Shakespearean tragedy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shakespeare's First Folio behind glass at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.

Shakespearean tragedy is the classification of drama written by William Shakespeare which has a
noble protagonist, who is flawed in some way,[1] placed in a stressful heightened situation and ends
with a fatal conclusion.[2] The plots of Shakespearean tragedy focus on the reversal of fortune of the
central character(s) which leads to their ruin and ultimately, death.[3] Shakespeare wrote several
different classifications of plays throughout his career and the labeling of his plays into categories is
disputed amongst different sources and scholars.[4] There are 10 Shakespeare plays which are
always classified as tragedies[1][3] and several others which are disputed; there are also Shakespeare
plays which fall into the classifications of comedy, history, or romance/tragicomedy that share
fundamental attributes of a Shakespeare tragedy but do not wholly fit in to the category.[2] The plays
which provide the strongest fundamental examples of the genre of Shakespearean tragedy
are Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth[3] and Antony and Cleopatra.[2][5]

Contents
[hide]

1Classification

2Chronology

3Influences and sources

4Contemporary tragedy

5See also

6Notes and references

o 6.1Notes

o 6.2References

7Sources

8External links
Classification[edit]
The primary characters in a Shakespearean tragedy are of high status, either by class like King
Lear and Hamlet or by military rank like Othello and Macbeth. The main characters in a
Shakespearean tragedy further the central conflict of the play to the point that their lives, families, or
socio-political structures are destroyed.[3] The title characters along with many other characters in
Shakespeare's tragedies die as part of the story of the play. Many of Shakespeare's history
plays share the qualifiers of a Shakespearean tragedy, but because they are based on real figures
throughout the History of England, they were classified as "histories" in the First Folio. The Roman
tragediesJulius Csar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanusare also based on historical
figures, but because their source stories were foreign and ancient they are almost always classified
as tragedies rather than histories. Shakespeare's romances (tragicomic plays) were written late in
his career and published originally as either tragedy or comedy. They share some elements
of tragedy featuring a high status central character but end happily like Shakespearean comedies.
Several hundred years after Shakespeare's death, scholar F.S. Boasalso coined a fifth category, the
"problem play", for plays that don't fit neatly into a single classification because of their subject
matter, setting, or ending.[3][6] The classifications of certain Shakespeare plays are still debated
among scholars.

Chronology[edit]

Edwin Austin Abbey (18521911) King Lear, Cordelia's Farewell

Below is the list of Shakespeare's plays listed as tragedies in the First Folio, along with a date range
in which each particular play is believed to have been written.[3][7]

Terminus
Play
post quem ante quem

Titus Andronicus 1591 1593

Romeo and Juliet 1594 1595

Julius Caesar 1599 1600

Hamlet 1600 1601

 Terminus
Play
post quem ante quem

Troilus and Cressida[a] 1601 1602

Othello 1604 1605

King Lear 1605 1606

Macbeth 1605 1606

Timon of Athens 1605 1608

Antony and Cleopatra 1606 1607

Coriolanus 1607 1608

The Tempest 1610 1611

Influences and sources[edit]

The English Renaissance, when Shakespeare was writing, was fueled by a renewed interest in
Roman and Greek classics and neighboring renaissance literature written years earlier in Italy,
France, and Spain.[3] Shakespeare wrote the majority of his tragedies under the rule of James I, and
their darker contents may reflect the general mood of the country following the death of Elizabeth I,
as well as James' theatrical preferences.[3] Shakespeare, as was customary for other playwrights in
his day, used history, other plays, and non-dramatic literature as sources for his plays. In Elizabethan
England there were no copyright or protections against plagiarism, so characters, plots, and even
whole phrases of poetry were considered common property.[4] The majority of Shakespeare's
tragedies are based on historical figures, with the exception of Romeo & Juliet and Othello, which
are based on narrative fictions by Giraldi Cintio.[3] The historical basis for Shakespeare's Roman
plays comes from The Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch,[8] whereas the source of
Shakespeare's Britain based plays and Hamlet (based on the Danish Prince Amleth)[9] derive
from Holinshed's Chronicles.[3] Furthermore, the French author Belleforest published The Hystorie of
Hamblet, Prince of Denmarke in 1582 which includes specifics from how the prince counterfeited to
be mad, to how the prince stabbed and killed the King's counsellor who was eavesdropping on
Hamlet and his mother behind the arras in the Queen's chamber.[9] The story of Lear appears
in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regium Britanniae c.1135, and then in John Higgin's poem The
Mirror for Magistrates in 1574, as well as appearing in Holinshed's Chronicles in 1587.[10] Some
events that happen in Shakespeare's King Lear were inspired by various episodes of Philip
Sydney's Arcadia from 1590, while the nonsensical musings of Edgar's "poor Tom" heavily
reference Samuel Harsnett's 1603 A Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures.[10]

Contemporary tragedy[edit]
Tragedies from these eras traced their philosophical essence back to Senecan tragedy,[3] grounded
in noble who have a tragic flaw or commit a grave error (hamartia) which leads to their reversal of
fortune (peripeteia). Revenge tragedy was also of increasing popularity in this age,
Shakespeare's Hamlet is one example of this.[6][7] Plays of this age were also decidedly secular,[3] in
contrast to the religious morality plays which by this time were outlawed by Elizabeth I. One marked
difference between English renaissance tragedies and the classics that inspired them, was the use
and popularity of violence and murder on stage.[3]
Select exemplary (non-Shakespearean) Elizabethan and Jacobean tragedies [9]

The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd

The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe

Tamburlaine by Christopher Marlowe

Antonio's Revenge by John Marston

The Revenger's Tragedy by Thomas Middleton

'Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford

See also[edit]
Shakespeare's late romances

First folio

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. Jump up^ Troilus and Cressida was listed as a comedy in the First Folio, but is now classified
as a tragedy.

References[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to:a b Jamieson 2015.

 2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Boyce 1990.

3. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l m Dunton-Downer & Riding 2004.

4. ^ Jump up to:a b Bryson 2007, p. 99.

5. Jump up^ Greenblatt 1997.

6. ^ Jump up to:a b Boas 1910, pp. 344408.

7. ^ Jump up to:a b Brockett & Hildy 2007, p. 109.

8. Jump up^ Mowat & Werstine 2013.

9. ^ Jump up to:a b c Hoy 1992.

10. ^ Jump up to:a b Foakes 1997.

Sources[edit]
Boyce, Charles (1990). Shakespeare A to Z. New York: Roundtable Press. ISBN 0-440-50429-5.

Brockett, Oscar G.; Hildy, Franklin J. (2007). History of Theatre (9th ed.). Boston: Pearson
Education. ISBN 9780205358786.

Bryson, Bill (2007). Shakespeare: The World as Stage. Eminent Lives. New
York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-074022-1. OCLC 136782567.

Dunton-Downer, Leslie; Riding, Alan (2004). Essential Shakespeare Handbook. New York: Dorling
Kindersley. ISBN 9780789493330.

Foakes, R.A., ed. (1997). King Lear. The Arden Shakespeare, third series. Cengage
Learning. ISBN 1903436591.

Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. (1997). The Norton Shakespeare (2nd ed.). New York: W. W. Norton &
Company. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1.

Hoy, Cyrus, ed. (1992). Hamlet. Norton critical editions. New York: W. W. Norton &
Company. ISBN 978-0-393-31642-1.

Jamieson, Lee (1 May 2015). "Shakespeare Tragedies". About.com. Retrieved 4 April 2014.

McEachern, Claire, ed. (2013). The Cambridge Companion to Shakespearean Tragedy. Cambridge
Companions to Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press. doi:10.1017/CCOL0521790093. ISBN 9780511999314.

Mowat, Barbara A.; Werstine, Paul, eds. (2013). The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. New York: Folger
Shakespeare Library. ISBN 978-1-4391-9671-7.

Boas, Frederick S. (1910). Shakespere and his Predecessors. University manuals. John
Murray. OCLC 939680633.


William Shakespeare
Poet
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest
writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's
national poet, and the "Bard of Avon". Wikipedia
Born: April 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
Died: April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom
Spouse: Anne Hathaway (m. 15821616)
Plays: Hamlet, MacBeth, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, more
Quotes
Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have
greatness thrust upon them.
To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to
any man.
The course of true love never did run smooth.
Top 500 Poems

Phenomenal Woman, Maya Angelou

Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

If You Forget Me, Pablo Neruda

Dreams, Langston Hughes

Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe

Caged Bird, Maya Angelou

If, Rudyard Kipling

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy.., Robert Frost

A Dream Within A Dream, Edgar Allan Poe

I Do Not Love You Except Bec.., Pablo Neruda

Fire And Ice, Robert Frost

 Television, Roald Dahl

Do Not Stand At My Grave And.., Mary Elizabeth Frye

Invictus, William Ernest Henley

As I Grew Older, Langston Hughes

Alone, Edgar Allan Poe

Don'T Go Far Off, Pablo Neruda

Do Not Go Gentle Into That G.., Dylan Thomas

Warning, Jenny Joseph

Hope Is The Thing With Feath.., Emily Dickinson

A Poison Tree, William Blake

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud.., William Wordsworth

All The World's A Stage, William Shakespeare

The Highwayman, Alfred Noyes

Mother To Son, Langston Hughes

Let Me Die A Youngman's Death, Roger McGough

O Captain! My Captain!, Walt Whitman

~i Choose The Mountain~, Howard Simon

A Smile To Remember, Charles Bukowski

Alone With Everybody, Charles Bukowski

No Man Is An Island, John Donne

A Thing Of Beauty (Endymion), John Keats

"Why Do I Love" You, Sir?, Emily Dickinson

On The Ning Nang Nong, Spike Milligan

The Lesson, Roger McGough

A Fairy Song, William Shakespeare

How Do I Love Thee?, Elizabeth Barrett Brown ..

 The Pig, Roald Dahl

Remember, Christina Georgina Ross ..

Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley

A Hint At What Is Beauti.., yoonoos peerbocus

Dulce Et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen

Top 500 Member Poems

Submit
Title Poet Date

~i Choose The Mountain~ Howard Simon 11/11/2008

A Hint At What Is
yoonoos peerbocus 1/21/2007
Beauti..

Dreams Lost In Water Naseer Ahmed Nasir 10/30/2008

~the Power Of A Tear~ Howard Simon 1/29/2009

Hold You In My Smile Ernestine Northover 1/20/2006

If You Die Before Me Dr. Antony Theodore 5/19/2010

A Baby's View Of
yoonoos peerbocus 3/27/2007
Abortion

Mandela - The Immortal

Chinedu Dike 8/13/2014
Icon

' Emeralds And Blac.. Frank James Ryan Jr 11/23/2006

(FjR)

Fallen Angel Jennifer Rondeau 1/16/2006

 Submit
Title Poet Date

Nocturnal Snowing Fabrizio Frosini 1/10/2015

Latina Time Marieta Maglas 8/25/2009

Tenderness Fabrizio Frosini 12/15/2014

Click here to list all top 500 member poems

Top 500 Poems

Phenomenal Woman, Maya Angelou

Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost

If You Forget Me, Pablo Neruda

Dreams, Langston Hughes

Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe

Caged Bird, Maya Angelou

If, Rudyard Kipling

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy.., Robert Frost

A Dream Within A Dream, Edgar Allan Poe

I Do Not Love You Except Bec.., Pablo Neruda

Fire And Ice, Robert Frost

Television, Roald Dahl

Do Not Stand At My Grave And.., Mary Elizabeth Frye

Invictus, William Ernest Henley

As I Grew Older, Langston Hughes

Alone, Edgar Allan Poe

 Don'T Go Far Off, Pablo Neruda

Do Not Go Gentle Into That G.., Dylan Thomas

Warning, Jenny Joseph

Hope Is The Thing With Feath.., Emily Dickinson

A Poison Tree, William Blake

I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud.., William Wordsworth

All The World's A Stage, William Shakespeare

The Highwayman, Alfred Noyes

Mother To Son, Langston Hughes

Let Me Die A Youngman's Death, Roger McGough

O Captain! My Captain!, Walt Whitman

~i Choose The Mountain~, Howard Simon

A Smile To Remember, Charles Bukowski

Alone With Everybody, Charles Bukowski

No Man Is An Island, John Donne

A Thing Of Beauty (Endymion), John Keats

"Why Do I Love" You, Sir?, Emily Dickinson

On The Ning Nang Nong, Spike Milligan

The Lesson, Roger McGough

A Fairy Song, William Shakespeare

How Do I Love Thee?, Elizabeth Barrett Brown ..

The Pig, Roald Dahl

Remember, Christina Georgina Ross ..

Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley

A Hint At What Is Beauti.., yoonoos peerbocus

Dulce Et Decorum Est, Wilfred Owen

The Complete List of Top 500 Poems

New Poems
Poems submitted in last 24 hours:

Submit
Title Poet Date

Women (Tanka) Jesus James 11/1/2016

Llorico

The Power Of God Thabani Khumalo 11/1/2016

The Brain And Mind Robert Murray 11/1/2016

Limerick.. Smith

A. S. H. R. A. T. Edward Kofi 11/1/2016

Louis

Tribal Rhythms michael 11/1/2016

spangenberg

Thr Brain And Mind Robert Murray 11/1/2016

Limerick #3 Smith

[The sun rises, the breeze f.. Hlne Dorion 11/1/2016

[The day declines, and the t.. Hlne Dorion 11/1/2016

[Each one goes, into the cav.. Hlne Dorion 11/1/2016

you're there and you watch .. Stphane Despatie 11/1/2016

Observed Edward Kofi 11/1/2016

Louis

Impressions Of Dinner
Liza Sud 11/1/2016
Walk. ..