Tragedy, including grief, pain and suffering, is a common theme in Shakespeare's plays, often leading to the death of at least one character, if not several. Yet such themes can also be found in Shakespearian plays which are classed as comedies, or histories. What is it which makes a
Shakespearian tragedy, and what dramatic themes and conventions did the bard draw upon when writing them?
In this Very Short Introduction Stanley Wells considers what is meant by the word "tragedy", and discusses nine of Shakespeare's iconic tragic plays. He explores how the early
definitions and theoretical discussions of the concept of tragedy in Shakespeare's time would have influenced these plays, along with the literary influence of Seneca. Wells also considers Shakespeare's uses of the word "tragedy" itself, analysing whether he had any overall concept of the genre in
relation to the drama, and looking at the ways in which the theatrical conventions of his time shaped his plays, such as the use of boy players in women's roles and the physical structures of the playhouses. Offering a critical analysis of each of the nine plays in turn, Wells concludes by
discussing why tragedy is regarded as fit subject for entertainment, and what it is about tragic plays that audiences find so enjoyable.
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Introduction
1. Tragedy in Shakespeare's time
2. Titus Andronicus
3. Tragedies of English history
4. Romeo and Juliet
5. Julius Caesar
6. Hamlet
7. Othello
8. Macbeth
9. King Lear
10. Timon of Athens
11. Coriolanus
12. Antony and Cleopatra
13.
Why do we enjoy tragedy?
References
Further Reading
Index
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Stanley Wells is Honorary President of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham, and the author of a number of books about Shakespeare, including Shakespeare, Sex, and Love (OUP, 2010), Shakespeare and Co (Penguin, 2007), and William Shakespeare: A
Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2015). He is General Editor of the Oxford Shakespeare and Penguin Shakespeare and the co-editor of Shakespeare Beyond Doubt: Evidence, Argument, Controversy (Cambridge University Press, 2013).
