9 h 7 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 9 h 7 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
At the French court, ambition meets betrayal, and honor carries a deadly price.
George Chapman brings together two Elizabethan tragedies: Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois. Their world is the French court, where ambition, betrayal, and honor stand at the heart of the drama. What does it cost to pursue ambition in such a place?
These plays invite you to consider honor not simply as an ideal, but as something with a deadly price. Read them together for a sustained encounter with the questions their themes raise: what ambition demands, what betrayal threatens, and what makes honor worth defending.
What you’ll discover
- Two connected titles Explore Bussy D'Ambois alongside The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois in one dramatic pairing.
- The French court Enter a courtly setting where ambition and betrayal give tragedy its charged ground.
- Ambition under scrutiny Consider the pull of ambition through the searching lens of Elizabethan tragedy.
- Honor at a cost Face the troubling idea that defending honor can carry a deadly price.
- Betrayal at the heart Read with the threat of betrayal in mind as you explore these tragedies.
Who will love it
Readers drawn to court intrigue, swordplay, ghosts and daring speeches will love these plays. So will admirers of Elizabethan poetry that wrestles with honor, revenge and loyalty.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A prince gives pride an opening
- Private honor leaves others dead
- Secret desire opens another danger
- The secret becomes a trap
- Clermont resists the role of avenger
- Keeping faith exposes Clermont to betrayal
- Two brothers weigh justice differently
- Large images carry the argument
- Appetite and reason face the court
Who’s who
- Bussy D'AmboisA poor, proud soldier who rises at court through Monsieur's favor and trusts his sword and his own sense of honor above any law.
- MonsieurThe King's brother, ambitious and scheming, who raises Bussy as a useful weapon and then wants him gone.
- TamyraCountess of Montsurry, torn between duty and a sudden passion, and clever enough to defend herself when her secret is threatened.
- Duke of GuiseThe great nobleman whom Bussy insults, powerful and factional in the first play and thoughtful and friendly in the second.
- MontsurryTamyra's husband, a count who loves his wife and whose trust is poisoned by Monsieur's paper.
- Clermont D'AmboisBussy's brother, a learned Stoic who would rather debate virtue than fight and who is urged by a ghost to avenge his brother.
- BalignyBussy's brother in law and a court spy who serves the King and pretends to serve Guise.
- CharlotteBussy's fierce sister, who demands that her husband and her brother carry out the vow of revenge.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois
A poor soldier lies in a forest glade while a prince offers him a fortune to join a court of knives.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
A poor soldier lies on the ground in a forest glade. A prince walks up and tells him to rise.
Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 25 min4 h 20 min fast, 6 h 25 min slow
- Length
- 77,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A poor soldier is lifted by a prince
The first play opens with Bussy D'Ambois alone and poor in a glade near the court. He speaks bitterly about a world where fortune, not reason, decides who rises. Great men, he says, are like colossal statues, grand outside and filled with mortar and lead within.
Monsieur, the king's brother, finds him there. Monsieur is ambitious, and he wants fierce men gathered around him. He urges Bussy to go to court. Bussy answers with a sharp portrait of court life, where a man learns to smile on command, flatter lords and hear crimes explained until he can commit them. Monsieur promises to send help.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Chapman, George. Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bussy-dambois-and-the-revenge-of-bussy-dambois.
Chapman, G. (2026). Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bussy-dambois-and-the-revenge-of-bussy-dambois
Chapman, George. Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bussy-dambois-and-the-revenge-of-bussy-dambois.
@book{chapman2026bussy,
author = {Chapman, George},
title = {Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bussy-dambois-and-the-revenge-of-bussy-dambois}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Bussy D'Ambois and The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Bussy D'Ambois about?
It follows a penniless soldier who rises at the French court under Monsieur, quarrels with the Duke of Guise and falls in love with Tamyra, the Countess of Montsurry. His pride and his secret love draw powerful enemies against him.
Is Bussy D'Ambois a true story?
It is based on Louis de Clermont, called Bussy d'Amboise, a real swordsman at the court of Henry III. Chapman changes places and details, and the sequel's hero Clermont D'Ambois is his own invention.
What is The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois about?
It follows Clermont, Bussy's brother, a philosopher urged by his brother's ghost to avenge him. He is trapped at Cambrai, freed by Guise and drawn into a plan against the Count of Montsurry.
The author
George Chapman
1559–1634 · English playwright, poet and translator
16th/17th-century English dramatist, poet, and translator.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
