'Tis Pity She's a Whore.

John Ford - 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (1633)

"Annabella, the beauty of Parma, does not lack admirers, but one of them society will surely view with disgust – her own brother, Giovanni. When he confesses to her his infatuation, Giovanni begs her to kill him, but so far from doing so, she embraces him as a lover. What chance has their incestuous love in a hostile world? What tragic chaos will follow? Compassionate and disturbing, John Ford’s great story of doomed love – told in scenes that combine intense reflection with explosive violence – enters the most challenging moral territory of all."
'Tis Pity She's A Whore is a tragedy written by John Ford during the Renaissance Era. It is a tale of morality, religion, relationships and incest. All of these themes were underpinned by the strict moral and social codes of the time, often evaded in the play in the name of love and lust.
Male dominance is a key feature of the play - there are no female characters left by the end and male superiority is embodied heavily in the final symbol (one of the most famous in dramatic history) of Giovanni walking with his lover and sister, Annabella's heart pierced on the end of his sword.  It is quite an ironic symbol of macho chauvinism - the woman's heart (both physically and metaphorically) being the prize.

The play is set in Parma, Italy, in the early 1600s, contemporary with Ford's writing of the play.