8-4Tragedies

Shakespeare’s Tragedies // Answer Prepared by Caitlin Z. // Throughout his life Shakespeare was famous for plays in many genres, but at the height of his career he was especially famous for his tragedies. According to Charles Haines is his book, __William Shakespeare and his Plays,__ Shakespeare decided to attempt writing tragedies after reading many that he found purposeless (96). Over the next several years, he wrote ten plays in that specific genre: __Titus Andronicus__, __Romeo and Juliet__, __Hamlet__, __Othello__, __King Lear__, __Macbeth__, __Timon of Athens__, __Anthony and Cleopatra__, and __Coriolanus__. In his book, __To Meet Will Shakespeare__, Frank Ernst Hill describes the common format of the Shakespearean tragedies (268). A main character, with some prominence in society, would be faced with a dilemma. The main character is forced to make a hard choice regarding the quandary, leading to a high intensity climax. Shakespeare’s style was characterized by the death of the protagonist during the climax of the story, often due to his lack of decent decision-making. Throughout the stories, many innocent lives were lost or put in danger. Fate often played a large role in the outcome of the story, along with evil forces. The plays were greatly respected as they were unlike any others from the time period.

According to __Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth__, by Andrew Cecil Bradley, the four most famous Shakespearean tragedies are King Lear, Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, all written during the middle of his career (54). The Folger Library notes on their website, on the page entitled “Success in London,” all four plays were originally preformed in the Globe Theater, soon after the theater was opened. __Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth__, by Andrew Cecil Bradley has a great deal of information concerning these four plays. King Lear (1605-1606) is a tragic story about the King of Britain relinquishing his thrown and entitling a dowry to each of his three daughters. Othello (1603-1604), about jealousy and manipulation, follows Rodrigo's sinful actions as he plots a terrible fate for Othello and Desdemona. Hamlet (1600-1601) is a tale of the life of the Prince of Denmark following the death of his father. He is visited by his father’s spirit and he then seeks revenge on Claudius - no matter the consequence. Macbeth (1606) is a tragic story about fate, for Macbeth is told by three strange women that he will be King of Scotland and the story follows the sins he will commit to seal his supposed fate. The constant mood of these plays is dark and full of revenge, but they pleased the audience of the time and are still applauded by today’s generations. All of the violence could capture the attention of a reader or an audience within the first five minutes. This was apparent since every performance at the Globe was filled with fans of the new Shakespearean style. The tragedies clearly helped define Shakespeare in the 1600s and today. Works Cited Bradley, Andrew Cecil. //Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth//. 2. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1905. Print. Haines, Charles. //William Shakespeare and His Plays//. New York: F. Watts, 1968. Print. Hill, Frank Ernest. //To Meet Will Shakespeare//. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries Press, 1970. Print. "Success in London." //Folger Shakespeare Library//. 15 Apr 2009 [].