Jacobean Tragedy explores the tensions between the disruptive energies of sex and seventeenth century social, cultural and political values with an exceptional frankness, and the plays collected in this volume demonstrate the genre at its most sinister and explicit. The Insatiate Countess (1610), by William Barksted and Lewis Machin from a draft by John Marston, is a study in obsessive nymphomania and the reprisals taken by the male establishment. The Maid's Tragedy (1611) by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, reveals dark sexual secrets at the heart of the royal court, and emphasizes the political instability which ensues their discovery. Thomas Middleton's The Maiden's Tragedy (1611) provides an overtly Christian dimension to the conflict between lust and chastity, and John Fletcher's The Tragedy of Valentinian (1614) is a chilling portrayal of rape as the exercise of absolute power. Each play raises difficult questions about conventional moral and social attitudes to sexuality which remain relevant today.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Roman Clodia
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This contains the little known The Insatiate Countess, Beaumont & Fletcher's The Maid's Tragedy, Middleton's The Maiden's Tragedy, and Fletcher's The Tragedy of Valentinian.
I'm not completely sure I'd describe them as 'sex tragedies' - while they certainly have a sexual theme so, of course, do Othello, The Duchess of Malfi, Women Beware Women, and countless other Jacobean dramas. Wiggins attempts to justify this classification in the introduction and certainly does draw some parallels between these texts, but doesn't explain why he chooses these plays and not others.
Regardless of the categorisation, it's good to have some little known plays made available at a good price, and Oxford are reliable in terms of the texts used. The Maid's Tragedy is one of my favourite Jacobean dramas with an interesting view of the relationship between sex and politics, so this volume would be worth it for that alone.
I'm not completely sure I'd describe them as 'sex tragedies' - while they certainly have a sexual theme so, of course, do Othello, The Duchess of Malfi, Women Beware Women, and countless other Jacobean dramas. Wiggins attempts to justify this classification in the introduction and certainly does draw some parallels between these texts, but doesn't explain why he chooses these plays and not others.
Regardless of the categorisation, it's good to have some little known plays made available at a good price, and Oxford are reliable in terms of the texts used. The Maid's Tragedy is one of my favourite Jacobean dramas with an interesting view of the relationship between sex and politics, so this volume would be worth it for that alone.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
40 of 44 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wiggins is a smashing editor.
23 Jun 1999
By A Customer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Since Amazon.com can't be bothered to list the contents of all the books, I thought I'd be helpful: this book contains The Maid's Tragedy (Beaumont and Fletcher), The Maiden's Tragedy (Middleton), The Tragedy of Valentinian, and The Insatiate Countess (from a draft by Marston).
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
David Lynch, move on over!
15 Sep 2005
By Q
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Oh my goodness! What a wonderful gruesome collection of early 17th century plays! Jacobean drama is conventionally characterized as "decadent," and this anthology seems to justify the appellation. How about nymphomania, necrophilia, incest, murder, poison, blackmail, adultery, and rape? Although the subject matter is sensational, these are also serious psychological studies, well-written and well-plotted dramas. These fascinating plays are not widely available, but they should be. Anybody interested in 17th century English drama and culture will enjoy these plays. The plays are especially provocative in their treatment of monarchy; the royal court is typically portrayed as deeply corrupted, tyrannous, and decadent. Amazingly, for an age of royal absolutism, these plays seem to justify regicide. David Lynch, more over, here come the Jacobean sex tragedies.
I agree with the comments of the previous reviewer that the editing leaves much to be desired. The use of endnotes instead of footnotes is horribly distracting. I finally just stopped using the notes. Most of the notes are unnecessary and add little to the understanding of the text. If you're familiar with reading Shakespeare, you can probably comprehend these texts without looking at the endnotes.
I agree with the comments of the previous reviewer that the editing leaves much to be desired. The use of endnotes instead of footnotes is horribly distracting. I finally just stopped using the notes. Most of the notes are unnecessary and add little to the understanding of the text. If you're familiar with reading Shakespeare, you can probably comprehend these texts without looking at the endnotes.
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