The Theme Of Death And Revenge In Arden Of Faversham

Many themes encompass the Tragedy play Arden of Faversham, including death and revenge. However, one theme in particular arises in every character of the play; betrayal. While almost every character becomes both the betrayer and the betrayed, the center of deceitfulness rests on Alice. Though she only betrays a few characters in the play, nearly every act of betrayal occurs because of her actions or words. Alice betrays her own husband, as well as her secret lover, and convinces other characters to consent to her malicious plan to murder Arden. However, justice prevails, and Alice betrays everyone she seems to care about, including the person she appears to care about the most – herself.
Firstly, Alice’s betrayal centers on her husband, Arden. She betrays Arden in two ways; she does not remain faithful to him, and she plans his murder in a cunning way. Alice and Mosby’s love affair continually reveals itself to Arden, but Alice always dismantles his accusations. For example, Arden tells Alice she said Mosby’s name when

She requests that Arden’s body be brought to her and, upon seeing him, she speaks to Arden and confesses to the murder, and expresses her guilt, wishing he were still alive, by saying “...And would my death save thine thou shouldst not die” (“Arden” 8). Though she previously conveyed how free she felt, the combination of the hand-towel and knife used to kill Arden, his innocent blood stains on the floor, and his distorted, unmoving body triggers Alice to feel an overwhelming and unbearable sense of guilt. Once this guilt comes upon her, she cannot stop herself from begging her dead husband for forgiveness, though he cannot offer it to her now. The guilt of her actions causes her to expose the people who helped her enact this heinous crime. Because Alice reveals the truth behind Arden’s murder, every character pays a penance for their