Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Spanish Tragedy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Revenge and Justice
Class, Gender, and Society
Love and Madness
Betrayal
Summary
Analysis
The King of Spain enters with the Viceroy of Portugal and the Duke of Castile. Balthazar, Bel-Imperia, and Hieronimo enter and begin to perform their parts. The king points out Balthazar and tells the viceroy that his son is meant to be Soliman, the emperor. Lorenzo enters, and the king looks on excitedly. They continue acting, reciting their foreign lines, and then Hieronimo stabs Lorenzo, followed by Bel-Imperia stabbing Balthazar and then herself to death.
The foreign lines create such confusion that no one realizes the murders that have just taken place on the stage are actually real. The viceroy and the king are excited to see Balthazar and Lorenzo on stage, but, ironically, they have no idea that they are watching their deaths unfold in real time. Ostensibly, Hieronimo’s revenge is complete.
Themes
The King of Spain cheers and declares the play well done. Suddenly, Hieronimo breaks character and addresses the audience in English. He says that the play is a farce and claims that he is only the grieving father of an unlucky son. The curtain raises, revealing the dead body of Horatio. Hieronimo says that Lorenzo and Balthazar killed Horatio simply because he loved Bel-Imperia. They all rated Hieronimo for “brainsick lunacy,” he says and pulls Horatio’s bloody scarf from his pocket. Now, Hieronimo says, his “heart is satisfied.”
Hieronimo’s mention of his “brainsick lunacy” suggests that he was only pretending to be insane in order to exact his revenge on Lorenzo and Balthazar. The bloody scarf, which Hieronimo has vowed to keep until his revenge is realized, is symbolic of his vengeance. Hieronimo’s “heart is satisfied” because he finally has his revenge and justice for Horatio’s murder.
Themes
Hieronimo tells the audience that Bel-Imperia was not supposed to kill herself. This script does call for it, he says, but they had agreed she wouldn’t do it. “But love of him whom they did hate too much / Did urge her resolution to be such,” Hieronimo says and runs off to hang himself. “We are betrayed!” the Viceroy of Portugal yells. Soldiers enter, holding Hieronimo. The King of Spain insists that Hieronimo talk and tell them everything, but Hieronimo refuses. The king calls for the torturers, and Hieronimo bites out his own tongue, so he cannot be forced to talk.
Bel-Imperia is driven to suicide because of her love for Horatio and her grief over his death, even though they had decided that she wouldn’t kill herself. The viceroy’s comment underscores the fact that in order for Hieronimo to get his revenge, he, too, must betray everyone—Lorenzo, Balthazar, the viceroy, the king, and Castile—which again reflects the pervasive nature of betrayal in 16th-century society.
Themes
The Duke of Castile hands Hieronimo a pen and tells Hieronimo he doesn’t need a tongue to write a confession. Hieronimo takes the pen and stabs Castile to death, and then Hieronimo stabs himself. The trumpets sound, announcing the start of the death march, and the King of Spain and the Viceroy of Portugal mourn the deaths of Lorenzo and Balthazar.
The biting off of Hieronimo’s own tongue to avoid talking further suggests that he has gone insane, as does the murder of Castile. Castile had nothing to do with Horatio’s murder and didn’t even know that he was dead, yet Hieronimo kills him anyway. This additional murder suggests that revenge doesn’t solve anything—it inevitably leads to more death.
Themes
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