Shakespeare in <em>Arden of Faversham</em> and the Additions to <em> The Spanish Tragedy</em>: Versification Analysis

Abstract

The essay describes versification particulars of Arden of Faversham. The findings suggest that the central part, scenes 4-8, was composed by Shakespeare while the remainder of the play was created by an older playwright, possibly Thomas Kyd. It shares features with Kyd’s Spanish Tragedy. The essay confirms the hypothesis that the Additions to Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy had been composed by Shakespeare in the early seventeenth century. Thus Shakespeare had collaborated with Kyd twice: as a younger poet and a later refurbisher.