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Shakespearean Drama. Vocabulary and Terms. Shakespeare’s Plays. 3 categories Tragedy: a play that traces the main character’s downfall Ex: Comedy: a play that ends happily and usually contains many humorous elements Ex: History: a play that chronicles the life of an English monarch
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Shakespearean Drama Vocabulary and Terms
Shakespeare’s Plays • 3 categories • Tragedy: a play that traces the main character’s downfall • Ex: • Comedy: a play that ends happily and usually contains many humorous elements • Ex: • History: a play that chronicles the life of an English monarch • Ex:
Tragedy and the Tragic Hero • Shakespeare’s tragedies are often called his “greatest plays.” • Every tragedy contains a “tragic hero” • Tragic hero: a main character who goes through a series of events that lead to his/her downfall
Qualities of a Tragic Hero • Possesses importance or high rank • Exhibits extraordinary talents • Displays a tragic flaw—an error in judgment or defect in character—that leads to downfall • Faces downfall with courage and dignity
Soliloquy and Aside • Shakespeare uses soliloquies and asides even though these are not things that are used in real life. • Soliloquy: a long speech given by a character while alone on stage to reveal his or her private thoughts or intentions. (monologue) • Aside: a character’s quiet remark to the audience or another character that no one else on stage is supposed to hear. A stage direction (often in brackets) indicates an aside
Aside Example Trebonius: Caesar, I will. [Aside] And so near will I be That your best friends shall wish I had been further. The audience is meant to hear the aside, but not Caesar. What does the aside suggest?
Dramatic Irony • Irony: the contrast between appearance and reality • Dramatic Irony: when the reader or audience knows something that one or more of the characters do not know. • EX: In Romeo and Juliet when we know Juliet is married to Romeo, but her parents do not. • Other examples in R and J?
Verbal Irony • Verbal irony = when you say one thing and mean another (sarcasm is a type of verbal irony generally associated with a tone of voice) • Example = When Ms. Blea says she’s happy to see your enthusiasm when you are yawning
Situational Irony • Situational irony = When the unexpected happens • Example – A fire station catches on fire Last slide