A revenge tragedy is a genre of play, popularized in the 17th century, in which the protagonist seeks revenge for real or perceived abuse . These tragedies generally employ a number of the same conventions, such as escalating causes of vengeance, interrupted trials, botched executions, and tragic endings. Middleton's The Revenger's Tragedy is a curious example of this type of play, which ultimately reads as a pastiche of a variety of other revenge tragedies. By employing comedy and exaggerating the conventions typically found in revenge tragedies such as Shakespeare's Hamlet, Middleton effectively parodies this genre in his play The Revenger's Tragedy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In many revenge tragedies, including Shakespeare's Hamlet, the idea of ​​revenge emerges from a murder. Typically, character one kills character two and character three seeks revenge on character one for the murder. In Hamlet there are only two clear revenge plots. The first begins when Hamlet discovers that his uncle, Claudius, murdered his father, King Hamlet of Denmark. At the beginning of the play, the ghost of King Hamlet appears before Hamlet and declares: "If ever thou loved thy dear father - / … / Revenge for his vile and most unnatural murder" (1.5.25) before revealing that Claudius poured poison into his ear while he slept in his orchard (1.5.59-79). After learning this shocking news about his father's death, Hamlet sets out to prove his father's story true and kill Claudius. However, in doing so, he mistakenly kills Polonius, who was hiding behind a tapestry, believing it to be Claudius (3.4.23-25). This action serves as the catalyst for the play's second revenge plot. Laertes, the son of Polonius, on his return from France, learns of the unjust murder of his father: And I too, a lost noble father, A sister driven to despair, Who, if we can trace the praises, has challenger outfit, on mount, for all ages For its perfections. But my revenge will come (4.7.25-29). This “revenge” he refers to is akin to the revenge Hamlet aims to obtain for his father; Laertes becomes determined in his plot to murder Hamlet, who has both killed his father and driven his sister mad. Both of these revenge plots have a justifiable impulse and a form of linear reasoning to achieve their goals. The revenge plots in Middleton's The Revengers Tragedy are not so sparse and linear. Only a few characters seek revenge for what can be considered noble and justified reasons. Vindex, for example, seeks revenge on his late love, Gloriana, by declaring: "The old duke was poisoned, / Because thy purest part did not consent / To his thirst for paralysis" (1.1. 32-34). Likewise, Antonio and Hippolito aim to exact revenge on the duchess's unnamed youngest son for the rape of Antonio's wife and subsequent suicide (1.4.59-64). In both cases, the characters seek revenge for wrongdoings, murders and rapes, committed against their loved ones. These causes of revenge are justified in the genre of revenge tragedies and can be found in multiple plays of this particular genre. However, not all characters in The Revenger's Tragedy are equally virtuous; some seek revenge for unreasonable and absurd reasons. The best example of this is the characters Supervacuo and Ambitioso. When Lussurioso is thrown into prison for treason, the Duke givesto Supervacuo and Ambitioso a seal to give to the guards, declaring that Lussurioso must be executed (2.3.99-101). When Supervacuo and Ambitioso bring the seal to the guards, they declare that the Duke wants "[their] brother" executed immediately (3.31-3); however, the guards kill their younger brother instead, since Lussurio has been freed (3.4.39-40). After discovering the fate of their younger brother, Supervacuo and Ambitioso swear to avenge his death: Well, no more words – they will be avenged by my faith. Come and throw away the clouds now, brother; think of revenge and deeper hatred. Sirrah, sit down quickly: We will bring down everything, but you will fall in the end (3.6.88-91). If one were to look at these lines alone, it would seem that Supervacuo and Ambitioso had a just reason to seek revenge on their younger brother; however, its quick execution was their own fault. They may believe they have a noble and justifiable cause to avenge their younger brother, but in reality their cause is absurd and pointless. By providing the audience with examples of varying degrees of justified revenge, Middleton is able to highlight how ridiculous some of these revenge plots truly are. For example, when the murder of one character's wife is placed alongside the accidental execution of another character's brother, the former highlights the utter absurdity of the latter. This juxtaposition not only serves as a comedic tool, but also exaggerates the role of vengeance in these revenge tragedies, thereby satirizing the genre and its main trope. Since death plays such a vital role in revenge tragedies, images of death, such as skulls, are prominent. In Hamlet, before Ophelia's funeral, Hamlet finds himself in a cemetery conversing with gravediggers. After picking up a skull and recognizing it as an ancient jester he once knew, Hamlet throws the skull to the ground and reflects on death, declaring: "Alexander is dead, Alexander has been buried, Alexander returns to dust , the dust is the earth, with the earth do you charge us, and why, from this loam to which he was converted, could they not stop a barrel of beer? (5.1.192-195). Looking at the skull, Hamlet is led to reflect on the universality and inevitability of death. He recognizes that while life can be important and some can represent greatness, ultimately everyone dies and becomes a skull in the ground. His thoughts are philosophical and existential, emphasizing the innate gravity of revenge tragedies and the deaths within them. In The Revenger's Tragedy, Vindex, on the other hand, uses this imagery of death for other purposes. In the opening scene of the play, Vindex enters carrying a skull, cursing the Duke and his family. Throughout his first monologue, we learn that this skull is “the yellowish image of [his] poisoned love” (1.1.14) or of his deceased fiancée, Gloriana. This conventional use of a skull is similar to that of Hamlet; Vindex speaks to the skull and reflects on the untimely death of his love. He does not delve into its philosophical implications as Hamlet does, but he recognizes its seriousness. However, this solemn reflection is short-lived. A few acts later, the Duke hires Vindex, disguised as Piato, to arrange a meeting with him and a lady in an abandoned lodge (3.5.8-18). Vindex sees this as the perfect opportunity to take revenge on the Duke and decides that the “lady” he will bring for the Duke will be the decorated skull of his murdered fiancée: Madam, His Grace will not be away for long. Secret? Never doubt us, ma'am. This will be worth three velvet robes to your lordship. Known? Few women respect this; disgrace? A poor thin shell! It's the best gracethat you have to do it well; I will spare your hand this work, I will unmask you (3.5.43-48). Following this quote, Vindex unmasks this “lady” and reveals her true identity. This contrasts sharply with Hamlet's existential musings. By having Vindex dress the skull as a woman, Middleton inserts humor and absurdity into an otherwise serious scene. Vindex's madness is recognized in the play, as Hippolito states: "Why brother, brother" (3.5.49) after Vindex unmasks the skull. By having another character acknowledge this absurdity, Middleton draws attention to the fact that dressing up your dead fiancée's skull is indeed a ridiculous plan. Likewise, because the audience saw Vindex's solemn reflection on this skull at the beginning of the play, Middleton further emphasizes the use of comedy in a conventionally humorless scene, successfully deepening the idea that this play is a parody of the typical revenge tragedy. Another convention commonly found in revenge tragedies is the use of involuntary execution. In Hamlet, Claudius sends Hamlet and his friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, on a ship to England with a letter demanding Hamlet's execution upon his arrival (4.3.60-70). Hamlet, upon hearing about it, replaces the letter with the one he wrote. This letter states that "the bearers [should] be put to sudden death" (5.2.48) which, in this case, are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, since Hamlet leaves the ship and returns to Denmark. Through the involuntary execution of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet is not only able to avoid his own execution, but also to punish those who worked against him, showing no sympathy for his traitors: why, man, they did love for this job. They are not close to my consciousness. Their defeat grows by their own insinuation. It is dangerous when the baser nature comes between the neck and the irritated points of powerful opposites (5.2.58-63). These deaths reinforce the notion of revenge in this play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have wronged Hamlet; that’s why Hamlet thinks up a way to get them killed. Their executions provide a means to an end that benefits both Hamlet and the narrative as a whole, proving useful rather than superfluous. The Revengers tragedy, on the other hand, uses involuntary executions for a different purpose. When Supervacuo and Ambitioso tell the guards that the Duke wants their "brother" executed, they intend that the guards will execute Lussurioso, their half-brother (3.31-3). However, Lussurioso was released without their knowledge; therefore, the guards take their younger brother to his execution (3.4.39-40). When the guards bring their younger brother's decapitated head to Supervacuo and Ambitioso, they pretend to be upset, still believing it to be Lussurioso (3.6.39-42). However, immediately after this false mourning, Lussurioso enters, prompting Supervacuo and Ambitioso to exclaim, "Alive!" In heather! Released!" in an attempt to hide their surprise (3.6.58). After learning that it was in fact their younger brother who had been executed, they similarly exclaim: "Plagues! Confusion! Darkness! Devils ! ” but this time, these exclamations are serious (3.6.75) serves to emphasize the surprise that the characters encounter when they learn the truth Moreover, by having the characters take turns. for each individual word, Middleton introduces comedy into the scene. Not only is the accidental execution absurd in itself, but so are the characters' reactions. This humor and absurdity rejects the conventional trope of unintentional executions, such as the scene in. Hamlet,thus undermining the serious tone used in many revenge tragedies. Typically, revenge tragedies end with brutal and bloody death scenes, and the infamous finale of Hamlet is a well-known example of this convention. Claudius agrees with Laertes that he should avenge his father's death and suggests that Laertes challenge Hamlet to a fencing duel, which would give him the opportunity to kill Hamlet without the appearance of foul play (4.6 .79-84). Additionally, Laertes anoints his sword with poison to ensure Hamlet's death, and Claudius has a poisoned chalice to give him, if all else fails (4.6.111-133). However, this plan backfires. As Hamlet and Laertes fence, Laertes wounds Hamlet, they drop their rapiers, and Hamlet catches Laertes' rapier and wounds Laertes, meaning they have both been poisoned. While this fight ensues, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, takes a sip from the chalice, poisons herself, and dies (5.2.234, 253). Upon learning that the chalice has been poisoned and that Claudius is responsible, Hamlet stabs and kills Claudius and, shortly thereafter, Laertes and Hamlet die from their poisoned wounds. At the end of this scene, the only character left alive is Horatio; all other characters are killed by another, depicting the typical death scene of a revenge tragedy. Not only does everyone die, but they do so in dramatic fashion, uttering apologies and profound statements moments before they die. This increases both the severity of these deaths and the moral implications that accompany them, giving the audience the impression that this play is truly tragic. However, The Revenger's Tragedy treats the final tragic death scene very differently. Vindex, Hippolito and two lords enter Lussurioso's banquet as part of a masque. They begin their masked dance and, during all this frivolity, kill the four nobles at the table, including Lussurioso. The mask then comes off and a new mask, consisting of Supervacuo, Ambitioso, Surpio and a fourth man, enters a dance routine. Seeing that Lussurioso has been stabbed, Supervacuo says, “Then I proclaim myself. Now I am a duke” (5.3.54), prompting Ambitioso to shout, “You, duke! Brother you lie” (5.3.55) and stab Supervacuo to become the new Duke. This causes Spurio to shout, “Slave! And you too” (5.3.55) and stabs Ambitioso, who leads the fourth man to the mask, exclaiming: “Infamous villain, have you killed my lord and master? (5.3.56). This chain of stabbings is very different from the death scene depicted in Hamlet for a variety of reasons. First, there is no secret revenge plot behind all these murders; instead, these men impulsively stab each other whenever they please, thereby exaggerating the act of killing. This certainly makes this death scene dramatic, but it is not tragic like the scene in Hamlet. Tragedy involves suffering and distress, none of which are represented in these hastened deaths. Second, the characters in this scene do not utter any significant thoughts or statements in the moments before their deaths like Laertes and Hamlet in Hamlet. Instead, they bicker like children, arguing over who is in the wrong. This introduces comedy into a traditionally dark scene, removing the potential seriousness of the situation. By exaggerating the act of committing suicide and employing humor, Middleton is able to emphasize the absurdity of certain tragic death scenes and therefore parody them successfully. Middleton more blatantly parodies the revenge tragedy genre by making The Revenger's Tragedy a metadrama, meaning that the game is aware of the genre.