Revisiting Revenge Tragedy explores one of the most popular and influential genres of early modern theatre. Revenge tragedies resonated with audiences and authors because of their explicit and often horrific depictions of political instability, religious violence, and affective distress. In innovative and provocative ways, this book situates the political, religious, and affective dimensions of such plays within the transnational dynamics of their inception and dissemination across a conflicted Europe, raising questions for us now about authority, tyranny, and justice. Moreover, detailed case studies demonstrate how depicting revenge questioned or evinced sometimes radical sexual, cultural, and political identities and positions.

Contributors include Karoline Johanna Baumann, Sarah I. Fengler, Anne Graham, Adam Hansen, Tom Laureys, Vanessa Lim, Marco Prandoni, Cornelis van der Haven, Tim Vergeer, Helen Watanabe-O'Kelly, and Dinah Wouters.