Renaissance Tragedy
Encyclopedia
Renaissance
tragedy
revived the classical
Greek tragedy fusing Elizabethan drama
and storyline complexities with a more morbid ending (in which the protagonist
usually dies, compared to Greek tragedy in which they live). The Renaissance tragedy was most prominent in England where famous playwrights such as William Shakespeare
, Thomas Middleton
and Christopher Marlowe
pioneered the form. Most tragedies fit a certain archetype
which is explored in this article.
; his father was murdered by his uncle who wanted the throne of Denmark for himself. Already the basis of the play revolves around the tragic circumstance Hamlet is already in, by no fault of his own. Hamlet combines a number of tragedy archetypes, but its basis is in his situation, rather than his choice.
An Ancient Greek
example could be Oedipus the King
who was abandoned by his mother, adopted by a king, and gets married (accidentally) to his mother, who abandoned him also.
whom after taking the witches predictions to heart, along with Lady Macbeth
, murders the King of Scotland, Duncan
, and then goes on to murder Banquo
who may threaten their power. This is a miscalculation because Duncan's son comes back with an army from England to oppose Macbeth which leads to both his and lady Macbeth's deaths. Hamlet
also uses this plot for its finale, when Claudius tries to poison Hamlet, but ends up poisoning Gertrude, which was a miscalculation.
for more detailed description
This could combine the previous two. Again Hamlet
contains a revenge element because he plots to murder his uncle. An example of a true revenge play is The Revenger's Tragedy
which Vindice sets out on murdering dukes and nobles who are part of a new government
responsible for murdering his love.
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
revived the classical
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
Greek tragedy fusing Elizabethan drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and storyline complexities with a more morbid ending (in which the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
usually dies, compared to Greek tragedy in which they live). The Renaissance tragedy was most prominent in England where famous playwrights such as William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
and Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
pioneered the form. Most tragedies fit a certain archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
which is explored in this article.
Tragedy of circumstance
Most plays of this type deal with monarchies, as monarchs are born into their situations, and do not choose them. An example of this would be HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
; his father was murdered by his uncle who wanted the throne of Denmark for himself. Already the basis of the play revolves around the tragic circumstance Hamlet is already in, by no fault of his own. Hamlet combines a number of tragedy archetypes, but its basis is in his situation, rather than his choice.
An Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
example could be Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King
Oedipus the King , also known by the Latin title Oedipus Rex, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed c. 429 BCE. It was the second of Sophocles's three Theban plays to be produced, but it comes first in the internal chronology, followed by Oedipus at Colonus and then Antigone...
who was abandoned by his mother, adopted by a king, and gets married (accidentally) to his mother, who abandoned him also.
Tragedy of miscalculation
These revolve around the protagonist's choice. An example would be MacbethMacbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
whom after taking the witches predictions to heart, along with Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
, murders the King of Scotland, Duncan
King Duncan
King Duncan is a fictional character in Shakespeare's Macbeth. He is the father of two youthful sons , and the victim of a well-plotted regicide in a power grab by his trusted captain Macbeth...
, and then goes on to murder Banquo
Banquo
Banquo is a character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play Macbeth. In the play, he is at first an ally to Macbeth and they are together when they meet the Three Witches. After prophesying that Macbeth will become king, the witches tell Banquo that he will not be king himself, but that his...
who may threaten their power. This is a miscalculation because Duncan's son comes back with an army from England to oppose Macbeth which leads to both his and lady Macbeth's deaths. Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
also uses this plot for its finale, when Claudius tries to poison Hamlet, but ends up poisoning Gertrude, which was a miscalculation.
Revenge Tragedy
see revenge playRevenge play
The revenge play or revenge tragedy is a form of tragedy which was extremely popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. The best-known of these are Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and William Shakespeare's Hamlet...
for more detailed description
This could combine the previous two. Again Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
contains a revenge element because he plots to murder his uncle. An example of a true revenge play is The Revenger's Tragedy
The Revenger's Tragedy
The Revenger's Tragedy is an English language Jacobean revenge tragedy, in the past attributed to Cyril Tourneur but is sometimes considered to be the work of Thomas Middleton by "Middletonians"...
which Vindice sets out on murdering dukes and nobles who are part of a new government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
responsible for murdering his love.
See also
- Renaissance theatreRenaissance theatreFor Renaissance theatre see*Its section in the History of Theatre*English Renaissance theatre*French Renaissance theatre*German Renaissance theatre*Italian Renaissance theatre*Spanish Renaissance theatre*Renaissance TragedyFor place name see...
- TragedyTragedyTragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
- Revenge playRevenge playThe revenge play or revenge tragedy is a form of tragedy which was extremely popular in the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. The best-known of these are Thomas Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy and William Shakespeare's Hamlet...
- Greek tragedy
- HamartiaHamartiaHamartia is a term developed by Aristotle in his work Poetics. The word hamartia is rooted in the notion of missing the mark and covers a broad spectrum that includes ignorant, mistaken, or accidental wrongdoing, as well as deliberate iniquity, error, or sin...
- English renaissance theatreEnglish Renaissance theatreEnglish Renaissance theatre, also known as early modern English theatre, refers to the theatre of England, largely based in London, which occurred between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642...
- History of theatreHistory of theatreThe history of theatre charts the development of theatre over the past 2,500 years. While performative elements are present in every society, it is customary to acknowledge a distinction between theatre as an art form and entertainment and theatrical or performative elements in other activities...