1. Vocabulary and Terms
Shakespearean Drama

3. Shakespeare’s Plays Three Categories
Tragedy: a play that traces the main character’s downfall
Ex: Hamlet
Comedy: a play that ends happily and usually contains many humorous elements
Ex: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
History: a play that chronicles the life of an English monarch
Ex: Richard II

5. Tragedy and the Tragic Hero
Shakespeare’s tragedies are often called his “greatest plays.”
Every tragedy contains a “tragic hero”
Tragic hero: a main character who goes through a series of events that lead to his/her downfall

6. Qualities of a Tragic Hero
Possesses importance or high rank
Exhibits extraordinary talents
Displays a tragic flaw—an error in judgment or defect in character—that leads to downfall
Faces downfall with courage and dignity

8. Soliloquy and Aside
Shakespeare uses soliloquies and asides even though these are not things that are used in real life.
Soliloquy: a long speech given by a character while alone on stage to reveal his or her private thoughts or intentions. (monologue)
Aside: a character’s quiet remark to the audience or another character that no one else on stage is supposed to hear. A stage direction (often in brackets) indicates an aside

9. Aside Example
Trebonius: Caesar, I will. [Aside] And so near will I be That your best friends shall wish I had been further. The audience is meant to hear the aside, but not Caesar. What does the aside suggest?

11. Dramatic Irony Irony: the contrast between appearance and reality
Dramatic Irony: when the reader or audience knows something that one or more of the characters do not know.
EX: In Romeo and Juliet when we know Juliet is married to Romeo, but her parents do not.
Other examples in R and J?

13. Verbal Irony
Verbal irony = when you say one thing and mean another (sarcasm is a type of verbal irony generally associated with a tone of voice)
Example = When Ms. Blea says she’s happy to see your enthusiasm when you are yawning

15. Situational Irony Situational irony = When the unexpected happens
Example – A fire station catches on fire
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