How It All Goes Down
Our story starts with a bang when Vindice announces that he wants to get revenge on the Old Duke. The Duke poisoned Vindice's girlfriend because she wouldn't sleep with him, so you can see why Vindice is upset with him. Things get even worse when the Duke's stepson, Junior, rapes a virtuous woman who is married to a nobleman named Antonio. Vindice's brother Hippolito promises to help Antonio get revenge on Junior.
From there, the plot gets more and more intricate, as tons of characters plot, counter-plot, and triple counter-plot against each other. While Vindice and Hippolito seek revenge, the Duke's large family schemes and counter-schemes against each other in their lust for power. It's basically the definition of a hot mess.
The quick version (for the not-so-quick version, check out the "Detailed Summary" section) is that Vindice manages to get himself hired as a bad guy doing dirty work for the Duke's son, Lussurioso. Vindice is in disguise, in the best tradition of spy fiction, and eventually this job leads to an opportunity for Vindice and Hippolito to kill the old Duke. By that time, though, they're also upset with Lussurioso, who's asked Vindice in disguise to convince his own sister to sleep with Lussurioso. So they decide to kill Lussurioso, too.
Head spinning yet? It keeps going. Meanwhile, the Duke's family is scheming, plotting, and killing each other off, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose. Believe it or not, this is all just another day in the life of your average revenge tragedy hero.
At the big party to celebrate Lussurioso becoming the new Duke, Vindice and Hippolito kill Lussurioso and frame his half brother and stepbrothers (the ones who aren't dead, anyway) for his murder. Chaos breaks out and the half brother and stepbrothers kill each other off, with a little help from some bystanders. Antonio (who's wanted revenge for the rape of his wife) becomes the Duke.
At this point, Hippolito and Vindice reveal that they murdered the old Duke, thinking it's safe to admit it now. However, Antonio is appalled and has them executed, afraid they'll do him in as well. Yep, that's really how this play ends—revenge tragedy is not for the faint of heart.
If this sounds more confusing than the SATs, it probably is. But don't worry. There's always another crazy scene coming, and you don't have to follow every last detail to enjoy the play. If you can enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean without being able to summarize the plot, you can enjoy The Revenger's Tragedy, too. Well, at least until the bodies start hitting the floor.