The acting of revenge resolves all the tensions of the play in one blow. The play-within-a-play in the fourth act marks the culmination of this desire. In any case, Hieronimo, Bellamira-and to an extent Balthazar-all act out of the desire for revenge. Andrea, after all, was slain in battle by Balthazar, and this does not seem reason enough for the large-scale revenge tragedy that follows. But what exactly is revenge? A principle, an act, a desire for satisfaction, or something else altogether? The premise of the play may suggest that revenge is indeed an arbitrary matter. Its very premise is put forth by the character from the underworld named Revenge. The Spanish Tragedy is a revenge tragedy. Her death thus shows a vague but strong link between the fulfillment of revenge and the death wish. Why does she unnecessarily keep to her role in Hieronimo's play-within-a-play? Hieronimo's explanation that she loved Andrea too much is unsatisfactory at best. Finally, Bellimperia's suicide remains an unexplained aspect of the play. The lack of a real death wish may reflect a politically-oriented part of his character that complicates his desire to live in solitude after he discovers that Balthazar is still alive. This difference is intriguing, as Hieronimo and his wife have a reason to delay their deaths (they must exact revenge), whereas nothing holds back the Viceroy-or so it seems.

But this wish is not repeated by the Viceroy, an equally loving father. Of the three, Isabella and Hieronimo's suicides are the realization of a death wish expressed throughout the play: they desire to join Horatio in death.

Of the nine deaths that occur on stage (not including Villuppo's and Andrea's), three of them are suicides.

The spanish tragedy play