Shakespearean Tragedy "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions". - (Hamlet Quote Act IV, Scene V).

Where did the Tragic Play come from? Though Shakespeare is hailed as a great tragic dramatist, he did not create the concept of tragic plays The genre of tragedy is rooted in the Greek dramas of such authors as: Euripides (ca. 480?-405 B.C., e.g. Medea and The Trojan Women) Sophocles (496-406 B.C., e.g. Oedipus Rex and Antigone). 

Where did the Tragic Play come from? One of the earliest works of literary criticism was Poetics by Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), In Poetics, Aristotle discusses his Theory of Tragedy based in part upon the plays of Euripides, and Sophocles. His theory of tragedy defines what is called Classical Tragedy. Shakespeare probably was not exposed to Greek tragedy, but he was probably familiar with the Latin adaptations of Greek drama by the Roman (i.e. Latin-language) playwright Seneca (ca. 3 B.C.-65 A.D.; his nine tragedies include a Medea and an Oedipus). 

Where did the Tragic Play come from? Medieval tragedy:  A narrative (not really a play) concerning how a person falls from prosperity to poverty as the Goddess Fortune spins her wheel.  Medieval theater in England was primarily liturgical drama, which developed in the later middle ages (1400-1501) as a way of teaching scripture to the illiterate. Its purpose was to remind them to be prepared for death and God's Judgment (morality plays). 

Where did the Tragic Play come from? Renaissance tragedy is not like medieval tragedy (morality plays) Follows some of the Aristotelian notion of the tragic flaw, weakness or human error that causes the protagonist's downfall.  Unlike classical tragedy, however, it tends to include subplots (minor plot within a play ) and comic relief.  From Seneca, early Renaissance tragedy borrowed the "violent and bloody plots, resounding rhetorical speeches, the frequent use of ghosts, and sometimes the five-act structure" (Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th ed., vol. I, p. 410). 

Where did the Tragic Play come from? Shakespeare falls into the realm of the Renaissance Tragedy period (1400-1501). In his greatest tragedies (e.g. Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth), Shakespeare transcends the conventions of Renaissance tragedy, instilling his plays with a timeless universality. 

Timeline of the development of Tragedy Euripides and Sophocles Greek Tragedy 500 B.C. Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy In Poetics (Classical Tragedy) 380 B.C. To Greek Tragedies by Seneca Roman adaptations 50 A.D. Moral “narrative” Plays Medieval Tragedy 1066-1380 1400-1501 Renaissance Tragedy

Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy Aristotle indicates that the medium of tragedy is drama, not narrative; tragedy “shows” rather than “tells.” According to Aristotle, tragedy is higher and more philosophical than history because history simply relates what has happened while tragedy dramatizes what may happen, “what is possible according to the law of probability or necessity.”

Aristotle’s Theory of Tragedy Tragedy creates a cause-and-effect chain that clearly reveals what may happen at any time or place because that is the way the world operates. Tragedy therefore arouses not only pity but also fear, because the audience can envision themselves within this cause-and-effect chain. Aristotle believed that Sophocles’ Oedipus the King was the perfect tragedy.

The Six Parts of a Tragedy Plot – the arrangement of the incidents, not the story itself; the structure of the play Freytag’s Triangle: Start of the cause and effect chain In the case of tragedy this end is a catastrophe complications unraveling

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) The plot must be “complete,” having “unity of action” The plot must be structurally self-contained, with the incidents bound together by internal necessity, each action leading inevitably to the next with no outside intervention. The plot must be “of a certain magnitude”; length, complexity, seriousness and universal significance

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) Characters – 2nd place of importance In the perfect tragedy, personal motivations of the characters will be intricately connected to the cause and effect chain of actions. These chain of actions produce pity and fear in the audience.

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) The protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be from good to bad. This change is the result of a big error or weakness in a character. Pity is aroused by unfair misfortune. Fear is aroused because the misfortune happened to a man just like us, therefor we could suffer the same misfortune.

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) Characters must have these qualities: Good and fine – moral purpose Fitness of character – valor is appropriate for a warrior, but not a woman True to life – realistic; it could really happen Consistency – character’s personality and motivations stay constant throughout the play Necessary or probable – character is logically constructed True to life and yet more beautiful – idealized, romanticized

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) Thought is third in importance. This is where something is proved to be or not to be. Aristotle doesn’t talk very much about thought, but we realistically could assume this includes themes of a play

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) Diction – In Aristotle’s own words, “But the greatest thing by far is to have a command of metaphor;…it is the mark of genius, for to make good metaphors implies an eye for resemblances”. Melody – this is the musical element of the chorus. The Chorus should be fully integrated into the play like an actor; choral odes should not be “mere interludes,” but should contribute to the unity of the plot.

The Six Parts of a Tragedy (cont.) Spectacle – Aristotle recognizes the emotional attraction of spectacle (pageantry), he argues that superior poets rely on the inner structure of the play rather than spectacle to arouse pity and fear. Spectacle is what the stage machinist creates for the eye.

Freytag Pyramid

Hamlet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0CqUTmwKiM

Freytag Model for Hamlet

Macbeth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzAujyWpK_s

Freytag Model Macbeth

King Lear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptXr7LKylpg

Freytag Model King Lear