(About Thomas Kyd: one of the University Wits but not studied at any university - only surviving popular revenge play "Spanish Tragedy" modeled on Seneca, Roman Stoic philosopher - the plays he wrote for Queen's Men are lost - the lost plays of Kyd:a pre-Shakespearean play on the subject matter of Hamlet "The Householder's Tragedy " and "The Tragedy of Solyman and Perseda",printed in 1592)-
1. Spanish Tragedy (1587):
(Background of the play is the victory of Spain over Portugal in 1580 - the revenge motive and play-within-a-play in this play, later a major source for Shakespeare's Hamlet - The alternative title of the play "Hieronimo Is Mad Again" is the penultimate line of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land - Summary of the play : Bel-imperia, sister of Lorenzo and daughter of the Spanish Duke loves Andrea, the Spanish Officer who is but burnt alive at stake by Balthazar, the Portugal prince who is however defeated by Horatio and kept captive. The ghost of Andrea, Bel imperia and the personified character Revenge await revenge on Balthazar. But the marriage between Balthazar and Bel imperia is proposed to maintain peace between the two countries. Balthazar and Lorenzo, after knowing the love between Bel-imperia and Horatio, stabs Horatio and hangs him on a tree. Horatio's mother Isabella who comes to know about this committs suicide. Horatio's father Hieronimo grows mad and knows the murderers from the letter from Bel-imperia written with her own blood. Meanwhile Balthazar's servant Serberas and Bel-imperia's servant Pedringano also encounter death for revealing the murder of Horatio. Being unable to seek justice from the Duke, partly due to Lorenzo, Hieranimo plans a play -within -a -play "Soliman and Persida" in which Lorenzo and Balthazar are really stabbed. Bel-Imperia also dies by using the real daggers in stead of prop daggers. Hieranimo, thus after avenging his son's death, kills the Duke, cuts his own throat and committs suicide.Thus the Play ends with a lot of bloodshed and death on the stage just for revenge.
2. Quotes from Spanish Tragedy :
"Give me a kiss, I'll countercheck thy kiss: Be this our warring peace, or peaceful war. "
Bel-Imperia, Act 2, Scene 2
"And, as I curse this tree from further fruit, So shall my womb be cursed for his sake."
Isabella, Act 4, Scene 2
"He hunted ... that was a lion's death, Not he that in a garment wore his skin—So hares may pull dead lions by the beard."
Hieronimo, Act 1, Scene 2
"She envies none but pleasant things, Such is the folly of despiteful chance! Fortune is blind and sees not my deserts."
That only I to all men just must be, And neither gods nor men be just to me.
Hieronimo, Act 3, Scene 6
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