What’s Up With the Title?

The Revenger's Tragedy sounds pretty straightforward as far as titles go. And it is—sort of. It's definitely about revenge, and it's definitely a tragedy. But the more we look at those three little words, the more we realize they're more loaded with meaning than it first seems.

The title really gets interesting when you start asking which tragedy, exactly, it refers to—it's tragedy singular, not plural. It could refer to the tragedy the revenger (Vindice) brings upon the Duke's family, but it also could refer to the tragedy Vindice brings upon himself and his brother by starting them down a course that arguably damages their character and definitely causes their deaths. Or perhaps the title refers to the tragedy that kicks the whole thing off, the murder of Vindice's fiancée. Yup, there's plenty of tragedy to go round in this one.