How Does the Herbal Bed Explore the Conflict Between What Society Expects of Us and Our Inner Devices?

The Herbal Bed explores the conflict and discrepancy between human desires and the social conventions and expectations, which endeavor to repress them. Peter Whelan utilizes this universal conflict by developing a string of moral dilemmas that prevail within and among the characters to explore the conflict between ones own desires and the expectations of the restricted Jacobean society. Moral dilemmas are utilized to endeavor the individual human desires and passions and what society believes to be morally correct. Weare confronted with a main moral dilemma that splits the audience between societies views and modern perspectives of Susanna. Our consideration of the main thematic concerns of truth, love and duty are vested in Susanna as she is the dominant character in the play and through her knowledge and her actions, she is able to reconcile truth in love, passion and desire.

The Jacobean setting and context of The Herbal Bed creates an amplified backdrop of conflict and illness. Illness is ever present to remind us of the fragility of life but also promotes a conscious reflection upon the necessary salvation and vitality of the soul, irrespective of religious beliefs, as you may not have control over death but you do have control of your soul. This sense of internal conflict experienced by the characters only acts to demonstrate the larger dilemmas at play, namely Susanna’s key dilemma which is whether to conform to the social and moral expectations of Jacobean society and being true to herself as an individual. The society of the time is shifting into puritan beliefs and the oppressive nature of this society is very much what has caused the moral dilemmas in most of the characters. In the play Susanna has to conform to what society expects of her as a women and she has come to terms and struck harmony with that, as she can be the individual that she is and put on a front to conform of what society expects of her. The moral dilemmas faced by the characters