Hieronimos occupation as the Knight-marshal of Spain links him to the play's key theme, that of justice and revenge. As the protagonist of the play Hieronimo is caught between the extremes of this theme of justice and revenge, that is how one goes about achieving justice in the personal sense when the impersonal legal avenue is block. .
Act 3 Scene 11 of the Spanish Tragedy marks a shift in the character of Hieronimo, from one who we could empathise almost completely in his quest for justice over the murder of his son Horatio, to one whose motivations are less clear and whose psyche is more frightening than first thought. With its dark vision of revenge towards the Lord Lorenzo and Prince Balthazar of who Hieronimo has just been convinced are the murderer's of his son. The presence of the two Portuguese with their convection that Hieronimo is a lunatic, allows the question of how right they are in judging Hieronimo as insane to follow though the rest of the play, further adding to the complexity of both the play and the character, Hieronimo. .
All the additions to the Spanish Tragedy expand upon the areas of Hieronimos" incredible grief and his increasing madness that is a result of his grief. The third addition is inserted in Act 3 Scene 11 between line 1 and 2 and can be seen in the sense that it helps to build up the audience's sense of the madness and grief that Hieronimo is undergoing. The addition also allows the examination of the nature of the relationship between parent and son, what it really means to have a son, and explores the problems with Hieronimos" quest for justice, should he leave it to God to punish the murderers or should he take vengeance upon himself. This is achieved within Hieronimos" soliloquy of the third addition. .
The first part of the soliloquy examines what it means to have a son in the absence of any emotional attachment. From conception, birth, childhood and adolescence and all the associated problems that come with a child during this time frame with its impacts on the parents.
