The Sibling Revenge Pattern in 16th – 17th Century Revenge Tragedies Charlotte Kupsh English Blugold Fellowship University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Background Findings Future Areas of Study Revenge Tragedies Every revenge tragedy studied includes Further study into sibling relationships in the time period Type of tragic drama developed by Seneca the Younger the murder of a sister’s lover carried Popular style during the Renaissance period Patterns involving supporting family members’ roles in out or ordered by her brother as a the revenge act central element of the plot Parent relationships in revenge tragedies Senecan Model for Revenge Tragedies Hamlet Interactions between large and small families Secret murder, typically of a benign ruler Ophelia’s brother murders her lover Hamlet in a duel Family structure in 16th – 17th century life Ghostly visitation of the murder victim to a kinsman as revenge for the suicide of Ophelia and the murder Period of intrigue, disguise, or plotting in which the of her father References murderer and avenger scheme against each other The Revenger’s Tragedy Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, Descent into either real or feigned madness by the Brothers Vindice and Hippolito set out to murder the NJ: Princeton UP, 1968. Print. avenger or an auxiliary character Duke but, after killing him in Act III, spend the Dollimore, Jonathan. Radical Tragedy: Religion, Ideology, and Eruption of general violence, often accomplished by a remainder of the play seeking revenge on Lussurioso, Power in the Drama of Shakespeare and His feigned masque or festivity who pursued their chaste sister Contemporaries. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1984. Catastrophe that decimates the dramatis personae, The Spanish Tragedy Print. including the avenger Bel-Imperia’s suitor Balthazar and her brother Houlbrooke, Ralph A. The English Family, 1450-1700. London: Lorenzo violently kill her lover while she is forced to Longman, 1984. Print. watch – an action that drives the remainder of the play Jardine, Lisa. Still Harping on Daughters: Women and Drama in the Age of Shakespeare. Sussex, England: Harvester, 1983. Research Questions Print. Explanations Maus, Katharine Eisaman. Four Revenge Tragedies the Spanish Is there a relationship between family structure and plot Tragedy, the Revenger's Tragedy, the Revenge of Bussy in revenge tragedies? Brother’s Desire to Protect D'Ambois, the Atheist's Tragedy. Oxford [u.a.: Oxford Univ., Familial affection 2008. Print. Shakespeare, William, and Alan Hughes. Can a Senecan model be developed for female Familial honor Titus Andronicus characters in revenge tragedies? Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print. Female Sexuality Norms Shakespeare, William, and Susanne Lindgren Wofford. Obedience, chastity, silence Hamlet: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical Protection correlated with adherence to norms and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Plays Studied Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Boston: Period Emphasis on Family Bedford of St. Martin's, 1994. Print. Main Focus Inheritance/Marital Expectations of Brother Webster, John, and René Weis. The Duchess of Malfi and Other Hamlet, William Shakespeare Plays. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2009. Print. The Revenger’s Tragedy, Anonymous The Spanish Tragedy, Thomas Kyd Acknowledgements Supporting Plays I would like to thank the UWEC Blugold Fellowship program and its director Dr. Matthew Evans for funding Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare and support for this project. The Revenge of Bussy D’ambois, George Chapman I would also like to thank Dr. Jan Stirm, faculty advisor to The Atheist’s Tragedy, Cyril Tourneur the project, for invaluable guidance throughout The Duchess of Malfi, John Webster this research. We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster. .