We all know very well that William Shakespeare was one of the greatest dramatists of the Elizabethan period and due to the treatment of human emotion as theme in his plays, Shakespeare holds a very high position in the history of world drama. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the history of the English language. A number of writers, novelists and poets of different period like Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Herman Menville etc. have been influenced by Shakespeare. Even today, according to Guinness World Book of World Records, Shakespeare is the best selling dramatist. The people who have not much interest in literature do not know about the greatest tragedies of Shakespeare and their main characteristics. In this blog we will discuss the chief characteristics of Shakespearean tragedies.
Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies
Shakespeare has written many plays which are tragic in nature. But the followings six plays written by Shakespeare are called the greatest tragedies of Shakespeare:
-
Macbeth
-
Hamlet
-
King Lear
-
Othello
-
Julius Caesar
-
Romeo and Juliet.
Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy
-
Shakespearean tragedy is the story of one person or utmost two person, hero and heroine.
-
Shakespearean hero is a man of high position like king, prince or General of the Army.
-
Shakespearean tragedy is the story of suffering and calamity of the tragic hero.
-
These suffering and calamities are exceptional and so affect the whole nation.
-
In Shakespearean tragedy chance and fate plays important role.
-
In Shakespearean tragedy supernatural elements like ghosts and witches also play important role.
-
The hero of the tragedy suffers due to a flaw in his characters. Un knowingly he commits some mistakes and consequently he suffers.
-
The Shakespearean tragic hero dies in the end of the play. The play in which the hero does not die in the end of the play is not a tragedy in a true Shakespearean sense.
-
Internal conflict is one of the most important elements in Shakespearean tragedy. There is always confusion in the mind of the hero. The hero’s fall is due to this internal conflict.
-
In Shakespearean tragedy, the tragic hero always faces a critical dilemma.
Conclusion
Thus we see that Shakespearean hero is himself responsible for his tragic end. He has some flaws in his own characters that lead to his death. For example Othello has suspicious nature which leads to his death. In case of Hamlet, he is unable to take a decision. This inability to take decision causes his death. So in every character we find some flaws in his character that lead to his death. Since the tragic hero is a man of high position , his death shatters the whole nation. The whole nation mourns his death. In his greatest tragedies, Shakespeare wants to convey the idea that in this world striving for good is always thwarted by evil and man’s heroic action is always wasted because nature is always hostile to human beings. The disastrous failure of the tragic hero leads not only to his death but also to the death of many others.
If you like the blog, please leave a comment and share and forward to your friends and colleagues.
Prof.(Dr.) Asghar Ali Ansari
School of Language, Literature & Society.
Jaipur National University, Jaipur, India.