Thomas Kyd

The Spanish Tragedy Thomas Kyd

The play begins with a ghost talking to the audience. Yeah, you read that right. But wait, it get's even weirder, because the ghost is accompanied by a dude from Hell called, "Revenge." And that's not just his name-he is Revenge personified. The ghost tells us that he is Don Andrea, a Spanish courtier who was recently killed in a war with Portugal. Andrea's death is of a suspicious nature, so the King and Queen of Hell send him back to the living to get revenge with the help of his new friend, um, Revenge. These characters-and we do mean characters-will serve as Chorus for the rest of the play. It turns out that Balthazar, a creepy-stalker-type-guy who is also the heir apparent to the Portuguese throne, killed Andrea. Even though Balthazar killed Andrea in war, he did so in a very dishonorable way (a cheap shot, if you will), hence the need for revenge. Andrea was lucky, however, to have a best friend in Horatio, who rallied to kick some major Portuguese butt in the process of capturing Balthazar. Because of his valor, Spain wins the war and Horatio greatly impresses the King of Spain.