had a marked impact on contemporary audiences: Philip Henslowe in his
Diaryrecorded multiple performances of the play between the years 1592 and 1597 and the play was printed eleven times between 1592 and 1633. In subsequent drama a plethora of parodies and allusions to notable features of
The Spanish Tragedycan be found – over one hundred references to the play in other drama indicate its presence in the play-going consciousness years after its début on the stage of the Rose Theatre.
Though its popularity later diminished, The Spanish Tragedy has been recognised as an innovative drama in Renaissance theatre history. The author Thomas Kyd was the first to use the blank verse form on the popular stage, when it had previously been restricted to the academic drama.
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Citation: Owens, Rebekah . "The Spanish Tragedy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 August 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21390, accessed 02 December 2024.]