Shakespeare wrote nearly 40 plays that fall into four categories: comedies, tragedies, histories, and tragicomedies. Comedies often involve mistaken identities and love plots with happy endings. However, The Merchant of Venice contains anti-semitism. Histories are named after historical figures and set in medieval England, though not always historically accurate. Tragedies involve a noble figure's downfall due to a fatal flaw beyond their control, ending in death. Examples given are King Lear, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar.

1. March 25, 2014
INTRODUCTION TO
SHAKESPEAREAN DRAMA

2. • Shakespeare wrote nearly 40 plays in his lifetime.
• Each of his plays falls into one of four categories:
• Comedies
• Tragedies
• Histories
• Tragicomedies
• Each type of play has a certain set of characteristics
GENRES

3. • The Shakespearean comedy is often thought of as being a play with a
happy ending. However, this is not a completely accurate description of
his comedies
• The elements that make a Shakespearean comedy:
• The language is comedic.
• There is usually a love story.
• More often than not, there is a case of mistaken identity.
• Plots are often extremely complex, which requires that readers follow
along closely.
COMEDY

4. • As You Like It
• The Merchant of Venice*
*The Merchant of Venice is considered to be a comedy, but the play is full of
anti-semitism and features a character who demands a pound of flesh be paid
because of an overdue loan, the play is not exactly a happy-go-lucky comedy
in the sense that one might think.
EXAMPLES OF COMEDIES

5. • Shakespeare’s histories are somewhat easier to identify.
• The plays are named after the historical figure who is the main character in
the play.
• The history plays are all set in medieval England.*
• Also important to note is that the history plays are not completely
historically accurate; Shakespeare’s plays were meant to offer social
commentary and critique rather than to be completely accurate.
• Shakespeare also has characters from every end of the social spectrum in
his histories, and sometimes these characters who range in social class end
up in scenes together to illustrate the contrast in the classes.
HISTORY

6. • *It is important to note that all of the historical plays are based on
medieval English history because Shakespeare wrote other plays dealing
with historical figures from the Roman empire, but these plays are not
considered histories.
OTHER HISTORIES

7. • Henry IV, Part I
• Richard III
SHAKESPEAREAN HISTORIES

8. • To say that a Shakespearean tragedy is nothing but a sad play is not
accurate.
• The plays often involve the fall of someone of noble stature.
• The character always has a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall,.
• Their downfall is usually set into motion by external forces that the
characters have little or no control over.
• The tragedies are also characterized by a great deal of death.
• The tone is usually very somber from the onset of the play.
• The plays are meant to examine human nature.
TRAGEDY

9. • King Lear
• Hamlet
• Julius Caesar
• Romeo and Juliet
SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDIES

10. • Tragicomedies contain elements of both comedy and tragedy.
• An example of a tragicomedy would be The Tempest.
TRAGICOMEDY