterpoint to the darker domestic tragedy unfolding in Frankford’s household. While modern readers often regard the subplot as less engaging than the central narrative, it contributes to the play’s wider exploration of conflict resolved through forgiveness rather than violence.
One of the most striking aspects of A Woman Killed with Kindness is its emotional realism. Heywood demonstrates an acute understanding of human relationships and moral dilemmas. The dialogue frequently feels natural and conversational, avoiding the highly rhetorical style often associated with early seventeenth-century drama. Characters behave in recognisable ways, making mistakes through weakness rather than because they embody abstract virtues or vices.
The play’s treatment of women has generated considerable critical debate. Some modern audiences may find Anne’s punishment severe, reflecting patriarchal attitudes towards female sexuality. Yet the play is more nuanced than a simple moral lesson condemning adultery. Heywood invests Anne with considerable dignity and emotional depth. Her suffering becomes the audience’s suffering, encouraging compassion rather than judgement. The final reconciliation between Anne and Frankford is deeply moving precisely because neither character is presented as wholly right or wholly wrong.
The climactic deathbed scene ranks among the finest in early modern English drama. When Frankford finally visits the dying Anne, years of pain, regret, and love converge in a powerful moment of forgiveness. The emotional impact derives not from dramatic spectacle but from the recognition of lost happiness and wasted opportunity. Anne dies reconciled with her husband, and the audience is left to consider whether mercy arrived too late.
In reviewing A Woman Killed with Kindness today, what stands out most is its humanity. Heywood rejects sensationalism in favour of emotional complexity. The play asks difficult questions about trust, forgiveness, justice, and redemption, offering no easy answers. Its characters are flawed but understandable, making their suffering all the more affecting.
More than four hundred years after its first performance, A Woman Killed with Kindness remains an extraordinary achievement. It transformed everyday domestic life into material for serious tragedy and demonstrated that the heartbreak of ordinary people could be as compelling as the downfall of kings. Rich in psychological insight and emotional depth, Heywood’s masterpiece continues to deserve its place among the greatest works of the Jacobean stage.
PETER WYNGARDE WAS NOT GAY. THIS IS A MYTH CONJOURED UP BY THE BRITISH TABLOIDS
PETER WYNGARDE DID NOT HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH ALAN BATES. THIS WAS A LIE PERPITRATED BY DONALD SPOTO IN HIS BOOK, ‘OTHERWISE ENGAGED: THE LIFE OF ALAN BATES’
PETER WYNGARDE WAS NOT ARRESTED OR CAUSTIONED IN KENNEDY GARDENS OR ELSEWHERE. THIS IS A LIE CREATED BY WIKIPEADIA AND COPIED BY THE BRITISH TABLOIDS.
THE 1975 CONVICTION AGAINST PETER WYNGARDE WAS LATTERLY QUASHED BY THE HOME OFFICE (UK GOVERNMENT) AS BEING “UNPROVEN”.
