SALIENT FEATURES OF SHAKESPEREAN TRAGEDY.

1. • William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet,
playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon.
His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April
(see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed
to be the date he died in 1616.
• Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan
and Jacobean ages of British theatre (sometimes called the
English Renaissance or the Early Modern
Period). Shakespeare’s plays are perhaps his most enduring
legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare’s
poems also remain popular to this day.
• Shakespeare's Family Life

2. • Shakespeare's Family Life
• Records survive relating to William Shakespeare’s family that offer an understanding of the context of Shakespeare's early life and the lives of his family members. John
Shakespeare married Mary Arden, and together they had eight children. John and Mary lost two daughters as infants, so William became their eldest child. John Shakespeare worked as a
glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he was even more likely to have sent his children,
including William, to the local grammar school.
• William Shakespeare would have lived with his family in their house on Henley Street until he turned eighteen. When he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was
twenty-six. It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Together they had three children. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born six
months after the wedding and was later followed by twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was just 11 years old.
• For an overview of William Shakespeare's life, see Shakespeare's Life: A Timeline.
• Shakespeare in London
• Shakespeare's career jump-started in London, but when did he go there? We know Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585, and that by 1592 his reputation was established in
London, but the intervening years are considered a mystery. Scholars generally refer to these years as ‘The Lost Years’.
• During his time in London, Shakespeare’s first printed works were published. They were two long poems, 'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and 'The Rape of Lucrece' (1594). He also became a
founding member of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company of actors. Shakespeare was the company's regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year, for almost twenty
years.
• He remained with the company for the rest of his career, during which time it evolved into The King’s Men under the patronage of King James I (from 1603). During his time in the
company Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous tragedies, such as King Lear and Macbeth, as well as great romances, like The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest.
• For more about Shakespeare's patrons and his work in London see; Shakespeare's Career
• Shakespeare's Works
• Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today.
It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving
the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.
• Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on
stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William
Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language.
• New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place, the largest house in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Although his professional career was spent in London, he maintained close links with his native town.
•

3. • Shakespeare's Works
• Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of
Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the
plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known
as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.
• Shakespeare’s legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays
have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William
Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary
figures of the English language.
• New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place, the largest house in
the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon. Although his professional career was spent in London, he maintained close links with his native town.
• Recent archaeological evidence discovered on the site of Shakespeare’s New Place shows that Shakespeare was only ever an intermittent lodger in
London. This suggests he divided his time between Stratford and London (a two or three-day commute). In his later years, he may have spent more
time in Stratford-upon-Avon than scholars previously thought.
• Watch our video for more about Shakespeare as a literary commuter:
• On his father's death in 1601, William Shakespeare inherited the old family home in Henley Street part of which was then leased to tenants. Further
property investments in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602.
•

4. • Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52. He is buried in the sanctuary of the
parish church, Holy Trinity.
• All the world's a stage /And all the men and women merely players. / They have their exits and their entrances,
/ And one man in his time plays many parts.
• — AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT 2 SCENE 7
• Help keep Shakespeare's story alive
• Donate Online
• More like this
• Shakespedia Index
• Go behind the scenes
• Read our blogs
• Shakespeare's Birthplace
• Where the story beganHighlights
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• CollectionsResearchPress & MediaT&Cs, Privacy and CookiesFollow us
• Facebook Twitter InstagramNewsletterWe are a charityHelp us keep Shakespeare's story alive
• Thank you for your support to help care for the world's greatest Shakespeare heritage and keep his story
alive.
• The independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites in Stratford-upon-
Avon, and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of his works, life and times all over the world.
Celebrating Shakespeare is at the heart of everything we do.
• © 2021 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Registered Charity Number 209302

5. • New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon
• Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him
considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New
Place, the largest house in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Although his professional career was spent in London, he
maintained close links with his native town.
• Recent archaeological evidence discovered on the site of
Shakespeare’s New Place shows that Shakespeare was only ever an
intermittent lodger in London. This suggests he divided his time
between Stratford and London (a two or three-day commute). In his
later years, he may have spent more time in Stratford-upon-Avon
than scholars previously thought.

6. • On his father's death in 1601, William Shakespeare inherited the old family home in Henley Street part of which was then leased to tenants. Further
property investments in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602.
• Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52. He is buried in the sanctuary of the parish church, Holy Trinity.
• All the world's a stage /And all the men and women merely players. / They have their exits and their entrances, / And one man in his time plays many
parts.
• — AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT 2 SCENE 7
• Help keep Shakespeare's story alive
• Donate Online
• More like this
• Shakespedia Index
• Go behind the scenes
• Read our blogs
• Shakespeare's Birthplace
• Where the story beganHighlights
• Plan Your VisitGroupsAccessGet involved
• DonateVolunteerJobsContact UsUseful
• CollectionsResearchPress & MediaT&Cs, Privacy and CookiesFollow us
• Facebook Twitter InstagramNewsletterWe are a charityHelp us keep Shakespeare's story alive
• Thank you for your support to help care for the world's greatest Shakespeare heritage and keep his story alive.
• The independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites in Stratford-upon-Avon, and promotes the enjoyment and
understanding of his works, life and times all over the world. Celebrating Shakespeare is at the heart of everything we do.
• © 2021 Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Registered Charity Number 209302
•

7. William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s popular tragedies include:
Hamlet
Othello
King Lear
Macbeth
Romeo and Juliet
Titus Andronicus
Aristotle’s classic Poetics laid the foundation for Shakespeare’s tragic plays, where a protagonist,
usually of high social standing, encounters a downfall occasioned by their own doing, referred to as a
“tragic flaw.”
Looking at Shakespeare’s tragedy plays, a combination of the nine elements below make up the plot,
coming together to make up the most tragic Shakespeare moments

8. • 1. A Tragic Hero
• The tragic hero describes a male or female royal of
virtuous character, who must face adversity, either
caused by their flawed persona or sealed by fate.
Ultimately, they pay the price with their lives, but after
recognizing their mistake. This role is a preserve of
princes, military generals, and even kings, whose lives
have a significant bearing on their subjects. In the
classic Romeo and Juliet, Romeo Montague is the tragic
hero, whose undoing is his obsession with Juliet
Capulet. Juliet’s fake death triggers his emotions,
leading him to take poison and die right beside his
sleeping love.

9. • 2. Good Against Evil
• Good and evil was as real as it is today in the times of
Shakespeare. One reason why the good vs evil
theme features so often in tragedy is the ability of the duo
to stir the imagination of the audience as these elements
existed in society. They could identify with both evil and
good characters. Hamlet is an excellent illustration of good
and evil forces. He changes from an honorable character to
a callous villain when he avenges his father’s death by
murdering Polonius. Although he believes this to be an act
of justice, it results in the insanity of Ophelia.
• 3. Hamartia

10. • 3. Hamartia
• The protagonists in these tragedies all carry a flaw, also
known as hamartia, that leaves them vulnerable and
eventually leads to a disastrous end. Once again,
Hamlet comes into focus as a perfect illustration of
hamartia and its role in tragedy. His indecisiveness and
overthinking lead him to overreact, killing Polonius
thinking that he was Claudius, his father’s murderer.
His obsession with vengeance leads to the senseless
murder of the innocent man stirring up tragedy after
tragedy. He could have killed Claudius when he was
praying at the church but could not act due to his
overthinking.

11. • 4. Tragic Waste
• Looking at Shakespeare’s plays, the hero and villain ultimately die. It
is this disturbing demise of good characters along with the evil ones
that is known as tragic waste. King Lear’s daughter, Cordelia,
embodies courage and empathy by refusing to celebrate her
father’s division of the kingdom. His other two daughters, Goneril
and Regan, with whom he shares the kingdom, refuse to care for
him, leading to his insanity. The two daughters fight each other and
cause the death of many civilians in the process. When Cordelia
hears of her father’s plight, she returns to save him but is defeated
and killed in the end. Goneril slays her sister and later dies by
suicide. Their father dies from immense sadness occasioned by the
death of his daughters.

12. • 5. Conflict
• In Shakespearean tragedies, two types of conflict take
place:
• External conflict – The hero faces conflict from his
antagonists.
• Internal Conflict – The hero faces conflict in their mind.
• Macbeth struggles internally, wondering whether to
take power by force. He has to choose to either remain
loyal to Duncan or heed his wife’s advice. He faces an
external conflict when Banquo and Macduff rise to
challenge his illegitimate rule

13. • 6. The Supernatural
• Superstitious beliefs come to play in some of
Shakespeare’s tragic plays. Ghosts form part of the plot
in Julius Caesar, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Macbeth, in
particular, strongly feeds on society’s superstition at
the time by including the three witches and Banquo’s
ghost. The witches’ prophecy about Macbeth and
Banquo; two characters with totally opposing
attributes. Macbeth acts fast to murder Banquo and his
sons and prevents the prophecy of his sons ascending
to the throne from taking place. However, Banquo’s
ghost appears after his murder, compelling him to
reveal his sins to his guests.

14. • 7. Catharsis
• The audience’s immersion in the play leads to an
emotional roller coaster, with mixed feelings for
the hero and their antagonists. While the
suffering of the hero elicits sympathy, the
audience experiences anger towards the villain.
The death of the hero culminates in the audience
experiencing a release of bottled up emotions,
including sadness. On the other hand, the death
of the villain provides relief, with the satisfaction
that their tragic end is justified.

15. 8.Lack of poetic justice:-Shakespeare’s tragedies
share a strikingly similar trait; the lack of poetic
justice. Poetic justice occurs when both good and
evil characters experience justice. In the real
world, good deeds do not always beget rewards,
and evil may go unpunished. King Lear’s
benevolent daughter, Cordella, dies while trying
to rescue her father. Her tragic end depicts the
unfairness of life, which is relatively common and
relatable to most people.

16. • 9. Fate
Othello is a tragedy that depicts the powerlessness
of man when it comes to destiny. His love
for Desdemona elicits disapproval from her father
due to his black skin. He never chose to be born
black and cannot change his appearance. His
black skin feeds his insecurities, and the fact that
he is commonly referred to as the Moor makes it
worse. His insecurities eventually lead him to kill
Desdemona and stab himself.

17. • Elements of Shakespeare’s Tragedies
• In Shakespeare's tragedies, the main protagonist generally has a flaw that leads to his downfall. There are both internal and external struggles and
often a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure (and tension). Often there are passages or characters that have the job of lightening the
mood (comic relief), but the overall tone of the piece is quite serious.
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• All of Shakespeare's tragedies contain at least one more of these elements:
• A tragic hero
• A dichotomy of good and evil
• A tragic waste
• Hamartia (the hero’s tragic flaw)
• Issues of fate or fortune
• Greed
• Foul revenge
• Supernatural elements
• Internal and external pressures
• The paradox of life
• The Tragedies
•

18. • A brief look shows that these 10 classic plays all have common themes.
• 1) “Antony and Cleopatra”: Antony and Cleopatra’s affair brings about the downfall of the Egyptian pharaohs and results in Octavius Caesar becoming the first Roman emperor. Like
Romeo and Juliet, miscommunication leads to Anthony killing himself and Cleopatra later doing the same.
• 2) “Coriolanus”: A successful Roman general is disliked by the “play Bienz“ of Rome, and after losing and gaining their trust throughout the play, he is betrayed and assassinated by
Aufidius, a former foe using Coriolanus to try to take over Rome. Aufidius felt like Coriolanus betrayed him in the end; thus he has Coriolanus killed.
• 3) “Hamlet”: Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his father’s murder, committed by his uncle, Claudius. Hamlet's quest for revenge causes the deaths of many friends and loved
ones, including his own mother. In the end, Hamlet is lured into a fight to the death with Laertes, brother of Ophelia, and is stabbed by a poisoned blade. Hamlet is able to kill his
attacker, as well as his uncle Claudius, before dying himself.
• 4) “Julius Caesar”: Julius Caesar is assassinated by his most trusted friends and advisers. They claim they fear he is becoming a tyrant, but many believe Cassius wants to take over. Cassius
is able to convince Caesar‘s best friend, Brutus, to be one of the conspirators in the death of Cesar. Later, Brutus and Cassius lead opposing armies into battle against each other. Seeing
the futility of all they have done, Cassius and Brutus each order their own men to kill them. Octavius then orders Brutus be buried honorably, for he was the noblest of all Romans.
• 5) “King Lear”: King Lear has divided his kingdom and given Goneril and Regan, two of his three daughters, each a part of the kingdom because the youngest daughter (Cordelia),
previously his favorite, would not sing his praises at the dividing of the kingdom. Cordelia vanishes and goes to France with her husband, the prince. Lear attempts to get his two oldest
daughters to take care of him, but neither wants anything to do with him. They treat him poorly, leading him to go mad and wander the moors. Meanwhile, Goneril and Regan plot to
overthrow each other leading to many deaths. In the end, Cordelia returns with an army to save her father. Goneril poisons and kills Regan and later commits suicide. Cordelia’s army is
defeated and she is put to death. Her father dies of a broken heart after seeing her dead.
• 6) “Macbeth”: Due to an ill-timed prophecy from the three witches, Macbeth, under the guidance of his ambitious wife, kills the king to take the crown for himself. In his increasing guilt
and paranoia, he kills many people he perceives are against him. He is finally beheaded by Macduff after Macbeth had Macduff’s entire family assassinated. The “evilness” of Macbeth
and the Lady Macbeth‘s reign comes to a bloody end.
• 7) “Othello”: Angry that he was overlooked for a promotion, Iago plots to overthrow Othello by telling lies and getting Othello to cause his own downfall. Through rumors and paranoia,
Othello murders his wife, Desdemona, believing she has cheated on him. Later, the truth comes out and Othello kills himself in his grief. Iago is arrested and is ordered to be executed.
• 8) “Romeo and Juliet”: Two star-crossed lovers, who are destined to be enemies because of the feud between their two families, fall in love. Many people try to keep them apart, and
several lose their lives. The teens decide to run away together so that they can wed. To fool her family, Juliet sends a messenger with news of her “death“ so they will not pursue her and
Romeo. Romeo hears the rumor, believing it to be true, and when he sees Juliet’s “corpse,“ he kills himself. Juliet wakes up and discovers her lover dead and kills herself to be with him.
• 9) “Timon of Athens”: Timon is a kind, friendly Athenian nobleman who has many friends because of his generosity. Unfortunately, that generosity eventually causes him to go into debt.
He asks his friends to help him financially, but they all refuse. Timons invites his friends over for a banquet where he serves them only water and denounces them; Timons then goes to
live in a cave outside of Athens, where he finds a stash of gold. An Athenian army general, Alcibiades, who has been banished from Athens for other reasons, finds Timons. Timons offers
Alcibiades gold, which the general uses to bribe the army to march on Athens. A band of pirates also visits Timons, who offers them gold to attack Athens, which they do. Timons even
sends his faithful servant away and ends up alone.
• 10) “Titus Andronicus”: After a successful 10-year war campaign, Titus Andronicus is betrayed by the new emperor, Saturninus, who marries Tamora, Queen of the Goths, and despises
Titus for killing her sons and capturing her. Titus’s remaining children are framed, murdered, or raped, and Titus is sent into hiding. He later cooks up a revenge plot in which he kills
Tamora’s remaining two sons and causes the deaths of his daughter, Tamora, Saturninus, and himself. By the end of the play, only four people remain alive: Lucius (Titus’s only surviving
child), young Lucius (Lucius’s son), Marcus (Titus’s brother), and Aaron the Moor (Tamora’s former lover). Erin is put to death and Lucius becomes the new emperor of Rome.