The Medieval Heritage of Elizabethan Tragedy explores the evolution of tragedy from its medieval foundations to its dramatic culmination on the Elizabethan stage, emphasizing the continuity of a "tragic spirit" rooted in Gothic and classical traditions. By analyzing non-dramatic works like Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium, the book reveals how medieval narratives, with their moral reflections and focus on human suffering, influenced the themes and structures of Elizabethan stage tragedies. The author argues that while Elizabethan tragedy absorbed elements of Greco-Roman culture, it retained the moral and philosophical depth of its medieval heritage, blending classical precision with Gothic introspection. This work offers a compelling analysis of how these traditions intersected to shape one of the most enduring and profound forms of artistic expression.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1936.