Can Marston’s The Malcontent be considered a revenge play?

Revenge tragedy

The Malcontent  - a tragic comedy/ dark comedy

1.      Influenced by the medieval tradition of chain of being and notion of correspondence 2.      Senecan elements 3.      Murder - Betrayal 4.      Revenge – murder 5.      Excessive passions – all characters are passionate 6.      Sensational elements 7.      Machiavellian villain 8.      Rhetoric of the horrible 9.      Avenger descends into madness 10.  Eruption of the general violence in the play-within-the-play 11.  Catastrophic decimation of the dramatic personae including the avenger 12.  Option of forgiveness is not taken

1.      Influenced by the medieval tradition of chain of being and notion of correspondence 2.      Senecan elements are minimal 3.      Betrayal – Mendoza plots with the Duke of Florence and help Pietro to usurp the throne – no murder 4.      Revenge – demotion /banishment 5.      Altofront is a cool analyst 6.      No ghosts, torture or bloody violence 7.      Machiavellian is amply balanced by the Malcontent. 8.      Limited use of rhetoric of the horrible – IV. V 105-118 – similar to the Swiftian excremental view. 9.      Avenger pretends to be mad 10.  No violence in the play-within-the play 11.  No one is killed 12.  Option of forgiveness is taken