The Revenger’s Tragedy

play attributed to Middleton or Tourneur

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July 13, 2026

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The Revenger's Tragedy, a revenge tragedy from 1607, is now generally attributed to Thomas Middleton rather than Cyril Tourneur. This genre, popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras, centers on a motive of revenge for a wrong suffered.12

The play is a scathing critique of the corruption and decadence within a court. It features a protagonist who seeks vengeance for a past injustice, a common theme in revenge tragedies where the avenger often meets a violent end alongside their victims. The play reflects the era's anxieties about societal decay and the pursuit of wealth and power.213

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Thomas Middleton
…with an unattributed play entitled The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607). Modern scholarship attributes the latter to Middleton, although Cyril Tourneur is sometimes given as the author. In A Mad World, My Masters (1604?, published 1608) an old country gentleman prides himself on his generosity to all except his grandson and heir.
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…with an unattributed play entitled The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607). Modern scholarship attributes the latter to Middleton, although Cyril Tourneur is sometimes given as the author. In A Mad World, My Masters (1604?, published 1608) an old country gentleman prides himself on his generosity to all except his grandson and heir.
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Cyril Tourneur
The Revenger’s Tragedie, which is sometimes attributed to Tourneur, had appeared anonymously in 1607. In 1656 the bookseller Edward Archer entered it as by Tourneur on his list, but most recent scholarship attributes it to Thomas Middleton. The plays differ in their attitude toward private…
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The Revenger’s Tragedie, which is sometimes attributed to Tourneur, had appeared anonymously in 1607. In 1656 the bookseller Edward Archer entered it as by Tourneur on his list, but most recent scholarship attributes it to Thomas Middleton. The plays differ in their attitude toward private…
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English literature
Other Jacobean dramatists
In The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607), now generally attributed to Middleton, a scathing attack on courtly dissipation is reinforced by complaints about inflation and penury in the countryside at large. For more traditionally minded playwrights, new anxieties lay in the corrupt and sprawling bureaucracy of the modern…
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In The Revenger’s Tragedy (1607), now generally attributed to Middleton, a scathing attack on courtly dissipation is reinforced by complaints about inflation and penury in the countryside at large. For more traditionally minded playwrights, new anxieties lay in the corrupt and sprawling bureaucracy of the modern…
Read More