Middleton's work has long been praised by literary critics, among them Algernon Charles Swinburne and T. S. Eliot. The latter thought Middleton was second only to Shakespeare.[5]
Middleton's plays were staged throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, each decade offering more productions than the last. Even some less familiar works of his have been staged: A Fair Quarrel at the National Theatre, and The Old Law by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Changeling has been adapted for film several times. The tragedy Women Beware Women remains a stage favourite. The Revenger's Tragedy was adapted for Alex Cox's film Revengers Tragedy, the opening credits of which attribute the play's authorship to Middleton.
