The Revenger's Tragedy

The Revenger’s Tragedy is a cynical revenge play by Thomas Middleton, a Jacobean playwright. It was first performed in 1606 and portrays a tragic and ambitious battle for power in an unnamed seventeenth-century Italian court. Although the play wasn’t performed for many years, it returned to popular favor in the twentieth century. Cyril Tourneur, an English soldier and dramatist, was thought for many years to be the writer of The Revenger’s Play before it was later attributed to Middleton. Middleton is one of the few Jacobean playwrights to achieve success with both comedic and tragic plays.

The play’s main character is Vindici. He’s grieving for his recently deceased father, but that’s not his only concern. Vindici’s beloved, Gloriana, died many years ago, and he’s never moved on. Vindici knows that a man known only as the Duke poisoned her. He plans on getting his revenge, even if his brother, Hippolito, counsels against it.

The Duke poisoned Gloriana because she refused to sleep with him. He killed her to ensure no one else could have her virginity. Vindici believes that the Duke’s host of male heirs are just as bad, and he pities any woman who gets involved with them. As Vindici wonders how to kill the Duke, an opportunity presents itself.



Hippolito tells Vindici that Lussurioso, the Duke’s son and heir by his first marriage, is looking for a woman. He wants Hippolito to find him a procurer—someone who procures women—so he can satisfy his lusts. Even Hippolito admits that this may be an ideal opportunity for Vindici to avenge Gloriana’s murder. They agree that Vindici will pose as a procurer to get close to the Duke and his heirs.

Meanwhile, it transpires that the Duke’s youngest son, Junior, raped another man’s wife. Junior doesn’t deny the accusations but does try to say that she lusted after him. This confirms for Vindici and Hippolito that the Duke’s family is beyond redemption and they deserve everything coming their way.

Vindici successfully poses as a procurer. Lussurioso tells him that he wants one woman in particular—Castiza, a beautiful virgin who also happens to be Vindici’s sister. Vindici doesn’t react and instead pretends that he will help Lussurioso spend a night with her. He decides that he won’t kill the Duke but will instead kill Lussurioso.



First, however, Vindici decides to put his family to the test. He wonders if his mother will accept a bribe for her daughter’s virginity from a procurer. By the end of Act I, he hasn’t yet decided what he’ll do if his mother sells Castiza’s body so easily.

At the opening of Act II, Vindici tests his family. Castiza refuses to sleep with Lussurioso. Their mother is less sure; she thinks they could do with the money. Vindici reports the news to Lussurioso, who decides he must sleep with Castiza immediately. Meanwhile, the woman who Junior raped commits suicide, and Hippolito vows she should be avenged.

Neither Hippolito nor Vindici have any intention of letting Lussurioso near Castiza. The night Lussurioso expects to bed Castiza, they create a diversion—another man is sleeping with the Duchess, and Lussurioso must go to her to protect her honor. Lussurioso rushes to the bedchamber and finds that the Duchess is merely sleeping with her own husband, the Duke.



The Duke demands to know what’s going on, but Lussurioso doesn’t know what to tell him. He doesn’t want to admit that his mother might be sleeping with another man on the side. Because Lussurioso can’t explain why he burst into their bedroom, the Duke assumes he meant to kill him. Lussurioso is arrested for treason.

In the meantime, as Act III begins, the Duke calms down and orders his son be released. However, there’s confusion in the prison, and the Duke’s youngest son, Junior, is executed on sight. The Duke doesn’t know this yet and instead approaches the procurer—Vindici in disguise. The Duke wants an effigy of Gloriana, and Vindici promises to procure this.

Together, Vindici and Hippolito decide they’ll kill the Duke by poisoning the effigy. When the Duke kisses the effigy, he falls to his knees. Now that he’s weakened, Vindici stabs him and admits what he’s done.



Act IV begins with Lussurioso pondering what’s happened to the Duke. He believes the procurer somehow poisoned his father. He wants to kill the procurer and have Vindici take his place. Hippolito thinks this is a wonderful idea, because Lussurioso has no clue that Vindici is really the procurer. This can be their ultimate revenge.

In Act V, Lussurioso is named the new Duke. This enrages the rest of the Duke’s family, who all think they have what it takes to lead the house. In the commotion, Hippolito and Vindici kill the new Duke. Hippolito escapes the scene, but Vindici declares what he’s done because he’s so proud of his own accomplishments.

Shocked and horrified at Vindici’s declaration, other courtiers and nobles sentence him to death. Vindici doesn’t care about death because he’s glad to follow Gloriana. He’s achieved his true goal: avenging her murder.