The Spanish Tragedy—Now in Five Acts!

The article focuses on the unusual division of Christopher Marlowe's play "The Spanish Tragedy" into four acts in the 1592 quarto, challenging the conventional five-act structure advised by literary theorists like Horace. The author argues for a reconsideration of the act division in Act 3 based on the completion and launch of actions, proposing a more symmetrical and fitting placement at the juncture of scenes 3.6 and 3.7.