Greek Tragedy

Classic Tragedy

Aristotle defines tragedy as “the imitation of an action which is serious, complete, of a certain magnitude, couched in poetic language. It should be dramatic, with incidents arousing pity and fear, which bring about a purgation of these emotions.”

Tragic Hero

Characteristics of a tragic hero: Undergoes a morally significant struggle that

ends disastrously.

Essentially a superior person who is treated sympathetically (we like him in spite of what the hero might do)

Tragic flaw (Hamartia)

Hamartia – some defect in the tragic character that helps cause his own ruin.

Classic Moments in the tragic plot:

1. Reversal of situation (peripety) – good begins to slide or go bad

2. Recognition (a.k.a. epiphany) – discovery of the critical fact – the hero realizes his own flaw has brought him to this low point.

3. Scene of suffering – destructive or painful action such as a death on the stage, bodily agony, wounds, etc. (the suffering and final submission of the hero)

Shakespeare: Intro

Overview:

In the traditional view, the Renaissance was understood as a historical age in Europe that followed the Middle Ages and preceded the Reformation, spanning roughly the 14th through the 16th century.

William Shakespeare is one of the world‟s most famous writes and is often considered the best writer in the English Language.

Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon, a humble market town one hundred miles away from London.

Like the majority of people in England during the 1500s, Shakespeare most likely had little formal education.

In Shakespeare‟s day, actors were not respected. In fact, they were often lumped together with beggars and criminals.

Theaters were thought to be dirty places where disease spread; In fact, theaters were closed in 1592 because of the black plague, a disease which spread quickly across Europe.

In total, Shakespeare composed at least thirty seven plays

Shakespeaere‟s plays weren‟t published during his lifetime. It wasn‟t until 1623 that two actors published what they called “True Originall Copies” of Shakespeare‟s plays. This is called the “first folio.”

Acting

In Shakespeare‟s time, all actors were male.

Most often, young boys played the female roles.

Instead of wearing complex costumes, all actors wore clothing of the period.

Poetry…

In Shakespeare‟s day, all important writers wrote some form of poetry.

Prose ( or regular fiction, like short stories and novels) was not popular.

Blank Verse…

Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Pentamater is line of ten syllables, which alternates between stressed and unstressed lines. The suffix „Penta‟ means ten.

It‟s called “Blank” because of its lack of rhyme.