• Lorenzo as a Machiavellian characters

• Traits – i) Desperate: He is ready to forego all sense of morality and principal in order to
reach his end. This end is for personal gain. ii) Pride and ego. iii) A pretended reconciliation
between Lorenzo and Hieronimo (reminiscent of Judas’ kiss). iv) sly and the tendency to
commit murder. v) manipulative
• Lorenzo is a foil to Horatio. Horatio is blatantly honest but Lorenzo is sly and dishonest.
• The characters will reveal their melodramatic self.
• Question on where Lorenzo becomes a hero. (aid with lots of textual references)
• The constant danger that Bel-Imperia feels in Act 2 Scene 4 echoes the sense of danger that
Thyestes feels, typical of Seneca.
• Senecan plays incorporate madness and insanity to emphasize the level of tragedy. Here the
insanity is pushed in to heighten the effect of tragedy.
• Revenge: “Thou talk’st of harvest when the corn is green…” (Act 2 Scene 6) – Revenge
prepares not only Andrea but also the audience that revenge will come when the time is
ripe. Thus, specifying the importance of time and that time is supreme and stands above all.
• The scene where Villuppo is punished and Alexandro is released echoes to the main plot that
justice will prevail.
• When Hieronimo receives the bloodied letter from Bel-Imperia, he is unsure whether he
should trust the letter or not. This is where the conflict in the mind of the revenge hero
starts. This is reminiscent of “To be or not to be”.
• Delayed revenge is a feature of Senecan tragedy. Hieronimo first approaches the king thus
delaying the revenge.
• Act 3 Scene 11 is symbolically important. It builds the tragic influence of the play. It confirms
the revenge motif of Hieronimo but he was still in doubt.
• Role of dumb show.
 Ur-Hamlet, Ur in german means Original. This is the supposed source material but the author
is unknown.
 Kyd’s account is largely taken from Belleforest’s account, les histoires tragiques
 Hieronimo plays three roles: a father, a victim and lastly an executioner
 Act 3 Scene 13 – Hieronimo the hero to Hieronimo the villain
