The Spanish Tragedy: Authoritative Text, Sources and Context, Criticism

Abstract

freshly edited and annotated text comes with a full introduction and illustrative materials intended for student readers. Spanish Tragedy was well known to sixteenth-century audiences, and its central elements-a play-within-a-play and a ghost bent on revenge-are widely believed to have influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet. This volume includes a generous selection of supporting materials, among them Kyd's likely sources (Virgil, Jacques Yver, and the anonymous The Earl of Leicester Betrays His Own Servant), Thomas Nashe's satiric criticism of Kyd, Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon on revenge, and The Ballad of Spanish Tragedy, which suggests the play's initial reception. Criticism is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of the play's major themes. Contributors include Michael Hattaway, Jonas A. Barish, Donna B. Hamilton, G. K. Hunter, Lorna Hutson, Molly Smith, J. R. Mulryne, T. McAlindon, and Andrew Sofer. A Selected Bibliography is also included.