Tragedy A meditation on death Focuses on an individual Deals with the problem of failure and death Attempts to find meaning in death Individual fails due to some tragic flaw Gains self-knowledge, but the price is death Focuses on the world of sin, imperfection, limitations, error, and suffering Redemption through suffering

Two Types of Tragedy Tragedy of Redemption Basically good protagonist Dies a dignified and heroic death Reader feels sympathy Tragedy of Damnation Psychology of the criminal mind Protagonist is not a hero. He/she kills his conscience. Dies a different death – not as a hero

Characteristics of the Tragic Play Concerns the fall of a person whose character is good, believable, and consistent The fall is caused internally by some error or frailty in the protagonist (not a vice or depravity) Presented in the form of action, not narration Arouses the emotions of pity and terror A single unified action that is serious, complete, probable and of a certain magnitude.

The Tragic Hero Belief in his own freedom and free will Supreme pride Capacity for suffering Sense of commitment Vigorous protest Transfiguration Impact

Irony The irony in tragedy lies in the contrast between the vision which the tragic hero has of his future and the shocking disaster that befalls him

Types of Irony Verbal: the speaker says one thing and means another Situational: Something unexpected happens (usually with a twist) Dramatic: The audience shares with the author certain knowledge about which a character is uninformed Tragedies, in general, and Macbeth, in particular, are full of ironies.

What to look for in Macbeth Contrasts Irony Paradox Think about the contrasts in imagery, characters, theme ideas good/evil dark/light order/chaos loyalty/disloyalty

Character Foils Deliberate contrast in characters Character differences highlighted Leads to a theme

Other Details Performed on stage – The Globe Theater Based on historical Macbeth Tribute to King James I, so changes historical fact and adds witches Set in Scotland

The Castles, Glamis and Cawdor