Shakespeare’s Tragic Hero Formula

The Tragedies 3 categories: Comedies Histories Tragedies Tragedy: A play about the downfall of a central character.

Shakespeare’s Tragic Hero Tragic Hero: Character who meets destruction because of a tragic flaw. Tragic Flaw (Hamartia): A personality trait that causes a lapse in judgement and the character’s downfall. Example: Pride or greed.

5 Major Criteria He must be a person of some high stature or position such as a King, General, or Nobleman. Though he’s a good person, he frequently makes serious errors in judgment which lead him to committing his downfall. Often he has a distorted perception of, or is blind to, reality. He must elicit both pity and fear from the audience (catharsis). He chooses his outcome; he is not a victim of fate or circumstance.

Why Tragedy? Aristotle argued witnessing tragic drama simply forces us to temporarily experience the dangers of transgression. This experience teaches us a basic cautionary tale at a deep, truly terrifying emotional level. Catharsis is a medical term referring to purging or cleansing. Both Plato and Aristotle argued that witnessing tragic theater grants the audience this experience.

Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear and Brutus are just a few of Shakespeare's characters that may be considered tragic heroes. Identify some tragic characters from recent films, tv shows, or books. Explain how they fit a specific part of the tragic hero criteria. Example: Walter White in Breaking Bad.

Key Literary Elements of the Play Protagonist(s): Othello, Desdemona, Cassio Antagonist: Iago Setting: Venice and Cypress Conflicts: Person vs. person, person vs. society, person vs. self Subjects/Themes: Appearance vs. reality, jealousy and betrayal, love

5 Part Dramatic Structure

Significant Techniques Blank verse: Unrhymed iambic pentameter Figurative Language: Simile, metaphor, personification, allusions, punning (play on words) Soliloquy: When a character speaks aloud about their feelings and thoughts to himself and to the audience. Soliloquies are delivered when characters are alone or when they think they are alone on stage.

Aside: A piece of dialogue intended for the audience or another character, but not heard by the other actors on stage. Irony: Dramatic, situational, verbal Suspense and Foreshadowing: Anticipation regarding an outcome/clues given that hint toward an outcome.