Essay About Revengers Tragedy And Treatment Of The Revengers

Revenge
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In this study of revenge and revengers in two Elizabethan revenge
tragedies the two plays I shall look at are Hamlet, by William
Shakespeare, and The Revengers Tragedy, by Thomas Middleton. I shall
look first at the playwrights handling of the characters of the
revengers, and then at the treatment of the revengers by other
characters in the plays.
Although having similarities in their underlying themes, and in their
adherence to conventions, these two plays present contrasting pictures
of the figure of the revenger; Hamlet offering a far more complex
treatment of its main character, and The Revengers Tragedy appearing,
in comparison, limited by the authors social message, and lacking in
realistic characterisation.
Hamlet and Vindice, the two revengers, have in common their tasks as
revengers, but they have very different methods of dealing with
situations, modes of thought, and instinctual behaviour. Middletons
Vindice is largely an allegorical character; his name and the names of
other characters in The Revengers Tragedy (e.g. Spurio, Ambitioso)
are derived from Medieval morality plays; names which suggest the
quality of near-farcical exaggeration which is a feature of The
Revengers Tragedy from the opening scenes remarkable similarity to a
procession of the Seven Deadly Sins, to Vindices simplistic
association of lust with Judas and the Devil.
Hamlet, in contrast, is an individual with depth, who suffers from
insecurity, and a sense of absurdity. As we see him at the beginning