Spanish Tragedy

The freshly edited and annotated text comes with a full introduction and illustrative materials intended for student readers.The Spanish Tragedy was well known to sixteenth-century audiences, and its central elements-a play-within-a-play and a ghost bent on revenge-are widely believed to have influenced Shakespeare's Hamlet. This volume includes a generous selection of supporting materials, among them Kyd's likely sources (Virgil, Jacques Yver, and the anonymous &quote;The Earl of Leicester Betrays His Own Servant&quote;), Thomas Nashe's satiric criticism of Kyd, Michel de Montaigne and Francis Bacon on revenge, and &quote;The Ballad of The Spanish Tragedy,&quote; which suggests the play's initial reception. Criticism is thematically organized to provide readers with a clear sense of the play s major themes. Contributors include Michael Hattaway, Jonas A. Barish, Donna B. Hamilton, G. K. Hunter, Lorna Hutson, Molly Smith, J. R. Mulryne, T. McAlindon, and Andrew Sofer. A Selected Bibliography is also included.