Details

Set in a dissolute Renaissance court in Italy. Vindice is intent on revenging the death of his mistress who has been poisoned by the lecherous old Duke; the Duchess' youngest son has been convicted of rape and she herself is trying to seduce the duke's bastard son; the remainder of the court are bent on usurping each other and seizing the crown. A disguised Vindice appears to attempt the seduction of his own sister for the Duke's son. She resists, but his mother succumbs to his bribes and agrees to play the bawd. Next, Vindice carries out his revenge on the Duke in a scene of unusual ferocity by tricking him into kissing the poisoned skull of his mistress. Eventually Vindice contrives the bloodthirsty destruction of the whole family and the characters kill one another in a final masque of revengers and murderers. Vindice survives the bloodbath, but is executed by the Duke's virtuous successor: a revenger, no matter how just his cause, is a man too dangerous to leave alive.

Creatives/Company

Author: Cyril Tourneur