Tragedy+post+Shakespeare+Era

Aim - Nida Hasan



Shakespeare greatly influenced the literary genre of tragedy by providing a foundation for the types of characters and plot lines that generate an effective tragedy. According to an article regarding Shakespeare from CalPoly University, "The idea of the tragic hero as a being destroyed simply and solely by external forces is quite alien to him; and not less so is the idea of the hero as contributing to his destruction only by acts in which we see no flaw" (Schwartz). As time has progressed, the protagonists of tragic stories have maintained the aspects of human flaws that Shakespeare so wanted to emphasize while the storylines and delivery of the tragedies have shifted further from fact. Tragedy after Shakespeare’s era was not intended to replicate his style. Rather, it built off of Shakespeare’s writing techniques to create a combination of dramatic and comedic elements. According to Professor W.A. Nielsen's analysis of Elizabethan drama, “But in the search for themes, the dramatists soon broke away from fact, and the whole range of imaginative narrative also was searched for tragic subjects” (1). By breaking away from fact, playwrights such as Marlowe and Kyd fulfilled their aim to maintain the circumstances that define tragic works while also a greater of portion of comedy which defined entertainment in the Elizabethan era.

Neilsen, W.A. “The Elizabethan Drama.” Bartleby. Bartleby, 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. Shwartz, Debroh. “Shakespeare’s Plays: Tragedy.” CalPoly. n.p., 2005. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.

 Cultural - Joshua



While Shakespeare’s influence on modern theatre can certainly still be felt, the aspects and characterizations of Shakespearean tragedy and modern tragedy contrast each other drastically. The change over time has been slow but semi-permanent. In Shakespearean tragedy, characters act on hubris or ego. In modern tragedies, however, “smaller men with smaller dreams act through impulse, rather than hubris” (Stratford). The changes are rather easy to understand, on a cultural level. In Shakespeare's time, ego and honor were considered important aspects of the reputation that people carried with them. The characters in most Shakespearean tragedies were part of the social elite. As time moved on and culture changed, however, tragedy focused more and more on the aspirations of the non-elites trying to make their way in the world. As well, tragedy shifted to explain the often complex psychological problems that existed within characters. Tennessee William’s tragedy, Streetcar Named Desire, “is a sensitive study of the breakdown of a character under social and psychological stress” (Sewall). Regardless of the changes, however, both tragedy forms have the same end: a sudden and unexpected end that leaves lives, and dreams, shattered.

Sewall, Richard B. “American Classic Dramatists”. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2015. Stratford, Michael. “The Difference Between a Classical & a Modern Tragedy in Literature”. Synonym. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Historical - Jillian Nash



Shakespeare was a revolutionary in his time, writing plays that other playwrights could not match up to. The era of Shakespearean tragedy had a heavy influence on later tragedies, maintaining similar character traits and Shakespeare’s famous plotline following a character’s flaw. The theater thrived during Shakespeare’s era, and was allowed to give a foundation that post Shakespearean dramas would build off of. An Arts Alive page states, “Shakespeare’s plays can be considered monumental theatrical poems, whose structure, profundity and vision are the touchstones of dramatic art” (“Major Playwrights”). Regardless of the changes to drama during periods such as the era of Corneille and Racine, Shakespeare’s tragedies inspired and built the characters and stories of even today’s literary works. In the play written by Racine, “The framework and rules of tragedy are still the same, but the ingredients have drastically altered” (“History of Theater”). Although changes have been made and will continue to be made to the ingredients of tragedy, the same outline is followed. This illustrates Shakespeare’s influence throughout history and in modern times.

“History of Theater.” Historyworld. Historyworld, Web. 23 April 2015. “Major Playwrights.” Arts Alive. National Arts Center Theater Francais, Web. 23 April 2015.

Audience - Emily <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 130%;">Shakespeare's works maintained there target towards the common citizen throughout their time, asking them to take a look themselves and also those that are ruling them. Tragedies that were written after Shakespeare with the same essential build have been no different. The Utah Shakespeare Festival explains, " Shakespeare's audience for his outdoor plays was the very rich, the upper middle class, and the lower middle class". However the places they were able to sit differed all the socio-economic class had the ability to see the works of art. Due to Shakespeare's ability to capture essential human flaws in his work the entire audience still related and fell in love with the tragedy. While not to the same level Shakespeare does, other playwrights have this same appeal to a large audience. Michael Stratford argues, "several modern tragedies are about ordinary men with puny dreams and sorrowful finales". In time since Shakespeare the different social class have had the same ability to gain access to art through movies, television, books, and still plays. This allows post-shakespeare tragedies to reach their target audience

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16.8999996185303px;">Stratford, Michael. “The Difference Between a Classical & a Modern Tragedy in Literature”. Synonym. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"Shakespeare's Audience and Audiences Today." <span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: 'Open Sans','Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">//Utah Shakespeare Festival//. 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2015