Mother and Duchess

Mother: "No, He was too wise to trust me with his thoughts."
Vindice: "I'faith, then, father, thou wast wise indeed.
Wives are but made to go to bed and feed." (1.1.129-132)

This is a perfect demonstration of how women were typically treated during the Renaissance. Women were never equals to men, physically or mentally. They were to be treated as fragile creatures with tender care, yet they were always inferior. I find it amusing that Vindice voices his opinion about women so openly in front of his own mother.

Duchess: "Oh, what it is to have an old-cool duke
To be as slack in tongue as in performance!" (1.2.74-75)

I'm surprised that the Duchess had the guts to say this in front of not only the Duke but everybody in the court. Granted, she is absolutely desperate for her husband to take some action in order to save her youngest son; still, in those days, you had to be a fearless and audacious woman to say something so offensive and revealing in front of an audience. The Duchess seems to be an aggressive and dynamic character compared to Mother.