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Revenge Tragedy
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Revenge Tragedy
The revenge tragedy genre of English literature generally refers to a body of dramatic works
written from the mid-1580s to the early 1640s, from the Elizabethan to the Caroline period.
Typically, these works feature such themes and devices as a wronged revenge-seeker, ghosts,
madness, delay, sinister intrigue, a play-within-the-play, torture, multiple murders, and the
realistic depiction of bloody violence onstage. Nearly all of the major playwrights of the time
contributed to this class of drama, including Thomas Kyd, William Shakespeare, John Marston,
George Chapman, Cyril Tourneur, Thomas Middleton, John Webster, James Shirley, and John
Ford. Most literary scholars have credited Kyd with initiating the dramatic archetype w ith
his The Spanish Tragedy (1585-90?) and the so-called Ur-Hamleta drama no longer extant but
which is believed to have been written before 1589, and upon which Shakespeare likely based
his great tragedyand have credited Shakespeare with bringing the genre to its artistic maturity
with Hamlet (c. 1600-01). Critics have maintained that revenge tragedy was a markedly dynamic
genre, observing that while Kyd invented the basic formula, his successors added ingenious new
layers of dramatic suspense, characterization, symbolism, and ideological representation to the
theatrical form.

Many literary scholars have argued that the principal theatrical influence on Elizabethan revenge
tragedy came from Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman statesman, philosopher, orator, and
dramatist who flourished in the first century a.d. Seneca's works were first translated into the
English language in 1559, and by 1581 Senecan tragedies had circulated widely among the
English literate. While Seneca wrote several kinds of tragedy, the Elizabethan playwrights were
particularly attracted to his Thyestes, Medea, and Agamemnon, all of which dramatize murder
and betrayal and the subsequent quest to exact blood revenge on the villain or villains. These
theatrical spectacles display all of the passions in excess, such as hate, jealousy, and love; they
also contain sensational elements, such as supernatural phenomena, cruel torture, and bloody
violence. Other critics have argued that in addition to Seneca's influence, the
Italian nouvelleprovided another literary source for the revenge tragedy. Many of these Italian
tales feature a sinister Machiavellian villains, sexual betrayals that culminate in private revenge,
and bloody vendettas between rival families. Still other scholars have asserted that revenge
tragedy was influenced by the medieval contemptus mundi tradition. According to these critics,
Elizabethan dramatists manipulated such cultural motifs as the deathsheador human skullthe
severed hand, the dance of death, and the reenactment of the seven deadly sins as a means of
connecting with an audience that was preoccupied with mutability and religious devotion.
While critics have generally agreed that Kyd was the lead innovator of the revenge tragedy, they
have also pointed out that his plays are coarse and unrefined in their exploration of the revenge
theme. Commentators have observed that other early revenge tragedies such as George
Peele's The Battle of Alcazar (c. 1590) and Shakespeare'sTitus Andronicus (1594) tend to reflect
this undisciplined model as well. Nevertheless, these tragedies were crowd-pleasers and became
staples of the London theater repertories. As the Elizabethan dramatists grew more competent
with the revenge tragedy form, they became more sophisticated in their treatment of the
characters, themes, and motifs. Literary scholars have contended that Marston's Antonio's
Revenge(1600) is an example of a drama that masterfully fuses all of the elements of the revenge
tragedy tradition; in fact, so skillful is the use of revenge conventions that some have argued that
Marston intentionally and audaciously parodied the popular genre. Around this same time the
genre reached the apex of its artistic maturity with Shakespeare's Hamlet, a drama that has been
celebrated for its a brilliant synthesis of plot, characterization, and intellectual introspection on
the subject of revenge. Other tragedies of this period also demonstrate a keen insight into the
moral and spiritual consequences of revenge, including Tourneur's The Revenger's Tragedy(c.
1606) and The Atheist's Tragedy (c. 1610-11) and Chapman'sRevenge of Bussy D'Ambois (161011). Many critics have characterized the revenge tragedies of the genre's late period as grim,
cynical statements on the moral and spiritual chaos that results from a society in decay and moral
disintegration. Works from this period include Webster's The White Devil (1612) and The
Duchess of Malfi (1614), Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (c. 1630-33) and The Broken Heart (c.
1630-33), and Shirley's The Cardinal (1641).
Revenge tragedy was not in fact identified as a specific literary genre until the early twentieth
century, and since that time, there has been no consensus of opinion about the validity of the
designation. While most scholars have agreed that the plays exhibit similar themes and theatrical
devices, they have also pointed out that revenge does not always figure as the central theme of
the individual plays. Further, dramatists utilized different literary sources and wrote at different
skill levels to achieve strikingly different kinds of revenge tragedy. What is more, according to

these critics, the broad chronological period assigned to English revenge tragedies covers several
markedly different cultural, social, and political periods. Perhaps the most frequently discussed
topic is on the morality of revenge. In an effort to understand the overarching fascination with
revenge as tragic material, commentators have closely examined Elizabethan and Jacobean
attitudes toward revenge, focusing on such issues as the Christian requirement to be patient and
leave revenge to God; the ethical dilemma in seeking private revenge when denied public justice;
and the moral significance of such social institutions as vendettas and dueling. In recent years
critics have sought to understand the popularity of revenge tragedies from a cultural and
historical standpoint. These commentators have observed that the revenge tragedy form appeared
at a conspicuous time in English history, when people were beginning to question the
fundamental relationship between religion and the universe, when the English nation was
imperiled by the threat of the Spanish Armada, and when English society endured the uncertainty
of succession between the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. According to these critics,
Elizabethan and Jacobean playwrights employed the revenge tragedy as the ideal vehicle by
which to project their concerns about such provocative issues as a repressive religious tradition,
political corruption, and social malaise.
Revenge in Hamlet

There are three plots in Shakespeare's Hamlet: the main revenge plot and two
subplots involving the romance between Hamlet and Ophelia, and the looming
war with Norway. The following is a guide to the main plot, with a look at all
the significant events on Hamlet's journey for vengeance.
Introduction to the Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy
Thomas Kyd established the revenge tragedy with his wildly popular Spanish
Tragedy (1587), and Shakespeare perfected the genre with Hamlet, which is
likely based on another revenge play by Kyd called the Ur-Hamlet. Sadly, no
copy of Kyd's Ur-Hamlet exists today.
Most revenge tragedies share some basic elements: a play within a play, mad
scenes, a vengeful ghost, one or several gory scenes, and, most importantly,
a central character who has a serious grievance against a formidable
opponent. This central character takes matters into his own hands and seeks
revenge privately, after justice has failed him in the public arena. It should be
noted that Hamlet is the only protagonist in any Elizabethan revenge play who
can be considered a hero, aware of the moral implications involved in exacting
his revenge.
Characters Involved in the Revenge Plot of Hamlet

Hamlet
Ghost
Claudius
Gertrude
Polonius
Laertes
Horatio

Key Revenge Plot Events

1. The ghost of Hamlets father appears to Horatio, Marcellus, and Barnardo.
Horatio begs the apparition to speak (1.1.127), but it refuses. Horatio reports
the encounter to Hamlet.
2. The Ghost appears to Hamlet and they leave to speak in private (1.4.86).
3. The Ghost reveals that he is, in fact, the ghost of Hamlets father. The
revenge plot is established with the Ghosts utterance, "So art thou to
revenge, when thou shalt hear" (1.5.7). He tells Hamlet that he was
poisoned by his brother Claudius as he slept in his orchard and, if Hamlet is
not already feeling the desire, the Ghost makes plain the demand: "Revenge
his foul and most unnatural murder" (25).
4. To be certain of Claudius's guilt, Hamlet decides to re-enact the murder of
his father with the production of The Murder of Gonzago (known also as the
play within the play or The Mousetrap). If Claudius is disturbed by the play it
will reveal his guilt. In Hamlet's words:
The play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king (2.2.606-07).
5. Hamlet stages The Murder of Gonzago and Hamlet and Horatio agree that
the agitated Claudius has behaved like a guilty man during the production

(3.2.284).
6. Hamlet has an opportunity to kill the unattended Claudius in his chamber,
but, after soliloquizing on the matter, he decides not to take action because
Claudius is praying. Killing Claudius in prayer would not really be revenge
because he would go to heaven, "fit and seasond for his passage" (3.3.86).
7. Hamlet kills Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius as he hides behind a
curtain. (3.4.22)
8. The Ghost appears again to Hamlet. He is angry because Claudius is still
alive. He tells Hamlet he has returned to "whet thy almost blunted purpose"
(3.4.111).
9. Claudius banishes Hamlet to England for the murder of Polonius (4.3.46).
He sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlets actions (55) and
makes plans to have Hamlet assassinated on English soil.
10. Horatio receives a letter from Hamlet reporting that he is returning to
Denmark, thanks to pirates who had captured his boat and released him on
the promise of future reward (4.6.11).
11. Claudius hears of Hamlet's return and he conspires with Laertes,
Polonius's son, to murder Hamlet. Laertes will use a poison-tipped sword
during a fight with Hamlet, and Claudius will have a poisoned drink at the
ready (4.7.126-161).
12. Hamlet stabs Claudius (5.2.311) and forces him to drink the poisoned wine
(316). The revenge plot is thus concluded. Hamlet himself then dies from
the wound received during the fight with Laertes (348).

How to cite this article:

Mabillard, Amanda. Introduction to Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy. Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000. <
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/playanalysis/revengetragedy.html" > .