Shakespearean Plays The Basics Tragedies Genre Shakespeares plays

Shakespearean Plays: The Basics Tragedies

Genre �Shakespeare’s plays have been grouped into three categories: ? Tragedies ? Histories ? Comedies

Tragedies �Of the four great tragedies that Shakespeare wrote ( Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Mac. Beth) all of them follow the Aristotiliean definition of tragedy: �A tragic hero of noble birth whose tragic flaw leads to his demise.

What is a tragic hero? � A tragic hero is a man of noble status. � He is not an ordinary man. He has a greatness about him or an outstanding quality. � The tragic flaw eventually leads to his downfall Harmatia � There is a reversal of fortune brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw Peripeteia

Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy � A commonality in all of Shakespeare’s tragedies is the death of most of the major characters, including the protagonist by the end of the play. � There is a tragic hero. � The hero’s fate arouses emotion of pity or fear from the audience. � There are elements of the supernatural. � The ultimate power in the tragic world is the struggle between good and evil; evil is destroyed and good re-established.

Tragic Cycle Good Evil Chaos Death Re -assertion of Good

Shakespearean Structure � Shakespeare used a five-act structure to develop and resolve plot: � ACT 1: Introduction sets out the essential information about characters, setting, background, and the core problem � ACT 2: Rising Action a further plot event influences the protagonist to make a fateful decision to take a specific action. � ACT 3: Climax The protagonist makes/fails to pursue a course of action that determines the outcome of the plot. � ACT 4: Falling action Main plot and sub-plots are brought together and the action advances quickly. � ACT 5: Conclusion Conflicts are resolved, but not always in the way the audience expects/ wants.

Shakespearean Language �Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in iambic pentameter. �This meter refers to a line consisting of five iambic feet. �Iamb: unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable �Foot: two syllables �One iambic foot: da DUM �One line of iambic pentameter: da DUM da DUM

Why Study Shakespeare? � 1) Illumination of the Human Experience � Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity � 2) Great Stories � Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers continue to adapt Shakespeare’s tales to suit our modern world, whether it be the tale of King Lear on a farm in Iowa or Romeo and Juliet on the mean streets of New York City

Why Study Shakespeare? � 3)Compelling Characters � Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his truly great characters – particularly his tragic heroes – are unequalled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations of the Greek tragedians. � 4) Language � Shakespeare is responsible for inventing 1700 of our commonly used words today such as: Tranquil, Obscene, Bedroom, Assassinate.