The Spanish Tragedy: Analysis of Setting
"The Spanish Tragedy" is a significant work in the realm of early modern English drama, deeply exploring themes of revenge, justice, and the human condition. The play alternates between the royal courts of Spain and Portugal, which, despite being distinct locations, are depicted as nearly identical in their moral ambiguity and political strife. This lack of differentiation underscores the futility of the conflict between the two nations, reflecting contemporary English perceptions of both as adversaries. In addition to the royal courts, Hieronimo's garden serves as a pivotal setting that contrasts beauty with underlying darkness, as it is the site of his son Horatio's murder. This garden, rich with symbolism, represents both growth and decay, serving as a haunting reminder of the violence that taints human existence. The garden becomes a stage for profound emotional turmoil, particularly when Hieronimo's wife, Isabella, succumbs to despair. Overall, the settings within "The Spanish Tragedy" are crucial for understanding the play's exploration of existential themes and the moral complexities faced by its characters. This duality between courtly power and personal tragedy invites audiences to reflect on the broader implications of justice and revenge in society.
The Spanish Tragedy: Analysis of Setting
First published: c. 1594
First produced: c. 1585-1589
Type of work: Drama
Type of plot: Tragedy
Time of work: Sixteenth century
Places Discussed
Royal courts
Royal courts. The play opens by alternating scenes between the court of Spain and the court of Portugal—with the only perceptible difference between the two royal courts being the individual people found at each. Typical directorial practice would be to place props on stage to indicate one or the other court. The lack of distinguishing characteristics at these two courts reflects the lack of differences between the two sides in the war that is keeping them apart. Neither Spain nor Portugal occupies a morally superior ground; however, English attitudes toward both Spain and Portugal in the 1580’s tended to be negative, as both Roman Catholic countries were at odds with England.
Hieronimo’s garden
Hieronimo’s garden. Outdoor area at the home of the Spanish general Hieronimo. It is a refreshing area, but one warped by envy, lust, and murder. The garden is the play’s first outdoor setting, and it is there the crime of Horatio’s murder occurs. The tension here resides in differences between the human menace and what would otherwise seem a place of sweetness.
Before stabbing herself to death near the end of the play, Hieronimo’s wife, Isabella, hacks at the garden arbor with a sword, unable to bear its promise in the face of her son’s death. Hieronimo and his wife make extensive reference to the irony of the garden’s symbolization of growth and life, while it is also the place where the crime takes place. Audiences are presumably left to infer that the despoiled garden represents a post-Fall world.
Bibliography
Ardolino, Frank R. Thomas Kyd’s Mystery Play: Myth and Ritual in “The Spanish Tragedy.” New York: Peter Lang, 1985. Argues that the play is a combination of murder mystery, allegory, and religious ritual. Heironimo chooses pagan vengeance over Christian forgiveness because the latter does not seem to offer justice.
Barber, C. L. Creating Elizabethan Tragedy: The Theater of Marlowe and Kyd. Edited with an introduction by Richard P. Wheeler. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988. Argues that Lorenzo’s murder of Horatio violates the social order and disrupts Heironimo’s belief in an ordered universe. Heironimo’s violence is at first improperly directed but finds a proper focus at the end of the play.
Bowers, Fredson T. Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy, 1587-1642. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1940. Still useful, tracing the origins of revenge tragedy to Senecan drama. Shows how The Spanish Tragedy follows Senecan patterns closely.
Edwards, Philip. Thomas Kyd and Early Elizabethan Tragedy. New York: Longmans, Green, 1966. Analyzes Elizabethan tragedy from the 1560’s to the 1580’s. Gives a brief biography of Kyd.
Murray, Peter B. Thomas Kyd. New York: Twayne, 1969. Puts The Spanish Tragedy in its cultural context. Explores the play’s influence on later authors. He examines the play sequentially, explaining how its central theme is the corruption of love.