Tamar’s Revenge

David’s sons, recently home from war, begin to wonder who will succeed their ageing father. One evening Amnon, his eldest son, hears a beautiful singing voice from behind the wall of his father’s harem. Completely captivated, he scales the wall and sets out to discover who owns this voice. The ensuing love story, both dark and moving, leads to utter disaster, as revenge and family honour divide the ambitious sons of David. After Vega and Calderon, Tirso de Molina is the most important seventeenth century Spanish dramatist. Born in 1579, he was a prolific playwright, writing comedies, biblical plays and saints’ plays. One feature that highlights him from other playwrights is the number of his plays in which women play the dominant part. Tamar’s Revenge features in the RSC’s Spanish Golden Age Season and is directed by Simon Usher. It opens at the Swan Theatre, Stratford at the end of April 2004.