1. Shakespeare zWrote four kinds of plays zComediesMidsummer Nights Dream zHistoriesRichard II zRomancesWinters Tale zTragediesMacbeth

2. Tragedies zFour big-time tragedies: Hamlet (not the Dr. Seuss version which included Green Eggs), Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth zMacbeth was the last of his tragedies. Many consider it his best. zKing Lear, however, is most often considered his best play of any category. zRomeo and Juliet, also a tragedy, is considered of lesser quality than the big four.

3. Classical Tragedy zrequirements of a tragedy as set out in Aristotles Poetics ztragedy is when bad things happen to good people zprotagonist is high-born zprotagonist has a fatal flaw zthe tragedy of the play flows from this fatal flaw

4. Classical Tragedy cont. zat some time (usually at the end) the protagonist has a moment of realization where he or she discovers what has happened and why they are responsible zthe action (according to Aristotle) should take place in a day or less. In later times, this meant a constriction or concentration of time. zthe tragedy will have an antagonist (or, if male, an uncletagonist)the bad guy