Focus on Literary Form: Drama

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Focus on Literary Form Drama

• Soul of the Age! The applause, delight, the
  wonder of our stage.
• -- Ben Johnson, To the Memory of My Beloved
  Master William Shakespeare, and What He Hath Left
  Us

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Background Dramatic Structure

• Renaissance playwrights were greatly influenced
  by Humanism, looking not only to the Bible but
  also to Latin and Greek Scholarship for wisdom
  and knowledge.

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The Great Theme

• All of Shakespeares plays, like most drama, are
  about one great general theme disorder.
• What is the order in this society?
• How is that order violated?
• How do the characters respond to the loss of
  traditional order?
• How is order restored?
• Is the new order at the end of the play something
  healthy or is it shot through with ironic
  resonance?

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Defining Drama

• A story written to be performed by actors.
• Sophisticated (classical) dramas originated in
  Greek religious ceremonies honoring Dionysus (god
  of wine, new life, illusion fertility).

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Classical Dramatic Structure Comedy Tragedy

• Always involves conflict
• Opening scene conveys a sense of a normal
  society
• A society which is held together by shared rules
• Large group scene as symbol of social unity
• Something unusual and often unexpected happens
  to upset the normality
• Creates confusion and conflict
• Source of humor OR political, personal, and
  psychological torment
• Attempts to understand what is going on or to
  deal with it simply compound the conflict,
  accelerating it and intensifying it.
• Finally, the conflict is resolved

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Aristotles Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that
  is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
  in language embellished with each kind of
  artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
  in separate parts of the play in the form of
  action, not of narrative through pity and fear
  effecting the proper purgation of these
  emotions.
• -- Aristotle, The Poetics, Part VI

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Aristotles Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that
  is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
  in language embellished with each kind of
  artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
  in separate parts of the play in the form of
  action, not of narrative through pity and fear
  effecting the proper purgation of these
  emotions.
• -- Aristotle, The Poetics, Part VI

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Imitation

• (from Greek mimesis, or mimeisthai which means
  to imitate)
• The attempt to capture the essence of reality in
  artificial form.

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Aristotles Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that
  is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
  in language embellished with each kind of
  artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
  in separate parts of the play in the form of
  action, not of narrative through pity and fear
  effecting the proper purgation of these
  emotions.
• -- Aristotle, The Poetics, Part VI

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Pity

• (from Greek eleos, which means pity or mercy)
• The feeling of pain one experiences when watching
  another suffer.

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Aristotles Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that
  is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
  in language embellished with each kind of
  artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
  in separate parts of the play in the form of
  action, not of narrative through pity and fear
  effecting the proper purgation of these
  emotions.
• -- Aristotle, The Poetics, Part VI

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Fear

• (from Greek phobos, which means fear, panic or
  flight)
• The sense of panic or loss of self in terror.

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Aristotles Definition of Tragedy

• Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that
  is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude
  in language embellished with each kind of
  artistic ornament, the several kinds being found
  in separate parts of the play in the form of
  action, not of narrative through pity and fear
  effecting the proper purgation of these
  emotions.
• -- Aristotle, The Poetics, Part VI

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Purgation

• (from Greek katharsis, which means "purging,
  cleansing)
• purification
• Removing impurities, as when metal is purified to
  remove trace elements so that only one material
  remains.
• Tragedy purifies pity and fear so that we feel
  only those two emotions.
• purging
• Cleansing, as when something harmful is
  forcefully removed.
• Tragedy purges harmful emotions like pity and
  fear from the body.
• distillation
• The purification or concentration of a substance,
  as when alcohol is distilled to make it stronger.
• Tragedy distills and purifies pity and fear
  so that they become even more intense for the
  audience.

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Tragedy

• Depicts the downfall of a basically good person
  through some fatal error or misjudgment,
  producing suffering and insight on the part of
  the protagonist and arousing pity and fear on the
  part of the audience.

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Key Elements of a Tragedy

• tragic hero
• An outstanding person of high rank whose downfall
  is caused by his own flawed behavior.
• tragic flaw
• Part of the heros character that leads him to
  make a fatal mistake.
• catharsis
• A cleansing through the emotions (pity, fear,
  awe) generated by the play.
• catastrophe
• An unhappy ending featuring the destruction of
  the hero.

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Tragic Endings

• The ending of a tragedy looking back over what
  has happened.
• resolution of conflict
• occurs only with the death of the main character
  who usually discovers (just before his death)
  that he brought about his own demise.
• the final series of events
• 1) Hero dies
• 2) Group laments over the body of fallen hero
  reflects upon the significance of his life
• 3) Heros body is carried out the social group
  is reformed (thanks to the sacrifice of the main
  character(s))

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Comedy

• Depiction of ordinary people in conflict with
  society.
• Conflicts are always happily resolved, and
  typically arise from misunderstandings,
  deceptions, disapproving authority figures, and
  mistaken identities.
• Emphasis is on human foibles weaknesses of
  society.
• Arouses sympathy amusement.

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Types of Comedies

• Farce
• Plots full of wild coincidences (full of
  zaniness, slapstick humor, and hilarious
  improbability) and seemingly endless twists and
  complications (i.e. deception, disguise, and
  mistaken identity).
• Romantic Comedy
• Love plot featuring 2 lovers who tend to be
  young, likeable, and apparently meant for each
  other, but are kept apart by some complicating
  circumstance until, surmounting all obstacles,
  they are finally wed.
• Satiric Comedy
• Exploration of human vice folly through plots
  that trace the rising fortune of a central
  character who is likely to be cynical, foolish,
  or morally corrupt.

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Comic Endings

• The ending of a comedy looking forward to a
  joyful future.
• resolution of Confusion
• Occurs when everyone recognizes what has been
  going on, learns from it, forgives, forgets, and
  re-established his or her identity in the
  smoothly functioning social group.
• final events
• Typically ends with a group celebration
  (especially one associated with a betrothal or
  wedding), often accompanied by music and dancing.
  
• The emphasis is on the reintegration of everyone
  into the group, a recommitment to their shared
  life together.
• All sources of anti-social discord have reformed
  their ways, been punished, or is banished from
  the celebration.

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Reading Shakespeare

• The plays the thing.
• Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii

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Follow the 3Cs

• How can you tell what kind of Shakespeare play
  youre reading/watching?
• Just follow the 3 Cs
• Count the Couples, Corpses, and Crowns at the
  end, and you know what your play is.
• Histories somebodys named King.
• Comedies everybody gets married.
• Tragedies everybody dies.

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The History Plays

• Factually based with dramatic liberties.
• Keeping the monarch, Queen Elizabeth, happy (and,
  consequently, staying out of jail) means ignoring
  potentially great dramatic material.

Showing the messy divorces and deaths of Henry
VIIIs six wives might have sold a lot of
tickets, but at what cost?
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The History Plays

• Synopsis of all the History plays (theyre all
  pretty much the same)
• An English king (usually named Henry, sometimes
  Richard, and once John) is fighting the French.
  At the same time, someone at home is trying to
  take over the throne of England from the reigning
  king.

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The Comedies

• Constructing a Shakespearean comedy is like
  ordering from a Chinese restaurant Choose one
  item from Column A (setting), two items from
  Column B (characters), five items from Column C
  (unnecessarily complicated plot points), then
  select a title from Column D.
• Its simple fun!

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Make Your Own Shakespearean Comedy!
Setting Characters Plot Points Title
Verona Venice Arden Tyre An island A forest Athens Denmark Syracuse Schenectady Long-lost identical twins Parents who dont understand Dimwitted lower-class character Girl disguised as boy Cuckolded husband Nondescript young lovers Half-human/half-beast A quarrelsome couple Magical fairy or sorcerer Jews! Shipwreck Mistaken identity Unrequited love Arranged marriages A pound of flesh Magical potions Pretending to be dead Drunkenness Sibling rivalry Broken vows Love As You Like It Measure for Gentleman The Comedy of Nothing Twelfth Night Dream A Midsummers Winter The Taming of the Comedy Much Ado About Ends Troilus and Cymbeline Loves Errors Lost Pericles, Tyred of Shrews
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The Tragedies

• In Shakespeares tragedies you know going in that
  the title character is going to die by the end of
  Act V.
• Knowing the ending does not diminish the
  experience. Its like the movie Titanic. You knew
  from the title that the ship was going down, but
  you still enjoyed watching Leonardo DiCaprio
  freeze to death From Reduced Shakespeare

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Freytags PyramidStructure of a 5 Act Tragedy
climax

• exposition complication

reversal catastrophe
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Hints and Tips for Reading Shakespeare

• What all Shakespearean Scholars Know

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Shakespeares Language

• Language changes all the time. The way people
  spoke 400 years ago was different from the way we
  speak now. When reading Shakespeare, remember
  that his words were intended to be performed.
• The first rule of learning how to read
  Shakespeare is you must read it out loud!!!
• The second rule is that you must read it more
  than once.

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Characteristics of Shakespeares English

• Forms of do
• Forms of do were not necessary in forming
  questions or making imperative statement or their
  negatives.
• How long within this wood intend you stay?
• How long do you intend to stay in this wood?
• Using do was reserved for its emphatic use.
• I love you not. ? I do not love you.
• What said she? ? What did she say?
• I think not of them. ? I do not think of them.
• Slept she here? ? Did she sleep here?

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Characteristics of Shakespeares English

• Negatives
• Negatives were often compounded for emphasis.
  Today, we would classify the following as double
  negatives and consider them improper.
• Which never shook hands, nor bade farewell to
  him . . .
• Nor will you not tell me who you are?
• No, nor I neither.

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Characteristics of Shakespeares English

• Pronouns
• The pronouns thee, thou and thy are seldom, if
  ever, used today. They are occasionally employed
  to suggest elevated language or a style of
  classical English. During Shakespeares day
  these words were commonplace and followed a more
  or less specific structure.
• Thee and thou, rather than you, were used as
  objects of a verb or preposition.
• God give thee joy!
• You OR thee/thou were used as subjects with only
  subtle distinctions if any.
• Wouldst thou have me?
• Thou hath killed my child!
• If you would not, it were a good sign.
• Likewise with your and thy as possessive
  pronouns
• I do not fear your favours or your hate.
• So well thy words become thee as thy wounds.

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Shakespeares Language

• From Will to Jill
• The apparel oft proclaims the man. ?
• Its gotta be the shoes.
• There is small choice in rotten apples. ?
• Beggars cant be choosers.
• Now I am in a holiday humor. ?
• Party on . . .
• Suit the action to the word, the word to the
  action. ?
• Just do it.
• An honest tale speeds best being plainly told. ?
• To make a long story short . . .
• Whats gone and whats past help should be past
  grief. ?
• Dont cry over spilled milk.

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Shakespeares Language Legacy

• Many of Shakespeares idioms or words/phrases
  have become part of the English language.
• That boy is always hungry! Hell eat us out of
  house and home!
• He hath eaten me out of house and home. Henry
  IV, Part 2 II.i.75-6
• Theres a method in my madness
• Though this be madness, yet there is method
  int. Hamlet, II.ii.99
• The world is your oyster.
• Why then, the worlds mine oyster. The Merry
  Wives of Windsor, II.ii.4-5

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Line References

• Plays are divided into sections called acts and
  scenes. The following line reference is typically
  utilized when quoting a Shakespearean play
• Macbeth, II.i.35
• The plays title is written in italics.
• The act is written in capital Roman numerals.
• The scene is in small Roman numerals.
• The line number is written as a normal number.

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Reading Shakespeare for comprehension

• Due to the nature of the theater, Shakespeare had
  to create atmosphere and setting though language.
  He used words to paint scenery and language to
  achieve lighting effects. People went to hear a
  play, not see it.
• Questions to ask about comprehension
• Who are the characters in the play? (The way
  characters speak and the language they use tell
  us a great deal about them and their situation.)
• What is the situation in the play?
• Where do the events take place?
• When do the events take place?
• How can the words be lifted off the page and
  hold the attention of the audience?

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Reading Shakespeare for Literary Aspects
Identify literary devices and figurative language

• imagery
• antithesis
• simile
• metaphor
• hyperbole
• personification
• assonance
• alliteration
• repetition
• onomatopoeia
• rhyme
• lists
• bombast
• rhetoric
• irony
• oxymoron
• puns
• malapropism
• monosyllables

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Reading Shakespeare for Theme

• Some Common Shakespearean Themes
• conflict, appearance reality, order disorder,
  change (metamorphosis)
• Questions to ask about theme
• Is there a specific point the author is trying
  to get across to the reader/viewer?
• How does the theme or controlling idea relate to
  your world?

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• Historical Context You Need to Know

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• Marriage
• Age of Consent, for a female child
• (from The Laws Resolution of Womens Rights,
  1632)
• 7 Father shall have aid of his tenants to marry
  her
• 9 she is able to deserve and have dower
• 12 can consent to marriage
• A woman married at 12 cannot disagree
  afterward. But if she be married younger, she may
  dissent till she be 14.
• 14 considered to be outside wardship
• 16 to be past the Lords tender of a husband
• 21 able to make a land grant
• Worthiness
• (from A Very Fruitfull and Pleasant Booke called
  Instruction of a Christian Woman, 1523)
• . . . first let her understand that chastity is
  the principal virtue of a woman.

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• Myths Magic
• Fairies, magic, witches, spells and prophecies
  all formed part of the Elizabethan view of life.
  Folklore and superstition were often as important
  to people as the official religious beliefs
  taught by the church.
• Many Elizabethans thought that fairies, goblins
  and sprites came out at night to play tricks on
  innocent people. It was believed they could make
  people go insane, give them terrible nightmares
  or even lure them into a devilish underworld.
• Diseases and disasters were often blamed on
  witches. Many women who didnt fit into society
  were branded as witches and accused of working
  for the devil.

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• Ghosts
• There were many explanations of a ghostly visit
  during Shakespeares time. A ghost could be . . .
• a hallucination brought about by stress, poor
  diet, or exhaustion.
• a specter seen as a portent or omen
• a spirit of a dead person returned to perform
  some deed left undone in life
• a spirit of a dead person returned from the grave
  or from purgatory by divine permission
• an angel disguised as a dead person, or a devil
  disguised as a dead person to tempt a living
  relative into eternal damnation

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• Little Large
• The human body was thought to be a miniature
  representation of the universe as a whole.
  Various parts of the body were linked to the
  planets and the signs of the zodiac. Things that
  happened in the universe (the macrocosm), were
  suppose to happen on a much smaller scale within
  the human body (the microcosm).

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• The 4 Humours
• The body was thought to contain four humours,
  or fluids black bile, phlegm, blood choler. A
  persons temperament depended on the way the
  humours were mixed. In Julius Caesar, Mark
  Anthony describes Brutus as a man in whom all
  these humours are mixed perfectly. But most
  people were thought to have one humour that was
  more dominant than the others.
• Illnesses mental disorders were blamed on an
  imbalance of the humours. For example,
  melancholia (depression) was thought to be caused
  by an excess of black bile.

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Elizabethan Beliefs Shakespeare

• Strange States of Mind
• Characters have mental problems in several of
  Shakespeares tragedies. They go insane with
  grief or with the pressure of having to make a
  decision. Feelings of guilt may come out in
  strange ways.
• Some examples
• Lady Macbeth pretends to be tough and mocks
  Macbeth for feeling guilty for their crimes, but
  her own horror is revealed when she starts
  sleepwalking and imagines she can see blood on
  her hands.
• Ophelia in Hamlet goes insane with grief,
  eventually committing suicide, when Hamlet
  rejects her and kills her father, Polonius.

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Elizabethan Beliefs

• The Chain of Being
• A concept inherited from the Middle Ages as an
  attempt to give order or degree to the vastness
  of creation. The idea was that God created
  everything in a strict hierarchy, or chain that
  stretched from God himself down to the lowest
  things in existence. Everything had its own
  place.
• Humans occupied a place in the chain below angels
  but above animals, plants, and stones
• Humans, from Highest to Lowest
• Monarch
• Nobles
• Churchmen
• Gentlemen
• Commoners
• All women were considered to be inferior to men
  except Queen Elizabeth her position as monarch
  outweighed the fact that she was a woman.
• Accepting ones place in the chain was a duty
  that would be rewarded by God in heaven.
  Disrupting the chain was thought to lead to chaos.