The Spanish Tragedy

The first fully-fledged example of a revenge tragedy, the genrethat became so influential in later Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, TheSpanish Tragedy(1589) occupies a very special place in the history ofEnglish Renaissance drama. Hieronimo, Knight-Marshal of Spain duringits war with Portugal, fails to obtain justice when his son is murderedfor courting Bel-Imperia, the Duke of Castile's daughter, and decidesto take justice into his own hands…

This new student edition has been freshly revised by ProfessorAndrew Gurr to incorporate the latest stage history and criticalinterpretations of the play. It also appends the scenes that were addedin 1602, discusses Elizabethan attitudes to revenge, the Senecanfeatures of the play and the significance of the Anglo-Spanish conflictin the 1580s.