William Shakespeare - Five Revenge Tragedies: The Spanish Tragedy; Hamlet; Antonios Revenge; The Tragedy of Hoffman; The Revengers Tragedy

The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet (1603), Antonios Revenge, The Tragedy of Hoffman, The Revengers Tragedy Edited and with an Introduction by
EMMA SMITH PENGUIN BOOKS FIVE REVENGE TRAGEDIES Thomas Kyd,
The Spanish Tragedy William Shakespeare,
Hamlet (1603) John Marston,
Antonios Revenge Henry Chettle,
The Tragedy of Hoffman Thomas Middleton,
The Revengers Tragedy PENGUIN CLASSICS EMMA SMITH is Fellow and Tutor in English at Hertford College, Oxford. She has published widely on Shakespeare and on early modern drama, particularly on the plays in print and in performance. She is co-editor of The Elizabethan Top Ten: Defining Print Popularity in Early Modern England and is working on a book on the Shakespeare First Folio. Dates of performance, usually conjectural, are taken from Alfred Harbages Annals of English Drama 9751700, rev. Sylvia Stoler Wagonheim (1989); c.

Revenge tragedies	Theatrical background	Historical background
1567	First purpose-built theatre in London
1572	Attacks on Protestants in St Bartholomews Day Massacre in Paris
1581	Publication of Seneca his Ten Tragedies
1584	First English colony in America, Roanoke, founded by Ralegh
1587	Execution of Mary Queen of Scots
1588	Failure of Spanish Armada
c. 1590	Marlowes Dr Faustus (Admirals Men)
1592	Kyds Spanish Tragedy performed (Stranges Men at the Rose)
1593	Theatres closed due to plague Murder of Marlowe
1594	Shakespeares Titus Andronicus Death of Kyd	Chamberlains Men founded	Tyrones rebellion in Ireland began Nine Years War
1596	Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet (Chamberlains Men)	Riots against high food prices
1597	Failure of second Spanish Armada
1599	Opening of the Globe Theatre by Shakespeares company, the Lord Chamberlains Men Revival of boys companies Beginning of Wars of the Theatres, particularly involving Jonson, Marston and Dekker	Bishops Ban orders satires to be publicly burned Earl of Essex mounts (unsuccessful) expedition to quell Irish rebellion
1600	Marstons Antonios Revenge (Children at St Pauls)
c. 1600	Shakespeares Hamlet (Chamberlains Men)
1601	Jonson paid for additions to The Spanish Tragedy	Earl of Essexs rebellion: he is executed for treason
1602	Chettles Tragedy of Hoffman (Admirals Men)
1602	Publication of The Spanish Tragedy with additions
1603	Lord Chamberlains Men become Kings Men	Death of Queen Elizabeth; accession of King James I
1604	Patent granted for indoor theatre at Blackfriars	Peace with Spain
1605	Middletons The Revengers Tragedy (Kings Men)	Jonsons first court masque Shakespeares King Lear (Kings Men)	Gunpowder plot to blow up Parliament
1607	First settlement at Jamestown, Virginia
1610	Chapmans The Revenge of Bussy DAmbois (Children of Whitefriars)
1611	Tourneur, The Atheists Tragedy (?Kings Men)
1612	Death of Prince Henry
1613	Webster, The Duchess of Malfi (Kings Men)	Globe Theatre burns down during performance of Shakespeares All is True
1614	Hope Theatre built on Bankside for plays and bear-baiting Jonsons Bartholomew Fair performed at Hope (Lady Elizabeths Men)
1616	Death of Shakespeare	Jonsons Folio of his plays and poems
1620	Middleton, Women Beware Women (Kings Men)	Pilgrim Fathers set out for America on the Mayflower
1623	Shakespeares collected works published in Folio
1625	Death of James I; accession of Charles I

Thomas Kyd (155894), The Spanish Tragedy Kyd was the son of a London scrivener and attended Merchant Taylors School. 1600 Shakespeares Hamlet (Chamberlains Men)1601Jonson paid for additions to The Spanish TragedyEarl of Essexs rebellion: he is executed for treason1602Chettles Tragedy of Hoffman (Admirals Men)1602Publication of The Spanish Tragedy with additions1603Lord Chamberlains Men become Kings MenDeath of Queen Elizabeth; accession of King James I1604Patent granted for indoor theatre at BlackfriarsPeace with Spain1605Middletons The Revengers Tragedy (Kings Men)Jonsons first court masque
Shakespeares King Lear (Kings Men)Gunpowder plot to blow up Parliament1607First settlement at Jamestown, Virginia1610Chapmans The Revenge of Bussy DAmbois (Children of Whitefriars)1611Tourneur, The Atheists Tragedy (?Kings Men)1612Death of Prince Henry1613Webster, The Duchess of Malfi (Kings Men)Globe Theatre burns down during performance of Shakespeares All is True1614Hope Theatre built on Bankside for plays and bear-baiting
Jonsons Bartholomew Fair performed at Hope (Lady Elizabeths Men)1616Death of ShakespeareJonsons Folio of his plays and poems1620Middleton, Women Beware Women (Kings Men)Pilgrim Fathers set out for America on the Mayflower1623Shakespeares collected works published in Folio1625Death of James I; accession of Charles I Thomas Kyd (155894), The Spanish Tragedy Kyd was the son of a London scrivener and attended Merchant Taylors School.

There is no record of his having attended university. His only other attested literary composition is a translation of the tragedy Cornelia from the French (published in 1594), although critics have suggested that he wrote the play Soliman and Perseda, sharing its name with Hieronimos playlet, and an earlier, lost version of Hamlet, the so-called Ur-Hamlet. He shared lodgings with fellow playwright Christopher Marlowe, and was imprisoned when atheistical papers, which Kyd attributed to Marlowe, were found there. The date of composition of The Spanish Tragedy is uncertain perhaps as early as 1587, since it does not mention the Spanish Armada of the following year and it is first recorded on stage in February 1592 when Lord Stranges Men played at the Rose Theatre. A further twenty-eight performances are recorded in theatre proprietor Philip Henslowes accounts between 1592 and 1597, making it an unprecedented success; a comic prequel was commissioned called

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