Book description
Following Queen Elizabeth Ias reign, the new court of King James was beset by political instability and moral corruption. This atmosphere provided fertile ground for the dramatists of the age, who explored the ways in which social decadence and the abuse of power breed resentment, leading inexorably to violent retribution.
In Cyril Tourneuras "The Revengeras Tragedy," the debauched son of an Italian Duke attempts to rape the virtuous Glorianaaa veiled reference to Elizabeth I. John Webster’s "The White Devil" depicts a sinister world of intrigue and murderous infidelity, while "The Changeling," perhaps Thomas Middleton’s supreme achievement, powerfully portrays a woman bringing about her own unwitting destruction. All three are masterpieces of brooding intensity, dominated by images of decay, disillusionment, and death.
