What is the author's style in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster?

The play is difficult to read due to the intricate language and the time frame in which it was written, around 1611. Words such as sycophants, horseleech, chirurgeons, etc. are archaic. The reader must reread parts to fully comprehend the unfamiliar vocabulary.

In the beginning of the play, Antonio asks Bosola about the Duchess’s brothers. Bosola responds by comparing the brothers to twisted fruit-bearing trees, but they are by stagnant water and only pesty birds and insects desire to eat the fruit. “He and his brother are like plum-trees that grow crooked over standing-pools; they are rich and o'erladen with fruit, but none but crows, pies, and caterpillars feed on them.”