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Jacobean Revenge Tragedy

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1 Jacobean Revenge Tragedy
Lesson 1 LO: In this lesson you will: learn about some of the key contexts of Jacobean drama take further your understanding of how contextual information affects reading and interpretation

2 Feedback Why was revenge such a popular theme in the Elizabethan and Jacobean dramas? What were the popular crimes and ethical arguments played out? Other than revenge, what other themes were popularly explored? What is the relevance of Plautus and Seneca? Plautus's comedies are mostly adapted from Greek models for a Roman audience, and are often based directly on the works of the Greek playwrights. He reworked the Greek texts to give them a flavour that would appeal to the local Roman audiences. They are the earliest surviving intact works in Latin literature. Plautus wrote around 130 plays,[4] of which 20 have survived intact, making him the most prolific ancient dramatist in terms of surviving work. Seneca remains one of the few popular Roman philosophers from the period. He appears not only in Dante, but also in Chaucer and to a large degree in Petrarch, who adopted his style in his own essays and who quotes him more than any other authority except Virgil. In the Renaissance, printed editions and translations of his works became common, Revenge crime is greater than the original crime

3 Revenge – good or bad? Discuss your views of revenge An eye for an eye
Turn the other cheek In your own words, explain the meaning of these sayings and their differences. Discuss your views of revenge

4 The Origins of Tragedy Has its origins in Greece.
Greek Philosopher Aristotle’s ( BC) assumptions about the nature of tragedy inspired Shakespeare, Webster and Middleton. He outlined his ideas about tragedy in The Poetics. His theories provided a model for Renaissance thinking about tragedy. The Renaissance period is described as ‘neo-classical’ because it revived these classical ideas.

5 Discuss what each of these means, explain them in your own words
One swallow does not make a summer. Aristotle We are what we repeatedly do. Young people are in a condition like permanent intoxication, because youth is sweet and they are growing. It is possible to fail in many ways... while to succeed is possible only in one way. It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied,  and most men live only for the gratification of it. Evil draws men together.

6 Aristotle on tragedy From the start, there are clues that all will not be well, and the atmosphere is one of doom from the beginning of scene 1. The hero starts at a high position of happiness, prosperity and success. The hero, due to some tragic flaw (e.g. hubris = too much pride) in his nature, makes a serious error in judgement - hamartia, which leads to a reversal of fortune – peripeteia leading to a fall in status and a moment of extreme suffering (pathos). This results in anagnorisis, where the hero begins to understand and to realise his mistakes. There is a cleansing of the old order, and the hero dies and another prepares to take over. Through the hero’s suffering and death, the audience experiences catharsis– a kind of purification. All of this happens within a short time span, of around twenty four hours.

7 What is Jacobean Tragedy?
Written during the reign of King James I ( ). Jacobus is Latin for James. Jacobean tragedy is sometimes called ‘revenge tragedy’ or ‘the theatre of blood’. Identifies a genre: plays which share certain distinctive features. Independent learning task: Publication of The Duchess of Malfi. Create a time line which shows: Death and reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 The births and deaths of Marlowe, Shakespeare, Webster, Middleton and John Ford. Publication of Hamlet Death and reign of King James

8 The features of Jacobean Tragedy
Revenge- various quests for vengeance leading to violent deaths. Different attitudes to revenge are explored. Disguise and counter plots are common. Brutal and wicked behaviour – murder, treachery, cruelty, sexual lust, desire for power. Appetites which lead to destruction. Atmosphere of moral decay. The corrupt society of Renaissance Italy and Spain - usually set in a decadent and vice-ridden foreign court, full of self seekers and Machiavellian political intrigue. Popular prejudice of such foreign places. Religious and moral hypocrisy –Priests and religious leaders insincere and deceitful. Usually anti-Catholic (Jacobean England was Protestant). The malcontent – a troubled individual who comments critically on society and other characters. Often a revengeful plotter, agent of retribution. Based on John Marston’s play ‘The Malcontent’ and the character Malvole = ‘ill wisher’. Women – confident and sensual, seeking to control their own lives in a male-dominated world. Language – sardonic, sombre tone, intense, vibrant language. Vivid imagery of corruption, sexual passion, disease, decay and death. Sardonic – grimly mocking or cynical

9 Critical terminology Jacobean Peripeteia Renaissance Hubris Malcontent
Harmatia Machiavellian Catharsis Revenge tragedy Pathos Anagnorisis Can spend time doing this is time to spare Independent learning Task: Create a key of critical terms with their definition. To meet AO1 you must use these terms critically and accurately.

10 Homework Study the booklet you have been given ‘What a piece of work is man’. Make notes on the following contexts: Plot and genre Elizabethan character and personality types The Renaissance Contemporary performance Language Add critical terms to your key. Familiarise yourself with the language of the extract from Hamlet ready for a class reading. Booklet: what a piece of work is man from EMC 1770 drama resource

11 On-going learning task
As we read, it is worth noting to what extent TDOM meets the generic conventions of Aristotelian and Jacobean tragedy. Complete the tables for each as we read and note any breaks with these conventions in the text. Worksheets available

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