One of the finest examples of Jacobean tragedy, The Changeling explores honor and madness through its dual plots, one set in the world of nobility, and the other in a local asylum. But which is the real madhouse? Young Beatrice is in love with a visiting nobleman, Alsemero. However, her father has already arranged her marriage to Alonzo, another nobleman. Desperate to be with her love, Beatrice enlists the help of De Flores, a cunning but ugly servant, a deceptive man obsessed with her and determined to claim her virtue. While she initially resists him, Beatrice is drawn into lustful complicity with De Flores, and together they set in motion a chain of love, lust, madness, and death. The Changeling is regarded as one of the most profound tragedies to ever come from the Renaissance stage, and grips audiences long after the curtain falls.
The Changeling guide sections
