Revenge Tragedy in Elizabethan Drama

Introduction

Revenge tragedy emerged as one of the most influential sub-genres of Elizabethan drama, combining bloodshed, moral conflict, supernatural elements, and a central theme of revenge. Rooted in classical models like Seneca’s tragedies, the genre found new vitality in Elizabethan England, where themes of justice, honor, fate, and retribution deeply resonated with audiences.

Origin and Influence

The revenge tragedy has its roots in Senecan drama, known for:

· Introspective soliloquies

· Supernatural interventions (ghosts, omens)

· Horrific violence

· Philosophical reflections on fate and death

Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy (c. 1587) is often credited with launching the English revenge tragedy tradition, laying the foundation for later works such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi.

Key Characteristics of Revenge Tragedy

1. A Wronged Hero: The protagonist is usually a noble figure who suffers a personal loss (often the murder of a family member).

2. Ghost or Supernatural Element: A ghost (usually of the murdered person) demands revenge.

3. Delay of Action: The avenger struggles with moral dilemmas, often delaying revenge.

4. Play within a Play or Masques: Used to reveal guilt or heighten drama.

5. Madness (Real or Feigned): The protagonist often pretends to be mad or actually descends into madness.

6. Use of Soliloquies: To explore internal conflict and philosophical depth.

7. Violent and Bloody Ending: Most characters, including the avenger, meet tragic ends.

Major Examples

1. Thomas Kyd – The Spanish Tragedy

· Plot: Hieronimo seeks revenge for the murder of his son Horatio.

· Significance: Established key revenge motifs — ghost, madness, bloody climax.

· Innovation: Introduced meta-theatrical elements such as the play-within-the-play.

2. William Shakespeare – Hamlet

· Plot: Prince Hamlet avenges the murder of his father, the King of Denmark.

· Ghost’s role: Hamlet’s father’s ghost prompts him to seek revenge.

· Key features: Feigned madness, introspective soliloquies (e.g., "To be or not to be"), moral hesitation.

3. John Webster – The Duchess of Malfi

· Though not a pure revenge play, it contains revenge motifs. The Duchess is murdered by her brothers; revenge is enacted by her avenger, Bosola.

· Themes: Corruption, decay, madness, and retribution.

4. Cyril Tourneur – The Revenger's Tragedy

· Originally attributed to Tourneur, now sometimes to Thomas Middleton.

· A dark satire on the corruption of court life and the futility of revenge.

Function and Morality

While revenge appears to be the goal, Elizabethan revenge tragedies are often critical of vengeance. They present revenge as:

· A personal duty vs. Christian morality

· A means of restoring honor vs. destructive obsession

· A form of justice vs. a trigger for chaos

Thus, many revenge heroes become morally ambiguous or tragic figures.

Revenge Tragedy and UGC NET Syllabus Relevance

· Part of Unit I: Drama – Forms and Conventions

· Questions related to:

o Characteristics of revenge tragedy

o Comparative analysis of key revenge plays

o Influence of Seneca on Elizabethan drama

o Use of devices like soliloquy, ghost, and play-within-a-play

Sample MCQs

1. Which of the following plays is considered the first true Elizabethan revenge tragedy?

A. Hamlet
B. The Spanish Tragedy
C. The Revenger’s Tragedy
D. Doctor Faustus
Answer: B. The Spanish Tragedy

2. The ghost in Hamlet first appears to whom?

A. Claudius
B. Hamlet
C. Horatio and the guards
D. Ophelia
Answer: C. Horatio and the guards

3. Who is the avenger in The Revenger’s Tragedy?

A. Vindice
B. Bosola
C. Iago
D. Lorenzo
Answer: A. Vindice

4. The "play within a play" device in Hamlet is used to:

A. Entertain Claudius
B. Distract Gertrude
C. Reveal Claudius’s guilt
D. Trick Ophelia
Answer: C. Reveal Claudius’s guilt

Previous Year UGC NET Questions (PYQs)

1. (UGC NET December 2013)

Which of the following plays is NOT a revenge tragedy?
A. Hamlet
B. The Spanish Tragedy
C. The Duchess of Malfi
D. As You Like It
Answer: D. As You Like It

2. (UGC NET July 2016)

Which element is common to Senecan and Elizabethan revenge tragedy?
A. Comic relief
B. History of England
C. Chorus
D. Ghost
Answer: D. Ghost

3. (UGC NET June 2020)

“To be or not to be” is an example of:
A. Aside
B. Dialogue
C. Soliloquy
D. Irony
Answer: C. Soliloquy

Conclusion

Revenge tragedy in Elizabethan drama is a potent blend of passion, philosophy, and violence, reflecting a society grappling with the ideals of justice and individual agency. Through iconic figures like Hamlet and Hieronimo, the genre explores human fallibility, the limits of revenge, and the consequences of unchecked emotion.

Tragic Hero and the Concept of the Over-reacher

1. Tragic Hero

Definition (Aristotle – Poetics):

A tragic hero is a person of noble stature who falls from grace due to a tragic flaw (hamartia) and whose downfall evokes pity and fear (catharsis). The character’s journey includes anagnorisis (recognition) and peripeteia (reversal of fortune)

Key Features:

· High birth / noble status

· Hamartia (tragic flaw)

· Hubris (excessive pride)

· Peripeteia and anagnorisis

· Catharsis for the audience

Examples:

· Oedipus (Oedipus Rex) – flaw: ignorance of true identity

· Macbeth – flaw: ambition

· Hamlet – flaw: indecision

2. Over-reacher (Renaissance Tragic Hero)

Definition:
Coined from the Renaissance spirit of individualism and humanism, the overreacher is a character who aspires to go beyond human limitations — often seeking power, knowledge, or immortality, and ultimately faces damnation or destruction.

Key Features:

· Excessive ambition

· Defiance of divine/natural limits

· Intellectual arrogance

· Fall due to moral/spiritual transgression

Major Example:

· Dr. Faustus (Christopher Marlowe):
Sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange for 24 years of magical power.

Others:

· Tamburlaine (Marlowe)

· Victor Frankenstein (Shelley)

UGC NET Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

PYQ 1: NTA UGC NET, 2012 (Paper II)

Q. The concept of catharsis is associated with which of the following theorists?
A) Longinus
B) Aristotle
C) Plato
D) Horace

Answer: ✅ B) Aristotle

PYQ 2: UGC NET, 2013 (Paper II)

Q. Who among the following is often described as a "Renaissance overreacher"?
A) Oedipus
B) Dr. Faustus
C) Hamlet
D) King Lear

Answer: ✅ B) Dr. Faustus

PYQ 3: UGC NET, 2015 (Paper II)

Q. Match the following characters with their tragic flaws:

Characters	Flaws
A. Macbeth	1. Indecision
B. Hamlet	2. Ambition
C. Oedipus	3. Ignorance
D. Faustus	4. Pride/Hubris

Correct Match:
A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4

Answer: ✅ Correct

PYQ 4: NTA UGC NET, 2018 (Paper II)

Q. “A character who is great but not perfect, whose downfall is partially his own fault and whose misfortune evokes pity and fear” refers to:
A) A Romantic hero
B) A Gothic hero
C) An Epic hero
D) A Tragic hero

Answer: ✅ D) A Tragic hero

PYQ 5: UGC NET, 2020 (Mock Test Sample)

Q. Who said: “The overreacher is one who goes beyond the limits set by God”?
A) Samuel Johnson
B) Harold Bloom
C) Christopher Marlowe
D) Irving Ribner

Answer: ✅ D) Irving Ribner
(Literary critic who described Faustus as the Renaissance overreacher)

PYQ Themes Noted for UGC NET Preparation:

· Aristotle’s Poetics and tragic structure

· Comparison between classical and Renaissance tragic heroes

· Marlowe’s heroes as overreachers

· Catharsis, Hamartia, Hubris

· Faustus as a symbol of Renaissance ambition

Blank Verse: A Comprehensive Study for UGC NET

Introduction

Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter, widely regarded as the most influential verse form in English drama and poetry, particularly during the Renaissance and Elizabethan period. It combines the formal structure of meter with the natural rhythms of speech, making it ideal for both theatrical dialogue and serious poetic reflection.

Definition and Structure

· Meter: Iambic Pentameter (each line has five iambs, i.e., ten syllables in total; unstressed followed by stressed syllables)

· Rhyme: None (unrhymed)

Example (from Paradise Lost by Milton):

"Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit"

Each foot follows the iambic pattern:
of MAN’s / first DIS / oBE / diENCE / and THE / fruit

Historical Development

1. Introduction by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

· First used blank verse in English for his translation of Virgil’s Aeneid in the 1540s.

· Set the foundation for its literary adoption.

2. Christopher Marlowe

· Gave poetic beauty and dramatic force to blank verse.

· Known for its mighty line (Ben Jonson).

· Example:

"Was this the face that launch’d a thousand ships / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?" (Doctor Faustus)

3. William Shakespeare

· Mastered blank verse in drama.

· Used it to differentiate characters, convey psychological states, and elevate tone.

· Varied line lengths and stresses to suit mood and context.

· Example:

"To be, or not to be, that is the question." (Hamlet)

4. John Milton

· Employed blank verse in epic poetry, notably in Paradise Lost.

· Added grandeur and syntactic flexibility.

· Example:

"Of man’s first disobedience, and the fruit / Of that forbidden tree..."

5. Later Usage

· Romantic poets like Wordsworth used it in The Prelude.

· Tennyson and Browning in Victorian era also adopted it.

· Modern poets occasionally use it for dramatic monologues or meditative verse.

Significance of Blank Verse

1. Dramatic Flexibility: Sounds close to natural speech; ideal for monologues, soliloquies.

2. Poetic Elevation: Lends seriousness and dignity.

3. Character Differentiation: Often used to signal nobility or seriousness (e.g., kings in Shakespeare speak in blank verse).

4. Enjambment and Variation: Allows poets to break from rigid rhythm for dramatic effect.

Blank Verse vs Other Forms

Feature	Blank Verse	Free Verse	Rhymed Verse
Meter	Yes	No	Yes
Rhyme	No	No	Yes
Common Use	Drama, Epic Poetry	Modern Poetry	Lyric Poetry

Famous Examples of Blank Verse

1. Shakespeare’s Macbeth:

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day..."

2. Milton’s Paradise Lost:

"Hail holy Light, offspring of Heaven firstborn,
Or of the Eternal coeternal beam..."

3. Wordsworth’s The Prelude:

"Was it for this
That one, the fairest of all rivers, lov’d
To blend his murmurs with my nurse’s song..."

UGC NET-Oriented Focus

Key Concepts for MCQs

· Originator of blank verse: Henry Howard

· Master of blank verse in drama: Shakespeare

· Epic blank verse: Milton’s Paradise Lost

· Difference between blank verse and free verse

· Technical features: iambic pentameter, unrhymed, enjambment

UGC NET Previous Year Questions & Sample MCQs

Q1. Who introduced blank verse into English poetry?
A. Thomas Wyatt
B. Henry Howard
C. Geoffrey Chaucer
D. Edmund Spenser
Answer: B. Henry Howard

Q2. Identify the correct definition of blank verse. (UGC NET June 2020)
A. Unrhymed trochaic tetrameter
B. Rhymed iambic pentameter
C. Unrhymed iambic pentameter
D. Rhymed dactylic hexameter
Answer: C. Unrhymed iambic pentameter

Q3. “Was this the face that launch’d a thousand ships…” is an example of:
A. Free verse
B. Heroic couplet
C. Blank verse
D. Ode
Answer: C. Blank verse

Q4. In which of the following works is blank verse used?
A. Pope’s Rape of the Lock
B. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
C. Milton’s Paradise Lost
D. Donne’s The Flea
Answer: C. Milton’s Paradise Lost

Q5. Match the authors with their works in blank verse:

Authors	Works
A. Shakespeare	1. Macbeth
B. Marlowe	2. Doctor Faustus
C. Milton	3. Paradise Lost
D. Wordsworth	4. The Prelude

Answer: A–1, B–2, C–3, D–4

Tips for UGC NET Preparation

· Memorize the definition and technical elements of blank verse.

· Understand its differences from free verse and heroic couplet.

· Study blank verse passages from Shakespeare, Milton, and Marlowe.

· Practice passage-based comprehension and figure of speech identification.

Elizabethan Drama (UGC NET - Unit I Drama)

Elizabethan Drama

Introduction

Elizabethan Drama refers to the body of English plays written and performed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). This era marks the Golden Age of English drama, characterized by the emergence of the professional theatre, the flowering of poetic drama, and the establishment of great playwrights like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and Thomas Kyd.

Key Features of Elizabethan Drama

1. Humanism and Renaissance Influence:

o Revival of classical Greek and Roman ideals.

o Emphasis on individualism, secular themes, and exploration of human nature.

2. Blank Verse:

o Marlowe popularized blank verse; Shakespeare perfected it.

o Helped elevate the poetic quality of drama.

3. Tragic Heroes and the Concept of the Overreacher:

o Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is a classic example.

o Influenced by Senecan tragedy.

4. Revenge Tragedy:

o Popular genre introduced by Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy.

o Led to plays like Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

5. Mix of Comedy and Tragedy:

o Shakespeare frequently blended tragic elements with comic relief.

6. Use of Soliloquy and Aside:

o Helped reveal the inner workings of a character’s mind.

o Widely used by Shakespeare and Marlowe.

7. Violence and Supernatural Elements:

o Ghosts, witches, and prophecy figure prominently (Macbeth, Hamlet).

o Appeals to the imagination and fear of the audience.

8. Public Theatres and Acting Companies:

o The Globe Theatre, The Swan, The Rose were significant.

o Companies like The Lord Chamberlain’s Men became popular.

Major Elizabethan Dramatists

William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

· Prolific playwright of tragedies (Hamlet, Othello), comedies (As You Like It, Twelfth Night), and histories (Richard III).

· Innovations in character depth, plot structure, and language.

Christopher Marlowe (1564–1593)

· Known for Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, Edward II.

· Introduced the “Marlovian Hero”—ambitious, daring, tragic.

· Called “the father of English tragedy”.

Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

· Famous for comedies of humours: Volpone, The Alchemist.

· Advocated classical unities and satire.

Thomas Kyd (1558–1594)

· The Spanish Tragedy laid the foundation for the revenge tragedy.

Relation to UGC NET Questions

1. Frequently Asked Topics

· Match the Following: Plays and authors.

· Chronological Order: Publication or performance dates of Elizabethan plays.

· Assertion-Reason Questions: Literary significance of blank verse, soliloquies, Senecan influence.

· Thematic MCQs: Themes in Doctor Faustus, Hamlet, Volpone.

· Passage-Based Questions: Extracts from Elizabethan plays asking about character, context, or poetic devices.

2. Previous Year Sample Questions

Q1. Match the following playwrights with their works (UGC NET June 2013)
A. Marlowe – 1. Edward II
B. Kyd – 2. The Spanish Tragedy
C. Jonson – 3. The Alchemist
D. Shakespeare – 4. Measure for Measure
Answer: A–1, B–2, C–3, D–4

Q2. Who is considered the first tragedian of the Elizabethan stage? (UGC NET June 2019)
A. Shakespeare
B. Thomas Kyd
C. Marlowe
D. Ben Jonson
Answer: C. Marlowe

Q3. Which among the following is NOT a feature of Elizabethan tragedy? (UGC NET Dec 2017)
A. Chorus
B. Revenge theme
C. Comic relief
D. Use of prose only
Answer: D. Use of prose only

Elizabethan Drama in Contemporary Criticism

Modern literary critics have interpreted Elizabethan drama in terms of:

· Power and politics (Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicism)

· Gender and performance (Judith Butler on gender roles in Shakespeare)

· Psychoanalysis (Freudian readings of Hamlet’s indecision)

· Postcolonial interpretations (e.g., The Tempest and colonial discourse)

Tips for UGC NET Preparation

· Read summaries and critical analyses of major plays.

· Focus on dramatic devices, genres, and evolution of theatre.

· Learn timelines: when was each play written/performed?

· Study theatre history: Globe Theatre, acting companies, censorship.

· Practice MCQs on authorship, characters, themes, and quotations.

Note: A detailed analysis of each part of this article along with UGC NET questions and Sample Questions has been separately published. Please visit those pages to have a comprehensive study.