Shakespeare’s Drama Dramatic Terms: Action: A series of physical and psychological events having unity and significance. Antagonist: A character or force in opposition to the main character (protagonist). Climax: The strongest point of emotional tension. Dramatic irony: The irony produced when the audience is aware of something a character or characters in the play do not yet know. Exposition: Portion of the play normally in Act I, in which the author gives the audience, needed information to understand the play or situation (locale, setting, time, etc.) Foil: A character who defines certain characteristics in the protagonist by exhibiting opposite traits or the same traits in a greater or lesser degree.

Shakespeare’s Drama Dramatic Terms: Paradox: statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true. Symbol: Something - an object, word, character, idea, incident - that stands for something Theme: The major idea in a play, but not its subject matter. Unities: Time, place, action. (Aristotle: action and time. French classical theorists added place.) Unity of Time: action takes place in one day. Unity of Place: one location. Unity of Action: one plot. Abandoned in English drama.

Shakespeare’s Drama Important Shakespearian Dramatic terms: Soliloquy: An act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play. Our way through the heroes’ inner thoughts and feelings. Word play: The witty exploitation of the meanings and ambiguities of words, especially in puns. Ex: "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." In Romeo and Juliet Mercutio says this after he receives a stab wound that he knows will be fatal. He is using the term "grave" as both "serious" and "dead".

Shakespeare’s Drama Shakespeare’s Dramatic Development (Types of plays): Romantic comedies: A mixture of love and comedic misunderstanding in a light and pleasurable manner. Examples Midsummer Night’s Dream. Earlier Romantic plays: Romantic tragedies: The tragic side of love. Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare was experimenting with his earlier romantic comedies. Yet still, sources and influences can still be traced in these works such as Plutarch and Chaucer’s works.

Shakespeare’s Drama History plays: Shakespeare’s Dramatic Development (Types of plays): History plays: The theater was hungry for political and history plays. There was a political tension in the atmosphere. Richard II is the first in a series of history plays. Tragic Comedies (Dark Comedies): It is believed that Shakespeare invented the tragic comedy. Shakespeare’s plays reflecte the human experience and heart of Man. Therefore, he represents life where both humor and trauma coexist. The fact that he excelled at this genre only strengthen the argument that he is the only dramatist that was capable of bringing life into the stage. His tragedies became more tragic with humor. And his comedies became more effective with its tragic elements. Ex: The Merchant of Vince

Shakespeare’s Drama Problem plays: Very similar to dark comedies. Shakespeare’s Dramatic Development (Types of plays): Problem plays: Very similar to dark comedies. They shed light on social issues. In the Problem Plays there aren’t the happy endings that one would expect in a comedy, nor the tragic effect one would expect in a tragedy.

Shakespeare’s Drama Tragedies: Serious plays with sad endings Shakespeare’s Dramatic Development (Types of plays): Tragedies: Serious plays with sad endings Mark his most successful plays: Ex: Hamlet-Othello-Macbeth-King Lear Revenge tragedies influenced by Seneca.

Shakespeare’s Drama Shakespearian Themes: Chain of being (The Divine Order) The great chain of being is a concept derived from Plato, Aristotle, and Proclus; further developed during the middle Ages. It details a strict, religious hierarchical structure of all matter and life, believed to have been created by God. The chain starts from God and progresses downward to angels, demons (fallen/renegade angels), stars, moon, kings, princes, nobles, men. It dictates a very strict order starting from: God-Angles-Humanity –Animals-Plants-Minerals

Shakespeare’s Drama Shakespearian Themes: Chain of being (The Divine Order) The chain of being is also known as the divine order. The Divine Order was the belief that everything in the universe has a specific place and rank in order of their perceived importance and "spiritual" nature. The more "spirit" a person or object had, the more power he or she had. This divine order cannot be challenged. Each division of being must not challenge the place in where it is found.

Shakespeare’s Drama Shakespearian Themes: Supernatural It is that which is not subject to the laws of physics, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature. A manifestation or event attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding or the laws of nature. Examples: ghosts-witches – demons Shakespeare has made use of the supernatural as a mysterious poetical atmosphere. In Shakespeare’s drama, the supernatural is used as a motive force to human action. As the starting point behind the characters actions, decisions and the play’s events. Examples: The ghost in Hamlet – The witches in Macbeth