Character Clues

Character Analysis

Names

Names are major league giveaways to character in The Revenger's Tragedy. Wondering what the main character wants? His name is Vindice, which sounds a lot like some other words… say vindictive or vindicate, which have to do with proving the justice of a cause or gaining vengeance. And what does Vindice want? Revenge.

Let's try another. The Duke's son is named Lussurioso. Hmm… What word does that sound like? Lust, maybe—or a little, at least. Here's a shocker: Lussurioso turns out to be sex-obsessed. How about Castiza, whose name sounds a lot like chastity? Turns out she's a virgin and loves it.

These names show something about the characters that hold them. It's sort of like if all the comic book characters decided to be called by their superhero names instead of their alter egos—it's not too hard to guess what a guy named Wolverine can do, or a lady named Storm. Names work a bit like this in this play, too.

Actions

There's no lack of action in The Revenger's Tragedy, and it sure says a lot about the characters. We know the Duke's family is corrupt because they seem to be constantly plotting a murder or trying to pull off a seduction. We know Castiza is pure of heart because she refuses an offer for lots of money in exchange for sleeping with Lussurioso, even though she's poor.

We know Vindice is just because he, er, kills a lot of people? Guess action cuts both ways. In Vindice's case, we can see how his earlier actions seem more justified and his later ones less so, so action is an important tool for showing how his character changes as he enacts his revenge.

Sex and Love

Yep, sex is important in this play. How a character responds to sex and love shows a lot about whether they're on the good side or the bad one. Characters like Antonio and Vindice, who don't sleep around, get credit for good behavior, and Castiza is honored for her chastity. On the flip side, her mother loses the play's approval by encouraging her daughter to trade her body for money, then veers back into good territory by repenting. As for the Duke and Lussurioso, these two are firmly planted on the play's bad list for having sex outside of marriage—make that a lot of sex outside of marriage.

In short, if you want to know who the play approves of, a good place to start is by looking at the character's relationship to sex.

Family Life

Here's a bit of good life advice from The Revenger's Tragedy: You can't trust a guy who'd murder his own brother. The play tells us a lot about characters by showing us their family life. The Duke and Duchess have a disastrous family life, complete with plotting, incest, and murder going down amongst their kin. You can tell they didn't raise their kids right, especially since their children literally want to kill each other.

By contrast, Vindice and Hippolito care about their sister and mother and work well together. Okay, so they do threaten their mother to get her to do the right thing, and what they work on together is mainly killing the Duke's family—but you can't have everything. No family's perfect, right? The point is that their family relationships are clearly better than the Duke's, and that's one way we know that they are better people.