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Act 5, Scene 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Revenger’s Tragedy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Revenge and Justice
Lust
Women and Misogyny
Death
Summary
Analysis
Vindice and Hippolito enter with other lords. Vindice incites them to “blast this villainous dukedom vexed with sin.” The lords agree—“our wrongs are such, / We cannot justly be revenged too much.” Vindice instructs the others of his plan, which is that they all attend the “revels” dressed in masks and costumes before setting upon Lussurioso and his cohorts with their swords. He wants to strike them “in midst of all their joys.” The others wholeheartedly agree with his plan.
There are a few instances in the play when violence takes place, or threatens to take place, at moments in which the target characters are in the “midst of joys.” For example, Antonio’s wife was killed at a party, and Lussurioso wanted to kill Spurio whilst the latter was having sex with the Duchess. This, then, further links desire, pleasure, death, and sin, underlining the lack of moral certainty in the world of the play. It’s also worth noting that, with the Duke dead, Vindice and Hippolito are able to speak more freely and publically about their intense hatred for the court.
Themes
