A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 05

This volume gathers a handful of early English dramas, each presented in chronological order and enriched with centuries‑old commentary alongside fresh scholarly notes. The careful revision highlights textual quirks and performance histories, giving listeners a clearer window into the theatrical world of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Whether you’re new to the period or revisiting familiar works, the edition’s annotations illuminate the language and stagecraft of the time.

The centerpiece, a sprawling revenge tragedy, opens with the ghost of a slain courtier and the personified spirit of Revenge, setting a tone of haunting intrigue. As the apparition recounts his mortal deeds, love, war, and a fatal duel, listeners are drawn into a web of familial honor and looming vengeance. The richly drawn cast—marshals, dukes, lovers, and even mythic figures—begins to clash, promising the intense moral and emotional battles that defined Elizabethan drama.

Rounding out the collection are lesser‑known works such as a tragic tale of royal intrigue, a Moorish love story, and a dramatic chronicle of a medieval rebel. Together they showcase the breadth of early English playwriting, from grand spectacles to intimate courtly dramas, offering a vivid portrait of the era’s theatrical imagination.