{"product_id":"five-revenge-tragedies","title":"Five Revenge Tragedies","description":"As the Elizabethan era gave way to the reign of James I, England grappled with corruption within the royal court and widespread religious anxiety. Dramatists responded with morally complex plays of dark wit and violent spectacle, exploring the nature of death, the abuse of power and vigilante justice. In Kyd's \u003ci\u003eThe Spanish Tragedy\u003c\/i\u003e a father failed by the Spanish court seeks his own bloody retribution for his son's murder. Shakespeare's 1603 version of \u003ci\u003eHamlet\u003c\/i\u003e creates an avenging Prince of unique psychological depth, while Chettle's \u003ci\u003eThe Tragedy of Hoffman\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating reworking of \u003ci\u003eHamlet\u003c\/i\u003e's themes, probably for a rival theatre company. In Marston's \u003ci\u003eAntonio's Revenge\u003c\/i\u003e, thwarted love leads inexorably to gory reprisals and in Middleton's \u003ci\u003eThe Revenger's Tragedy\u003c\/i\u003e, malcontent Vindice unleashes an escalating orgy of mayhem on a debauched Duke for his bride's murder, in a ferocious satire reflecting the mounting disillusionment of the age. Emma Smith's introduction considers the political and religious climate behind the plays and the dramatic conventions within them. This edition includes a chronology, playwrights' biographies and suggestions for further reading.","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54252689850712,"sku":"9780141192277","price":18.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780141192277_885e9d92-a548-4ff7-b282-5c4812e4f07d.jpg?v=1764818127","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/five-revenge-tragedies","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}