Revenge Tragedy
Shelley's The Cenci
Kyd's Spainish Tragedy
Shakespeare's Hamlet, Titus Andronicus
Derived from Seneca, but like Seneca, and unlike classical antiquity, which relegated carnage scenes to reports from messengers [like milton in Samson Agonistes], Elizabethan writers had them acted out on stage. Witness Seneca's Medea
Earliest example: Sackvill and norton's Gorbuduc 1562
popular form
Characteristics:
revenge of father or son directed by ghost of murdered man
able, schemeing villain
Hesittion of hero
insanity, adultery, infanticide, incest, moral and political corruption.
A play within a play
Sensationalism and gruesom, bloody ending.
Five [5] Acts
Rhetorical speeches
References to fortune, Roman godess who turns wheel and brings those at top to bottom.
Kyd's Spanisyh Tragedy poss pub 1586
established genre of Revenge Trgedy, one of most popular plays in Rennaissance, produced almost every year.
Plot; opens with speech of ghost of Andrea, killed in battle, awaiting judgement, given dream inwhich he sees his murderer killed by Bel=Imperia, his beloved. Andrea is a Spainish nobleman killed by Balthazar, son of king of Portugal. Revenge invited Andrea to watch play. Meanwhile, Balthazar has been captured by Spanish, althoug some dispute over who cpatured him. Lorenzo, king of spain's nephew, and son of King of Castille, or Horatio, son of Heironimo, the Knight Marshall's son. Balthazar says one promised life, the other threatened death, one won his love, the other conquered him, he yielded to both. king gives Lorenzo Balthazar's weapons, horse, possession of prisoner; horatio gets ransom. Balthazar well treted prisoner. King of spain tells Portugese ambassador "we pleasure more in kindness than in wars." for entertainment of ambassador, Hieronimo presents 3 skits showing English conquering both Spain and Portugal. Andrea inturded into play to complain about his murdere being treated so pleasantly. Revenge promises to turn friendship into despair, love to hate, day to night, hope to despair, peace to war, joys to pain, bliss to misery.
ACT II: Balthazar in love with BelImperia. doesn't understand why she doesn't love him. Bel Imperia's servants claims she loves Horatio. Bel imperia's father insists she marry Belthazar or forfeit father's love [standard scene shows economics of womans role. No feelings for her love for Andrea. He is quickly in the past, now economics must move on. further play on who gets choice to marry theme] Horatio and BelImperia agree to meet in field, court too dangerous for their love. Belimperia trusts servatn Perdringano with plans "he is as trustworthy as my second self" But he betrays her Lorenzo and Balthazar, his servant Serberine and Pedringano interupt lovers, kill horatio. BelImperia screams, Heironimo comes and discovers son dead, found hanging from a tree. Heironimo has delusion that dea man is an imposter and Horatio is at court. Heironimo swears revenge "Then Iu will joy in my discontent." Heironimo gets note from BelImperia telling truth, naming names, but H. suspects a trap. Lorenzo pays Pedringano to kill Serberine, actually plans on killing both: "They for coin their souls endangered, I to save my life, for coin shall venture theirs; And better to let base companions die/ Than by their life to hazrd our good haps." "Slaves are ordained to no other end. [Same logic fought by T.H. White in his Once and Future Kings, where Aurthur subvertsd old order by charing the aristocracy with his knights, rather than simply cutting up innocnet, unarmoured peasants. Contrast with Aurchus govenment, as well as standard Rennaissance dependence on Servants, like it or not. A Novlemans treatment of slaves expresses his treatment of self. They contrast with Musidorus and Pyrocles, or rather, show direct relation ship of charxfger, like them, in all things.
III: Pedringano naievely thinks "if need by, my noble Lord/ will stand between me and unsung harm." Pedringano arrested, sends to plea to Lorenz for help. Lorenzo send him money and promise that pardon is on the way. Page instructed to show him box, tell him pardon is in it, but not let him open it. Page looks inside exactly as he was not told to do, thinks how smugly villain will flout the gallows and scorn the audience, presuming pardon. Pedringao boldly confesses crime, almost boastingly, secure in pardon. Hangman advised him to look to his souls health. [confucian trickledown theory, virtuous leaders make virtuous citizens.]
Lorenzo tells Belimperia he killed Horatio, coming upon them by mistake just ahead of her father, to save her reputation and protect her from father's anger.
Bel Imperia pretends to have fallen in love with Balthazar, agrees to marry. Heironimo denied access to king by Lorenzo, is summoned by lorenzos father, the Duke, who ahs heard rumours. H. claims he could never have any cause agsint Lorenzo. They embrace. Andrea interupts to again complain, in frustration. Revenge assures him he will be satisfied.
Lorenzo and Balthazar ask Heironimo to arrange a play for marriage? He asks if they will be in it. They agree to humour him. All parts in different languages very Humanist. Isabell kills herself in arbour [Horatios mater].
In play, BelImperia and Lorenzo are loers, but Balthazar loves her too. Heironimo convinces Balthazar that is Lorenzo dead, BelImperia would turn her love to hi,m. Balthazar laments necessity for killing friend, but agrees. Heironimo stabs Lorenzo for real on stage. BelImperia stabs Balthazar, then herself. Heironimo explains whole story to court, fct that fiction they was was quite real, then concludes as "authot and actor in this tragedy." Now he will kill self. they stop him, threaten torture to get story from him. He bites off tongue.
Play concludes with Andrea and Revenge, Andrea sums up "Horatio murdered in his fathers bower/ Vile Serberine by Perdringano slain/ False Pedringano hanged by quanit device/ fair Isbella by herself undone/ Prince Balthazar by BelImperia stabbed/ Duke of Castille and his wicked son/ both done to death by old Heironimo/. My BelImperia fallen as dido fell/ And good Heironimo slain by himself:/ Ay, these spectacles to please my soul.
Revenge says of Andrea's enemies: "though death hath end their misery I'll there begin their endless tragedy"
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gives sense of afterlife, which will separate good from evil. Sort of the Ariborne Ranger shirt: "kill them all and let God sort them out."
Themes
guilt/madness
art/rhetoric [Heironimos' silence, refusal to paly game, Balthazar's false rhetoric, BelImperias play within the play.
Responsibility of kings
Art more true than life?
As in Hamlet, criticsal question is Heironimo truly mad or
feigning madness? 2nd addition tells Lorenso he wantws to see BelImperia on a suit,m Lorenzo says "use me," Heirono0mo says it is too small a thing, "the murder of a son, aso/ A thing of nothign, my Lord." This tends to suggest true madness, to triplorenzxo off about suspicions [or, in court, none can react on exactly what they feel. all is restrained by politics of positions, image, face.]
Is Herinomo Justified in revenge? He quotes from Bible: "Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. sometimes thinks he should leave vengeance to God. [in effect, the Revenge personae shows that it is in the hands of God.]
Is H. more guilty because he's operating outside the law and law is his profession? [no, because, he, like servants Pedringano and Serberine, he has been ordained as one of the havenots. it in an iunjstice operant. He is not in the profession fo the law? It this true? It seems that fate has already been determined, and he has no more of a role in the judging than did Horatio in the devilment. Like the serving class, even in a divine sense, they sacrifice themselves for the revenge of a noble, Andrea. Belimperias death, by contrast, seeems to be sexaully consummate in nature. she is joining him in the onlly way possible. Like Dido, her love was fated this way by the gods.
Is there any justice: Is Heironimo a tragic Hero? [[error in judgement? should have told king? look at Hamlet. The king, the court fool of spies. A political climate does not allow for direct action, statment. The court is a stage for disguise, one that engenders further disguise, plays withing plays, masks withing masks.
Who is the Hero? I should think Belimperia. It seems that her intentions never waver, and are based on a code of honour not exampled within the courtly setting, where love can be thrown off for new economic gain, where no feeling for individuals exists. She is in contrast with all others, and Andrea sees her in the dream before the machinations of Revenge. Could be the Revenge follows her lead, just like Heironomo. She, it seems, does not hesitate, nor is she foolish or naiever abourt circumstances.
Tale in tale [heironimos revenge within Andrea's rebenge] Paly within play within play [BelImperias play within the person, is the only one that we do not see. it is the underground play, one which counts ona tradition of helpless women, passive women, to work on us. She pretends to believe Lorenzos story as to why he kileld Horatio. It is only later that we realize she was not fooled at all, but staying within her role in the body politic, biding her time. She will act, and it is her courage that brings HGeiroimo on to action. this is how we know it is virtuous, becasue Heironimo aligned with the noble, unswerving spirit of Belimperia, one that held to a moral code of right and wrong that we find acceptable, that is, a wrong is redressed, a murderer is murdered by an indvidual, becasue the state is not strong enoght to do it. It is outpoliticized by the individual who meets out personal justice. The state is corrupt, BelImperia is not. the overview of Revenge lends an ironic twist, or rather, allows play enoguh distcne from court so as not to be considered anti=courtly, antistate. Sa,me reason it is set in spain.
Class noted in Kyd
Kyd to tragedy as Lyley to Comedy
languae wonderful theater
not unive4rrsity educated
See Seencan Influence;
1. chorus
2. Inricte revenge plot
3. ghost
4. Madness
5. Senecan rhetoric
6. Purple, passionate, knife imagery
7. Stoicism [ftalism]
8. Only mind and death free [no acti9ons free all else controlled by others.
9. revenge Good. revenge not to be equal to crime, but must exceed crime fro cruelty. If not,m it is simply justice.
Kyd also wrote a Hamelt
Structure
1. Call for revenge
2. Revenger rights estblished
3. Delay while Revenger investigates
4. Means of Revenge
5. Revenge the denoument.
Characteristic of English stage in its insularity [Revenge plays usually committed elswhere, not by English.]
lorenzo first full Machiavellian on elixzabethan stage
Jew of Malta
richard III
cold bloodely sets to accomplish task. English see this as hard core evil
Advance on the set speech, in that in now incorporatings action into the spoken words. At first, set speech a debate in the mind. heironimos is an action/thought growth in presentation of psychology:
"what angel wakes me from my flowery bed" shakespeare.
Structure
Protaganist is Heironimo
Revenge is a state of mind
Belimperia unique in that she is strong, sexy, indepoendent, no layter equivalbnet in Elizbethn, Jocabian, Carolingian stage.
James = Jacobus in latin
Teh Revenge Tragedy genre like westersn hero interesting becasue he is tainted.
Love Scene Act II, scene II
Emotion: then, the more emotion, the longer the speeches, the more rhetoric, unlike today, where the moreemotional the shorter the speech.
Crux of Revenge: can you do it and still remain just, or will they be sullied [sullied, I think, but know it. No, sullied if they live, pure it they too die with the crime. Samson Agoniests.
Justice; Revenge with supernatural agents, but, is what happens here justice? [yes, becasue of BelImperia
Act II, scene xiii, page 85;
Heironimo: Vindicta mihi! [Veng is min/ Romans]
Ay, heaven will be revenged of evey ill
nor will they suffer murder unrepaid;
Then stya, Heironimo, attent their will
for mortal men may not appoint their time
Per seculus semper tutum est sceleribus iter
[the safe way for crimes is thorugh {further] crimes.]
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Heironimo read from Seneca he hold in his hand [Agamemnon I.115] Prompted by the Senecan tag, he reflects that Lorenzo will probably try to secure his own safety by adding a crime agasint himself to the crime agasint Horatio. It is this reflection that prompts his abandoning the arguemnt for christian patience of the first five lines
We see a SAophistical debate here, between
Vincidta mihi and Per seculus
[God must do it] [safe course is to strike]
Rhetorical reversal unmetaphored: intended marriage, all you get is a bloodbath. All who thought of murder dead at end, even Castille
Tamburlaine
stage companies often wrote plays to fit their charcters. Edmund Allayne, 6 foot tall, with red hair. All three Marlowe plays written for him, as did Shakespeares get erit for Burbage.
recent history= 100 years before
Sheperd/Arabs
for audience, none seen as criminal
So, no conflict in win after win
spectavle [golden jewels on stage]
One of Marlowe's earliest; immense possibilities of Renaissance stage
Jonson: Marlowes mighty lines [no end stopped, so gve sense of hugeness, blank verse, enjambment, verse paragraghs [Keatsian, miltonis]
Matlowed work with mythological allusions, hyperbole, sets character over reader; Tamburlaine a Superman, like Faustus, Antony [Shake]
Themes
Kingship
Prowess and elegance with words
Fantasy wish fulfillment for underdogs
the lion and the fox character combined [Machiavellian terms]
Kings act as foil characters...Marlowe's style in all characters except Mycetes...each King gets an act
Mycetes; cannot speak for himself [Charlie,m the Dauphin]
Cosroe [gullible, too much trust in self]
Bajazeth: noble, trumped up with rhetoric, too long in power, Ronald Reagan type, persian type. Epicurian.
Sympathetic character in Zenocrate, chorus.
Ascending difficulties of conquering to soldna
Tamburlaine over Hill, but does not fall like a Tragic Should. Bajazeth went too far.
Act II, scene 7, page 133:
Tamburlaine; The thirst of reign and sweetness of a crown
That caus'd the eldest son of heavenly ops
to thrust his doting afather from his chair
And place himself in the imperial heaven,
Mov'd me to manage arms agasint thy state.
What better precedent than mighty Jove?
Nartue, that fram'd us of four elements
Warriung within our breasts for regiment
Doth teach us all to have aspiring minds
Our souls, whose faculties can comprehend
The wondrous architecture of rthe world
And measure every planet's course,
Still climbing after knowledge infinite,
adn always moving as the restless shperes
wills us to wear ourselves and never rest
Until we reach the ripest fruit of all,
That perfect bliss and sole felicity
That sweet fruition of an earthly crown.
Call to Human action, Human glory
Sense in which he is part of the Elan Vital, Bergson's Evolutionary appetite
Expresses fallen state of man
Germlike, he invades weaker cells, ones ready to go. Predatory, but cruelly appropriate from one point of view, liek Jerzy Kosinski's small piece about the SS Officer.
Spenser's Prologue: tent of war...applaud as you will [an invitation to interpretation]
How do you judge Tamburlain: don't have ease of judg\ement, as we have in earlier works. this then, is sophistic. How does one judge a plague?
Rember, Rape in Elizabethan terms meant carrying off, like with Sabine women.
Dr Faustus
1592
"ws this the rfce that launched a thousand ships?"
Myth for centuries; Marlowe chjanged it from charcter in pursuit of pleasure to charcter on intellectual quest? When we first see Faustus, he is tired of philosophy, law, physics, divinity, books. Bargain he makes with Mephistopohels, his sou for 24 years of life "in all voluptuousness; / having rthee ever to attend on me/ to give me whatever shall ask/ to tell me whstoever i demand/ to slay my enemied, to aid my friends/ and always be odedient to my will" vbecause "I'll be great emperoer of the world." ticks Pope.
Themes:
ele,ment of human choice
concrete versus faith
pleasure in this world or joy in next
tragedy of human ambition, never satisfied.
Hell is anguish of human soul saved from God, not physical place.
whole issue of repentance and salvation
does Faustus repent? When he tries, Mephistopholes says he will tear him to pieces. Faustus after death torn to pieces, yet students believe he hs gone to hell [Merlin mythos]
Christian morality plays [a good and bad angel wrestling for mans soul] or tragedy that critiques Christian view of universe? Legent that when Dr Faustus was being played at Exeter, various ectors playing dev8iels appeared on stage, faltered and fell silent because aparent there was one more than anyone could account for. they called off the play, fled town, spent night praying in the open fields.