As its name suggests Jacobean drama dates from the reign of James I. The big names include Thomas Middleton, John Webster and John Ford, who revelled in writing crowd-pleasing melodramas as full-blooded as any horror movie.
They're aptly called revenge tragedies, with murder triggering revenge leading to more grisly deaths and a high body count at the final curtain. Judi Herman has been looking at the key roles women play in these tragedies, with Lisa Hopkins, Professor of English at Sheffield Hallam University. |
