Death's Jest Book"Death's Jest-Book" is the extravagant expression of Thomas Lovell Beddoes's lifelong obsession with mortality and immortality, a surrealising of Renaissance revenge tragedy, alight with treachery, murder, sorcery and haunting. Conceived as a satirical tragedy unmasking the terror of death, it contains some of the most powerful dramatic blank verse by any of the British Romantics. After early acclaim as a lyric poet and dramatist, Beddoes (1803-49) is only now emerging from a century and a half of neglect. This is the first affordable modern edition to present the Jest-Book in its earliest complete form, as Beddoes intended to publish it in 1829. The text is supplemented by Michael Bradshaw's introduction, notes and outline of the publication history. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ADALMAR Alan Halsey AMALA Arab Art thou ATHULF Beddoes's bless blood bones breath Brides brother critical dance dare dead death Death's Jest-Book deeds DJ-B dost doth drama drink Duke Melveric Duke of Münsterberg earth Enter ISBRAND Enter ZIBA Exeunt Exit eyes farewell fellow flowers fool George Darley ghost Göttingen grave H.W. Donner Harpagus hast thou hath haunting hear heart heaven hope hour KATE Kelsall lady leave lips literary live look MANDRAKE MARIO Methinks MICHAEL BRADSHAW Münsterberg murder never night o'er pale pilgrim poet poetry poison quiet Resurrection Songs revenge Romantic SCENE Selected Poems edited sepulchre SIBYLLA SIEGFRIED slave sleep Song soul speak spirit stars sweet tears thee There's thine Thomas Beddoes Thomas Lovell Beddoes thou art thou hast thou'rt thought to-night TORWALD tragedy University of Göttingen unto villain voice weep whisper Wilt thou wine words writing