The Spanish Tragedy Theme of Society and Class

When we talk about society and class in The Spanish Tragedy, we mean the boundaries that exist between individuals based on social rank. In some ways, social rank in the 16th century is easy for us to grasp: the king outranks the duke, the duke outranks the gentleman lawyer, and the lawyer outranks the farmer. Done. But where modern society thinks about social rank in terms of wealth, or the have's and the have-nots, Renaissance society thought of rank as a matter of birth—you're either born to be king or not, or as you move down the scale you're either well-born or low-born. Class distinction is responsible for a ton of the dramatic tension in the play, so let's check out what all this hoity-toity snobbery is all about.

1. The play focuses intently on the problems with Revenge. But could you make the argument that class distinctions are the real problem? Bel-Imperia's love affair with Andrea and Horatio is frowned upon, which in turn brings scorn from her father and brother. And her brother Lorenzo at least pretends to be motivated by protecting her from marrying the wrong sort. Without harsh class distinctions would we still get the same kind of violence?
2. Pedringano, the Prince of Portugal, often breaks into rhymed poetry while speaking. But the messenger boy talks in plain, everyday prose. What does language have to do with social distinction in The Spanish Tragedy? And do different social classes today speak markedly different? If so, explain. If not, what do you think has changed?
3. Hieronimo has an important career as a judge. And yet, he ranks significantly lower on the social scale relative to the king, Lorenzo, Balthazar, and the Duke of Castile. What does this say about how justice is valued in the play? And how specifically does his social rank inhibit his revenge? And what, if anything, does all this say about the relationship between social status and justice in the play?
4. Does the play make an argument about social distinction in the 16th century? Or put another way, was Kyd trying to say that lowborn characters are morally superior to the out-of-touch nobility? If so, explain how the nobility are out-of-touch and the lowborn characters are virtuous. If you don't think the play argues in favor of one class or another, explain how class issues are ultimately neutralized.

Hieronimo's frustrated path to find justice for his family illuminates how 16th-century privilege outweighed impartial judgment.

As a well-born woman, Bel-Imperia does not reap the same class rewards as her male counterparts, which suggests that gender disparity is the biggest social chasm of the 16th century.

While some critics see the Duke of Castile's death as random and arbitrary, Hieronimo's decision to kill the duke reflects a negative view on arranged marriages designed to maintain familial nobility.