The Revenger's Tragedy Analysis

Renaissance ItalyThe play doesn't give a lot of clear geography, so it's hard to tell exactly where it's set, but Vindice describes the locale as Italy (2.1.61), and the names sure sound Italian: V...

Like most plays, this one features a number of characters giving their perspective. It doesn't have an official narrator but rather alternates between the points of view of different characters. It...

The Revenger's Tragedy is most definitely a drama, and it's most definitely a tragedy. On the drama front, it's a play, which is pretty much all it takes to land in this genre category—and this p...

This play is grim. You can't start with a skull and end with a bloodbath and wind up with a story that strikes a different tone. The Revenger's Tragedy is filled with terrible events, awful experie...

Middleton does some prose here, but he's not turning in his poetic license. Many plays of the time period are in a poetic pattern called blank verse. Middleton doesn't so dutifully follow the rules...

The Revenger's Tragedy sounds pretty straightforward as far as titles go. And it is—sort of. It's definitely about revenge, and it's definitely a tragedy. But the more we look at those three litt...

The Revenger's Tragedy ends with a lavish costume/dance/music party—oh, and pretty much everyone dies, thanks to not one, but two, groups of murderers who arrive disguised as entertainers for the...

We're not going to lie to you: Some of the language in this book is tough. And yeah, okay, sometimes the characters spout off philosophy in between stabbings and skullduggery. And sure, it was publ...

Bad StuffThe initial situation is pretty grim. Vindice wants revenge for the murder of his fiancée nine years ago, when the Duke poisoned her because she wouldn't sleep with him. Antonio wants rev...

Vindice is deeply unsatisfied at the beginning of the play because he's been waiting nine years for revenge for the death of his fiancée. When Hippolito announces that he's found an opportunity fo...

It's a little tricky to break this one into three acts, since there are so many subplots and schemes going on, and lots of the effects aren't experienced until a long time after something happens....

Christopher Eccleston, also known for playing Dr. Who, stars in a film version of The Revenger's Tragedy. We aren't sure we can recommend the film for high school viewing, but it's fun to know the...

Very definitely R. This play is full of sex—people talk about it, have it, complain about other people having it, joke about it, and kill over it. It's a big driver of the action. On top of that,...

Shakespeare, Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 1)—because Hamlet is the original skull talkerShakespeare, "The Rape of Lucrece" (Act 1, Scene 4)—because Lucrece's fate sounds a whole lot like Anthony's wife's.