Elements of Greek and British Tragedy

Tragedy Definition: an event causing great suffering Description: a play dealing with tragic events, often having an unhappy ending

Literary background From the Greek philosopher, Aristotle A literary work, meant to be performed, in which the hero meets his downfall due to actions of his own making

Classic drama: British and Greek Tragedy British tragedy evolved from the Greek Similar elements

Greek tragedy Audience can relate to the hero Audience experiences catharsis (emotional cleansing) from hero’s actions

Greek Tragedy (cont’d) Uses chorus--group who speaks in unison to advance plot, act as a character or to supply commentary Uses monologues and soliloquies

Greek Tragic Hero Hero may or may not die, but his suffering without death was worse than dying. Hero’s downfall related to excessive pride (hubris) Hero is noble but imperfect so audience can see themselves in him.

Greek Tragic Hero(cont’d) Hero must understand his doom (simple versus complex) Hero’s tragic end is result of conflict between him and a higher power (law, gods, fate, society)

British (Shakespearean) Tragedy Hero, or main character, dies Hero’s death is usually related to a character excess (pride, jealousy, greed)

Shakespearean Tragedy Most plays have five acts Climax often appears at the end of Act 3 Use monologues and soliloquies to impart information

William Shakespeare: Language and Theater

Shakespeare’s Life Thought to be born in 1564 in Stratford- upon-Avon – Died April His birthday is approximated to be April 23 because he was christened on April 26 (many of the details of his life are supposed because there are few surviving documents) He had seven brothers and sisters, and his father was the town’s mayor and a prosperous glove maker. Shakespeare never attended college, as his father fell into debt.

Shakespeare’s Life He wrote 37 plays (histories, comedies, and tragedies) and 154 sonnets. His first play, Henry VI, was published in London in Theaters in London closed for two years during the plague that killed more than 33,000 people. Theaters reopened in Shakespeare survived financially during this time by writing and selling poems, and it is thought that this is when he wrote most of his sonnets.

Review of Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare lived during the English Renaissance, also known as the Elizabethan Era (early 16 th century to the early 17 th century) England was ruled by Queen Elizabeth I ( ) and then James I ( ). This time was known as a “rebirth” of English power and “flowering” of the arts. Although actors were not respected, theater was popular. Queen Elizabeth I and James I attended the theater during their separate reigns. The audience in the “pit”, the foul smelling commoners, were called groundlings.

Shakespeare’s Life Shakespeare owned a portion of the Globe Theater. The Globe was an open air theater shaped like an “O.” Plays were performed in the daytime to take advantage of natural light. Young boys played the parts of women in Shakespeare’s time. Shakespeare’s theater troupe, originally called “Lord Chamberlain’s Men,” changed their name to “The King’s Men.” (Remember King James I ascended to the throne after Elizabeth I). The Globe burned to the ground in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII after a theatrical cannon misfired during the performance. The theater was rebuilt a year later.

Language in Shakespeare’s Plays Shakespeare was a master of the English language. He wrote poetry and prose. Prose is ordinary, everyday language. Poetry, or verse, is “concentrated language,” and uses language’s rhythm and sound.

Language in Shakespeare’s Plays Shakespeare’s poetry usually followed a specific pattern. He mainly wrote in blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter). He wrote using meter--specifically, in iambs, units of speech containing one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. It is all about syllables, not necessarily words. Shakespeare’s meter was iambic pentameter--5 iambs per line. That translates to 10 syllables per line.

Drama in Shakespeare’s time Importance of Words: There were few props, special effects, etc. Words carried the action. Real Life versus Stage Life: In visual entertainment like movies, there is an illusion of reality. This was not so in Shakespeare’s time. Characters can be evaluated by: What the character does; What the character says; or What is said about the character.

Drama in Shakespeare’s time Symbolic Art: Universals like good, evil, truth, beauty, and purity were represented by characters or situations. Drama was defined as the “Imitation of Life”.