Elizabethan DramaElizabethan Drama
The Tragedy of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet, Prince of Denmarkof Denmark
by William Shakespeare
Elizabethan TheaterElizabethan Theater Retains much Retains much
of Greek of Greek DramaDrama– Tragic heroes Tragic heroes
are persons of are persons of high noble high noble station station
– Tragic Heroes Tragic Heroes partly brought partly brought to tragic end to tragic end by hamartia or by hamartia or tragic flaw tragic flaw
Hamartia & Elizabethan Physiology
Hamartia may be physical Four humors
– blood = red = passionate, gluttonous– phlegm = white = bookish, sterile– bile = yellow = waspish, hot
tempered– black bile = black = melancholy
Four HumorsFour Humors
Blood = Red
– passionate
– gluttonous
– impulsive
Four HumorsFour Humors
phlegm = white–bookish
–sterile
Four HumorsFour Humors
bile = yellow
–waspish
–hot tempered
Four Humors
Black bile = Black– melancholy– manic
depressive
Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms
Formulated by Freytaq, not Elizabethans CrisisCrisis
– decision by Hero that seals his/her doomdecision by Hero that seals his/her doom– usually found in Act III, Scenes 1 or 2usually found in Act III, Scenes 1 or 2
ClimaxClimax– decisive event, greatest tension/suspensedecisive event, greatest tension/suspense
Moment of final suspenseMoment of final suspense – only in Shakespeareonly in Shakespeare
Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms
SoliloquySoliloquy– distinct aura of interior monologuedistinct aura of interior monologue– inner workings of character's mindinner workings of character's mind– reveals his true thoughts & reveals his true thoughts &
emotionsemotions
Solo SpeechSolo Speech– up front stage directional speechup front stage directional speech– cues audience to character's planscues audience to character's plans
Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms
Umbrella speechUmbrella speech– often out of characteroften out of character– provides necessary informationprovides necessary information– for both audience & play charactersfor both audience & play characters
Mirror Speeches & ScenesMirror Speeches & Scenes– mimics words or actionsmimics words or actions– dramatic ironydramatic irony– often thematicoften thematic
Elizabethan Tragic Plot TermsElizabethan Tragic Plot Terms Mirror Speeches & ScenesMirror Speeches & Scenes
Claudius: O my offense is rank,
it smells to heaven,/ It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t,/ A brother’s murder. Pray I cannot,/ Though inclination be as sharp as will/ My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent,/
Hamlet: Now might I do it pat, now
a’ is a-praying,/ And now I’ll do’t it, and so a’ goes to heaven,/ And so I am revenged: that would be scanned:
A villain kills my father, and for that,/ I his sole son, do this same villain send / to heaven./ Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge./
Elizabethan Revenge Play Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsConventions
Accepts revenge Accepts revenge as self-justifyingas self-justifying
Avenger, high Avenger, high noble personnoble person
State too corrupt State too corrupt to provide justiceto provide justice
Evildoers are Evildoers are powerful figurespowerful figures
Elizabethan Revenge Play Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsConventions
Avenger Avenger obsessed with obsessed with lossloss
Difficult to Difficult to prove identity prove identity of villainof villain
Avenger must Avenger must find an find an ingenious wayingenious way
Elizabethan Revenge Play Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsConventions
Avenger Avenger becomes becomes clever, clever, remorselessremorseless& menace to & menace to public orderpublic order
Elizabethan Revenge Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsPlay Conventions
Avenger utters Avenger utters enigmatic threats enigmatic threats & pontificates & pontificates about injustices about injustices of stateof state
Avenger verges Avenger verges on true madnesson true madness
Avenger employs Avenger employs madness as a madness as a cloak for his cloak for his schemesschemes
Elizabethan Revenge Play Elizabethan Revenge Play ConventionsConventions
Play-within-the-playPlay-within-the-play Revenge play accepts revenge as Revenge play accepts revenge as
self-justifyingself-justifying
Shakespeare will use theseShakespeare will use these
conventions to challenge their conventions to challenge their
underlying valuesunderlying values
Concentric Circles of RevengeConcentric Circles of Revenge Denmark and Norway
– Fortinbras seeks revenge for father’s death Hamlet and Claudius
– Hamlet seeks revenge for father’s death Laertes and Hamlet
– Laertes seeks revenge for father and sister’s death Claudius and Hamlet
– Claudius seeks revenge for Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Ophelia & Hamlet?– Does Ophelia seek revenge for father’s death?
Christian StoicismChristian Stoicism
All life on earth doomed to pain, All life on earth doomed to pain, suffering & deathsuffering & death
Therefore to fight against Therefore to fight against injustice & suffering is foolishinjustice & suffering is foolish
Individual should look to afterlife Individual should look to afterlife for happinessfor happiness
Christian StoicismChristian Stoicism
To actTo act ((““to take arms against a to take arms against a sea of troublessea of troubles””) ) will only bring will only bring them on soonerthem on sooner
Better to endure Better to endure ((““to suffer the to suffer the slings & arrows of outrageous slings & arrows of outrageous fortunefortune””) ) & not to let one's & not to let one's passions affect onepassions affect one
HamletHamlet Play about Play about insoluble insoluble problems & problems & questionsquestions
CreatesCreates
CLAUSTROPHBIC CLAUSTROPHBIC atmosphereatmosphere
Watch how the Watch how the movie reinforces movie reinforces this with sets & this with sets & cameracamera
HamletHamlet
Tragic Hero must Tragic Hero must undergo undergo developmentdevelopment– toward a sense of toward a sense of
his/her role in his/her role in scheme of thingsscheme of things
– Recognition of Recognition of his/her error his/her error
HamletHamlet
In classical theory, without In classical theory, without
self-knowledge there is no self-knowledge there is no tragedytragedy
HamletHamlet becomes a play that becomes a play that debatesdebates Free Will & DeterminismFree Will & Determinism
ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions
Hyperbolic HeroHyperbolic HeroEffusive and sophisticated use of language Effusive and sophisticated use of language
Impassioned, articulate, verbose hero never Impassioned, articulate, verbose hero never shuts up shuts up
HHyperboleyperbole dramatizes hero dramatizes hero’’s spiritual anguish s spiritual anguish at difference between reality & the way things at difference between reality & the way things ought to beought to be
ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions
Voice of Reason CharacterVoice of Reason CharacterPragmatic Counter Voice character Pragmatic Counter Voice character
Usually, a commoner Usually, a commoner
Speaks for practical, common senseSpeaks for practical, common sense
Concerned with Concerned with being reasonablebeing reasonable
getting along, surviving, making bestgetting along, surviving, making best
of the way things areof the way things are
ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions
Insanity of Tragic HeroInsanity of Tragic HeroAt some point during play, At some point during play,
tragictragic
hero goes insane for at least ahero goes insane for at least a
short whileshort while
When does this happen to Hamlet?When does this happen to Hamlet?
ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions
Obligatory Absence of Tragic HeroObligatory Absence of Tragic HeroAt some point hero makes a journeyAt some point hero makes a journey
Takes him away from central setting Takes him away from central setting of play of play
Hero returns from journey with Hero returns from journey with changed attitude or directionchanged attitude or direction
ShakespeareShakespeare’’s Unique Tragedy s Unique Tragedy ConventionsConventions
Obligatory Debate Obligatory Debate between Hero & between Hero & CommonerCommoner
Otherworldly focus Otherworldly focus of Hyperbolic Tragic of Hyperbolic Tragic Hero Hero
Counter pointed Counter pointed with pragmatic, real-with pragmatic, real-world focus of world focus of CommonerCommoner
Classical Figures of SpeechClassical Figures of Speech
Definition:Definition: a use of language that a use of language that departs from customary departs from customary construction, order, or construction, order, or significance in order to achieve significance in order to achieve special effects or meaningsspecial effects or meanings
Classical Figures of SpeechClassical Figures of Speech
Rhetorical Figure Rhetorical Figure achieves achieves special effects without a radical special effects without a radical change in the meaning of wordschange in the meaning of words
TropeTrope causes a basic change or causes a basic change or reversal of the meaning of wordsreversal of the meaning of words
ExampleExample
ANAPHORA:ANAPHORA: repetitive repetitive rhetorical figure rhetorical figure that repeats same expression (word or that repeats same expression (word or words) at start of two or more lines, words) at start of two or more lines, clauses or sentencesclauses or sentencesAnd And shall I couple hell?--O, fie!--Hold, my heart;shall I couple hell?--O, fie!--Hold, my heart;
AndAnd you, my sinews, grow not instant old, you, my sinews, grow not instant old,
ExampleExample
ANTIPHRASIS:ANTIPHRASIS: tropetrope involving irony involving irony to use a word or phrase satirically or to use a word or phrase satirically or humorously to convey an idea exactly humorously to convey an idea exactly opposite to its literal significance. opposite to its literal significance.
Gertrude: Gertrude: ““Why seems it so particular with Why seems it so particular with thee?thee?””
Hamlet: Hamlet: ““Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know Seems, Madam? Nay, it is. I know not not ‘‘seems.seems.’”’”
ExampleExample
EPISTROPHE:EPISTROPHE: rhetorical figure rhetorical figure involving repetition of closing word or involving repetition of closing word or phrase at end of several clauses, phrase at end of several clauses, sentences, or linessentences, or lines
HamletHamlet:: You cannot, sir, take from me You cannot, sir, take from me anything that I will more willing part withal,anything that I will more willing part withal, except my life, except my life,--except my except my life, except my life,--except my life.life.
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