The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd
"The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd is a prominent early modern play that intricately weaves themes of revenge, honor, and tragedy. The narrative centers on Don Andrea, a Spanish nobleman whose ghost seeks to understand the aftermath of his death in battle against the Portuguese. As his spirit observes the unfolding drama at the Spanish court, he learns that the man responsible for his death, Balthazar, has been captured. The plot unfolds with complex relationships, including Balthazar's forbidden love for Bel-imperia, who was once engaged to Don Andrea.
The play explores themes of vengeance as Hieronimo, the father of the murdered Horatio, descends into madness and ultimately orchestrates a deadly revenge plot against those who wronged his family. The story culminates in a staged play that blurs the line between fiction and reality, leading to a tragic climax where multiple characters meet their demise. Through its exploration of revenge and the moral consequences of violence, "The Spanish Tragedy" has influenced the development of the revenge tragedy genre in literature. This work is recognized for its emotional depth and the way it engages with the ideas of justice and retribution, making it a significant piece of the European theatrical canon.
The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd
First produced: c. 1585–89; first published, c. 1594
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Tragedy
Time of plot: Sixteenth century
Locale: Spanish and Portuguese royal courts
Principal Characters
Don Andrea , a murdered Spanish noblemanBalthazar , prince of PortugalLorenzo , a Spanish noblemanBel-imperia , fiancée of Don Andrea before his deathHieronimo , a Spanish generalHoratio , Don Andrea’s friend and Hieronimo’s sonAlexandro andVilluppo , Portuguese noblemen
The Story
Don Andrea, a Spanish nobleman, has been killed in battle with the Portuguese. After his soul arrives in the underworld, Pluto sends it and the Spirit of Revenge back to the world of the living to learn what happened after Don Andrea’s death. At the Spanish court, Don Andrea’s ghost hears that the Portuguese have lost the war and Balthazar, prince of Portugal, has been taken prisoner. Balthazar, Don Andrea learns, is the man who killed him. A quarrel has developed between Lorenzo and Horatio, each claiming the honor of capturing Balthazar.
Meanwhile, at the Portuguese court, Villuppo tells the viceroy that his son, Balthazar, is dead, having been killed by the traitorous Alexandro. Alexandro is then sentenced to death.
Balthazar, while a prisoner, falls in love with Bel-imperia, as does Horatio. Bel-imperia, who was the fiancée of the slain Don Andrea, falls in love with Horatio. Plans are proposed for a treaty of peace between Spain and Portugal. These events are all distasteful to Don Andrea’s ghost. He is comforted, however, by the Spirit of Revenge’s promise that grim fate will overtake all concerned.
Balthazar, aided by Lorenzo, plans to win the love of Bel-imperia. Lorenzo sends a servant to spy on Bel-imperia and to discover whom she loves. When the servant returns to tell his master that Bel-imperia is in love with Horatio, Lorenzo and Balthazar plot Horatio’s death.
The king of Spain plans to make diplomatic use of Bel-imperia, who is his niece, by marrying her to the Portuguese prince, Balthazar, thus cementing the friendship between the two countries. The king warns her that she must do as he commands. One night, when Bel-imperia and Horatio meet in the garden, Horatio is set upon by Balthazar and Lorenzo; they kill Horatio by hanging and then take Bel-imperia away. When Horatio’s body is discovered, Hieronimo, Horatio’s father, goes mad, as does his wife. Seeing these events, Don Andrea’s ghost becomes even more bitter, but the Spirit of Revenge tells him to be patient.
The ambassador to Spain returns to the Portuguese court, arriving with word that Balthazar still lives, just in time to prevent the death of Alexandro. Villuppo, who plotted Alexandro’s death in the hope that he could gain advancement from it, is sentenced to die.
In Spain, Hieronimo, partly recovered from his madness, plots to avenge his son’s murder. Afraid of Hieronimo, Lorenzo and Balthazar plan to murder one of their accomplices, lest he give away their secrets. They have him slain by another of their accomplices. When the murderer is arrested and sentenced to hang, they tell him that he will be saved with a pardon. The man goes to his death in silence, or so Lorenzo and Balthazar believe. Before his execution, however, he writes a confession in which he tells the true story of Horatio’s death and sends the document to Hieronimo.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo and Balthazar imprison Bel-imperia in the hope of forcing her to marry Balthazar. She, bewildered by all that has happened, finally believes Lorenzo’s statement that she will suffer her father’s and the king’s anger if she fails to marry Balthazar willingly.
Balthazar and Lorenzo enlist Hieronimo’s aid in presenting an entertainment for the Spanish court and the Portuguese viceroy, who has arrived to swear fealty to the king of Spain. Hieronimo suggests that they perform a play that he has written; when they protest, he silences them with the observation that even Nero did not consider it beneath his dignity to act in a play. The play, Hieronimo tells them, is a tragedy befitting royal actors and a royal audience.
In the meantime, Hieronimo’s mad wife, still lamenting the death of her son, cuts down the arbor where he was hanged by his assailants and then stabs herself. Hers is the fourth death in the action witnessed by Don Andrea’s ghost and the Spirit of Revenge.
That evening, the royal party gathers to watch the play that Hieronimo and the others are to present. When the members of the party arrive, Hieronimo insists that they all enter a gallery, lock the door, and throw the key down to him. The king, thinking nothing amiss, agrees to do so. Thus the stage is set for Hieronimo to avenge the murder of his son.
In Hieronimo’s play, Balthazar has the role of the Muslim emperor Soliman, Lorenzo plays a knight, and Bel-imperia plays a Christian woman captured and given to Soliman. While Soliman and the knight argue over the captured woman, a Muslim nobleman, acted by Hieronimo, enters and kills the knight, and the captured Christian woman kills Soliman, then herself. Hieronimo interrupts the audience’s applause for the fine performance to introduce the body of his dead son and assure those present that the killings they have watched are real. Then he runs to hang himself before the royal party can break out of the locked gallery.
Overtaken by courtiers before he can kill himself, Hieronimo bites out his own tongue to prevent a confession. Told that he must confess in writing, he gestures for a knife to sharpen the point of his pen. With that weapon he stabs the king’s brother and himself, thus bringing the number of deaths to nine.
At the end, Don Andrea’s ghost, who has been watching all the while, announces to the Spirit of Revenge that he is satisfied; all his enemies have received their just deserts. The Spirit of Revenge tells him that they will return to the underworld, where Don Andrea can watch his enemies in their torment and consort happily with his friends.
Bibliography
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