Frank Whigham presents a detailed and innovative analysis of five English Renaissance plays, set in the context of social rank, gender, kinship, and service relationships. The Spanish Tragedy and The Duchess of Malfi, set at court, explore fantasies of the lurid and decadent life at the center of national culture. Arden of Faversham, The Miseries of Enforced Marriage, and A Yorkshire Tragedy examine the collisions between traditional rural values and newfangled behavior brought from London.