Spanish Tragedy

arts, performing, fiction, drama · EN

The Spanish Tragedy, or Hieronimo is Mad Again, is a groundbreaking Elizabethan tragedy penned by Thomas Kyd between 1582 and 1592. Renowned for its popularity and influence during its time, this play set the stage for a new genre in English theatre the revenge play or revenge tragedy. Its gripping narrative is filled with violent murders and features a striking personification of Revenge. The Spanish Tragedy has been referenced and even parodied by notable Elizabethan playwrights such as William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Christopher Marlowe. Elements like the play-within-a-play to ensnare a murderer and a ghost driven by vengeance resonate in Shakespeares Hamlet. Some scholars even suggest that Kyd may have authored the hypothetical Ur-Hamlet, which could have served as a significant source for Shakespeares work. (Summary by Wikipedia)