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A Shakespearean tragedy is a play written by William Shakespeare himself or a play written in the style of Shakespeare by a different author. Shakespearean tragedy has got its own specific features, which distinguish it from other kinds of tragedies. It should be noted that Shakespeare is mostly indebted to Aristotle’s theory of tragedy in his works.
I this video, I will show you the most important elements of a Shakespearean tragedy.
The first element of a Shakesperean tragedy is a tragic hero.
A tragic hero is an important element of a Shakespearean tragedy. This type of tragedy is essentially a one-man show. It is a story about one or sometimes two characters. The hero may be either male or female and he must suffer because of a flaw in the character or because of an inevitable fate, or both.
The hero must be the most tragic personality in the play. According to Andrew Cecil Bradley, a Shakespearean tragedy “is essentially a tale of suffering and calamity conducting to death.” (Usually, the hero has to face death in the end.)
An important feature of the tragic hero is that he is a towering personality in his state. He hails from the elite society and holds a high position. Tragic heroes are kings, princes, or military generals, who are very important to their states. For example, Hamlet is an intellectual, highly educated, sociable and charming person.
The hero is such an important person that his death gives rise to full-scale turmoil, disturbance, and chaos throughout the state. For example, when Hamlet takes revenge for the death of his father, he not only kills his uncle but invites his death at the hands of Laertes. As a result of his death, the army of Fortinbras enters Denmark and takes its control.
The second element of a Shakespearean tragedy is the conflict between good and evil.
Shakespearean tragedies play out the struggle between good and evil. Most of them deal with the supremacy of evil and suppression of good. According to Edward Dowden, “Tragedy, as conceived by Shakespeare, is concerned with the ruin or restoration of the soul and of the life of man. In other words, its subject is the struggle of Good and Evil in the world.”
Evil is presented in Shakespearean tragedies in a way that suggests its existence is an indispensable and ever-enduring thing. For example, in Hamlet, the reader is given the impression that something rotten will happen to Denmark. Though the readers get an inkling, yet the common people of the play are unaware of the impending evil.
In Julius Caesar, the mob is unaware of the struggle between good and evil within King Caesar.
They are also ignorant of the furtive and sneaky motives of Cassius. Goodness never beats evil in the tragedies of Shakespeare. Evil conquers goodness. The reason is that the evil element is always disguised, while goodness is open and freely visible to all. The main character, who is the most pious and honest person in the tragedy, is assigned the task of defeating the supreme evil because of his goodness. As a result, he suffers terribly and ultimately fails due to his fatal flaw.
Greatest Tragedies of Shakespeare (Wordsworth Best of Series)
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The Norton Shakespeare: Tragedies
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Shakespeare's Festive Tragedy: The Ritual Foundations of Genre
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