Shakespeare Flashcards
What are the numbers for the plot diagram of a modern tragedy? #1-3
- Exposition
- Climax
- Resolution
What are the numbers for the plot diagram of a Shakespeare tragedy? #1-7
- Exposition
- Initial incident (usually violent)
- Rising action
- Climax
- Falling action
- Final crises
- Denouement
What is the nature of tragedy?
- Usually the story of ONE person “the tragic hero”
- Leads up to and includes the death of the hero
- Suffering are always of a striking kind and befall a conspicuous person
- Tragedy always concerns a person of high degree
- Fate of hero usually affects whole nation or empire
What is the nature of the tragic hero?
- Person of high position
- Person of considerable potential
- Person of dignity and ability
- Person with one serious personality flaw (tragic flaw)
What was hamlets ‘tragic flaw?’
His indecisiveness.
Could have prevented his death by just killing the king when he had the chance and not taking so long
What is the outcome of tragedy
- Attainment of self knowledge
- End in a catastrophe
- Central characters fate affects whole nation
What is the effect of a tragedy?
- Catharsis
What are some themes in hamlet?
- Justice and revenge
- Loyalty and betrayal
- Death and corruption
- Insanity
Examples of the theme of justice and revenge?
- Justice and revenge:
- hamlet wants revenge for murder of his father
- so does young Fortinbras and Laertes
- poetic justice for Claudius to die b/c he killed hamlets dad
- justice for queen to die b/c she married her brother in law
- rosencrantz and guildenstern deserve to die b/c they betrayed hamlet
Examples of the theme loyalty and betrayal?
- Hamlet betrays loyalty to Ophelia by killing her father
- Hamlet is true to his fathers ghost for sparing his mother
- Hamlet betrays fathers memory for taking so long to kill king
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern betray hamlet by taking him to be killed, but are loyal to Claudius
- Horatio remains loyal to hamlet throughout
- Gertrude betrays hamlets father
Examples of theme death and corruption?
- Corruption spreads through Denmark beginning with death of hamlets father
- Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
- Every central character is killed
Examples of theme insanity?
- hamlet pretends to be insane
- Ophelia is insane
What is the main imagery in Hamlet?
Flowers and weeds and disease. The garden
Examples of imagery with flowers
Queen ‘I would have planted some violets, but they died when your father did.’
Ophelia uses flowers while she is crazy
Examples of imagery with weeds and disease
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark: Marcellus
And do not spread compost on the weeds: hamlet
