Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- The Spanish Tragedy is like ancient Greek and Roman Theater in that it has a chorus. The ghost of Don Andrea and Revenge serve as an onstage audience that comments on the actions (and inactions) of the characters. The role of the chorus is largely to remind us of the original injustice that needs to be avenged. How would the play be different if they weren't there? What do constant reminders from a ghost say about how humans remember (or misremember) the dead? Would we have less sympathy for the murdered Don Andrea if his ghost were not present onstage? And what does the character Revenge teach us about, well, revenge?
- This is a play about family problems in conflict with larger political concerns. Hieronimo is the Knight Marshall of Spain, which means that he is responsible for imposing justice on criminals. The great irony of the play is that Hieronimo (the instrument for justice) has to go outside of the legal system to get justice for his own family. How do family problems interact with state problems in the play? When do family problems and political problems converge/contradict?
- Bel-Imperia's arranged marriage to the heir apparent of Portugal and her resolve to choose her own lovers are central conflicts in the play. Bel-Imperia is a strong, independently minded woman in a world in which women are controlled and exchanged like objects. Some commentators, however, have argued that Bel-Imperia also uses love as a political tool. Does she truly love Horatio? Or does she, just like her father and uncle, use love to accomplish ulterior motives? Does she have any other options to take control of her destiny?
- We are led to believe that Prince Balthazar's arranged marriage with Bel-Imperia would bring peace between warring Portugal and Spain. Presumably, Balthazar's death would lead to more war and loss of life that would far overshadow the murders of Don Andrea and Horatio. And yet the play asks us to cheer on Hieronimo to kill Balthazar? As the audience, do we care about future loss of life after Hieronimo gets his justice? What does this say about the ethics of revenge? And what does this say about the emotions that drive revenge?
- Revenge is a dish best served cold. At least we've heard as much. A lot. And, hey, we might even enjoy the sadistic pleasure of watching retribution slowly play out. Wow, what does this say about us? So, what is the point of delayed revenge in The Spanish Tragedy? In 3.15, Revenge literally falls asleep, after which Andrea's ghost says, "Awake, Revenge, for thou art ill-advised to sleep away what thou art warned (read: urged) to watch" (3.15.10-11). What's with all this sleepy revenge business? Is this just a boring play, or does sleeping Revenge signify something deeper?
- Ambition plays a huge role in the play: Pedringano and Serberine kill Horatio to advance their careers, Villupo wrongly accuses Alexandro of murder to get in good with the Viceroy, Balthazar knows that he will enhance his political authority by marrying Bel-Imperia, and we find out early on that the Spanish and Portuguese rulers wage war to accrue more power and money. You could argue that this is more of an ambition drama than a revenge drama. With this in mind, compare and contrast ambition and revenge as motivating factors in the play. How are ambition and revenge different kinds of motivation? How are they the same?
- Revenge drives most of the action of the play. But what about our prime villain, Lorenzo? His motivations are less apparent, right? While Lorenzo makes use of other character's ambitions and is ultimately responsible for most of the evil deeds in the play, his own motivations are left unclear. What effect does this have on the play? Is Kyd obscuring darker motives that he may only hint at from time to time? If not, what actually motivates Lorenzo?
- Like most Renaissance dramas, The Spanish Tragedy has a subplot. In this play, the subplot follows a wrongful murder accusation that nearly leads to the execution of an innocent character, while the main plot unfolds a murder that never leads to formal charges. What does the mirror effect of these plots accomplish? How are the plots thematically connected? And what do you learn about the main plot from the subplot?
- What's up with the overkill at the end of the play? The Duke of Castile hasn't done anything that deserves a death sentence, yet our avenging hero, Hieronimo, mercilessly slaughters him along with all the bad guys? Can Hieronimo still be a hero after needlessly killing the Duke?
- The play ends with a play-within-a-play. It seems significant that characters die while acting in a play embedded within the larger play. This means that we get actors playing characters who are dying, who are at the same time playing actors playing other characters. Confusing, right? So, what's with all the layers of theatricality? Why does the play go out of its way to remind the audience that it's watching/reading a play?