Reviews

A Woman Killed with Kindness by Thomas Heywood

tomebro's review against another edition

4.0

Kind of ridiculous and the two plots did not merge well together, but they did compliment one another. Overall a great read but filled with some dated ideas on the way marriage and debts work.

jz_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

THAT WOMAN DID NOT DESERVE TO DIE!!!

charlotte_3082's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.0

frost_booksnbeatles's review against another edition

3.0

2.5/5 Read for class

hangsangareader's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rachelcox's review against another edition

sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

readthesparrow's review against another edition

funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

bookloveriffat's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

booksaremyjam's review against another edition

1.0

Let's talk a minute about how much the portrayal of women gets under my skin in dated literature. "A Woman Killed with Kindness" was first performed in 1603, so I'm sure there are people out there who insist that I shouldn't be so peeved. "Women were subservient to men," the historically privy people roar, "deal with it! This play is simply reflecting the time it was written in." Well, I doubt African Americans enjoy reading Lit that debases their people; similarly I disregard Lit that debases mine.

And oh, am I going to spoil the shit out of this play.

Anne and Susan need to get the hell out of their lives, pronto. Anne rips herself apart for infidelity while the guy she cheated with (who had a creepily close relationship with her husband pre-coitus) runs off to see the world and one day return redeemed. Cause that's fair. MEANWHILE in a plot far far away Susan's brother convinces her to give up her virginity to square away a psychological debt he has to some guy named Francis. Francis, meanwhile, doesn't want her to be a whore because he's not an asshole (at least, not to Susan. He IS an asshole to his sister, Anne, saying he would murder her if he were in her husband's shoes).

Structurally speaking, this play is confusing. Comedies stereotypically end in weddings, tragedies in death. This play has both. Tell me, how am I supposed to take that?

Dear Heywood,

I wish someone would bring you back to life just so I could punch you in the gut. Societal norms be damned, this play is stupid and rather cruel, even with full knowledge of its context.

mappingoutasky's review

4.0

One of the plays from this class that I'd not read yet, and I really enjoyed it!!

Read for ENGL 4606: Marriage and Adultery in Early Modern England