The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Tragedy [Paperback]

Introducing the reader to important topics in English Renaissance tragedy, this Companion presents fresh readings of key texts.Combining discussion of key topics for the study of Renaissance tragedy with fresh readings of canonical and frequently-taught texts, this Companion provides an engaging overview of Renaissance tragedy which features but is not dominated by Shakespeare. It includes chapters on religion, revenge, and modern performance traditions on stage and screen.Combining discussion of key topics for the study of Renaissance tragedy with fresh readings of canonical and frequently-taught texts, this Companion provides an engaging overview of Renaissance tragedy which features but is not dominated by Shakespeare. It includes chapters on religion, revenge, and modern performance traditions on stage and screen.Written by major international scholars, this Companion combines analysis of topics crucial to Renaissance tragedy with the interpretation of canonical and frequently taught texts. Part I introduces key topics, such as religion, revenge, and the family, and, uniquely, discusses modern performance traditions on stage and screen. Bridging this section with Part II is a chapter which engages with Shakespeare's generic distinctiveness as well as the difficulties our familiarity with Shakespearean tragedy engenders for our appreciation of the tragedies of his contemporaries. Individual essays in Part II introduce important critical conversations about specific canonical tragedies and provide their own contributions to those discussions. Topics include The Revenger's Tragedy and the theatrics of original sin, Arden of Faversham and the preternatural, and The Duchess of Malfi and the erotics of literary form. Providing fresh readings of key texts, the Companion is an essential guide for all students of Renaissance tragedy.Preface; Chronology; Part I. Themes: 1. Renaissance tragedy: theories and antecedents Mike Pincombe; 2. Tragedy, family and household Catherl