The Spanish Tragedy

by Thomas Kyd

"The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd is an Elizabethan tragedy written between 1582 and 1592. This groundbreaking work established the revenge play as a new genre in English theatre. The play features violent murders and personifies Revenge as its own character, influencing countless later works including Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Highly popular in its time, it contains elements like a play-within-a-play used to trap a murderer and a ghost seeking vengeance. The work is considered one of the most influential plays of Renaissance theatre.