This book focuses on female tragic heroes in England from c.1610 to c.1645. Their sudden appearance can be linked to changing ideas about the relationships between bodies and souls; men's bodies and women's; marriage and mothering; the law; and religion. Though the vast majority of these characters are closer to villainesses than heroines, these plays, by showing how misogyny affected the lives of their central characters, did not merely reflect their culture, but also changed it.

This new Chronology offers a unique and accessible overview of key dates relevant to Christopher Marlowe's life and works, and enables readers to navigate their way through the various pieces of evidence for the hotly contested dating of his plays and poems. Since Marlowe's plays often focus on real historical figures, details of their lives are also included to allow readers to see what liberties Marlowe has taken in his dramatizations of their lives.

This book charts the major events of Stoker's life, including friendships with many of the major figures of the age and as manager of Henry Irving's Lyceum, with his literary career. It offers critical evaluation of Dracula and of Stoker's lesser-known works, yielding much interest when reinserted into their original cultural contexts.