Shakespeare Tragedy & Terms
1. Tragic figures--Noble figures who are better than we are suffer a reversal of fortune recognize the consequences
of their actions
2. Tragedy -- The imaginative depiction of the tragic figure this moves the audience to pity & fear
3. Life controlled by fortune—the theme Shakespeare's tragedies reflect
4. Titus Andronicus-- Shakespeare's first tragedy
5. Romeo & Juliet--Shakespeare's second tragedy
6. Shakespeare's date of birth--April 23 1564
7. Shakespeare's date of death--April 23 1616
8. Shakespeare grew up in--Stratford-upon-avon
9. Later he moved to--London
10. He was a member of an acting company first called--Lord chamberlains men, then later called--The kings men
11. Plays were performed in a theatre called--the globe
12. The center of the theatre was called--the pit
13. The people who stood to watch the performances were called--groundlings
14. All performances were held during--daytime
15. Performances lasted--3 hours
16. Women's parts were played by--young men
17. In 1592 the theaters were closed due to an--outbreak of plaque
18. In 1603 the new ruler was--King James
19. Symbolic art – universal--evil, goodness, storm in King Lear's mind
20. What is a quarto? small sized book
21. What is The First Folio? the original collection of Shakespeare's plays
22. What is a comedy? the main character learns a lesson, falls in love, gets married
23. What is a tragedy? the main character learns a lesson and dies
24. What is a history? a story from England's royal past
25. What do witches represent? wise women, cure aliments, solve dilemmas
26. What was the purpose of a ghost? spirit that remains on earth to torment the living
27. What do the fairies represent? magical, but insidious creatures, cruel, who delight in playing tricks on humans
28. iambic pentameter can be compared to the beat of...a heart
29. How many plays did Shakespeare write? 38
30. How many sonnets did Shakespeare write? 154
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31. How many comedies did Shakespeare write? 18
32. How many tragedies did Shakespeare write? 10
33. How many histories did Shakespeare write? 10
34. How many words did Shakespeare invent? over 2000
35. Most lines for one character in a single play? 1569 (hamlet)
36. The number of plays based on an existing work? 37
37. Seating capacity of the Globe Theatre? 3000
38. Number of descendants of Shakespeare 0
39. Moons named for Shakespearean characters? 15
40. Film versions of Shakespeare's plays nominated for academy awards? 20
41. Percentage of American high schools which require study of Shakespeare? 90%
42. Shakespearean tragedy: From who did the rules for writing come from? Ancient Greeks
43. Shakespearean tragedy: Where did the playwright get his story? took and old well known story and recreated it,
events stayed the same, characterization became main focus
44. Shakespearean tragedy: How many acts do all plays have? 5
45. Shakespearean tragedy: When does the climax occur? act III
46. Shakespearean tragedy: What are the events in the rising action called? complications resulted in the climax
47. Shakespearean tragedy: What are the events in the falling action called? complications resulted in the catastrophe
48. Exposition-- creates the tone, gives the setting, introduces some of the characters, and supplies facts necessary for
understanding of the play
49. Rising action--the antagonist and the protagonist are balanced against each other
50. Climax--always occurs in the third act of a Shakespearean drama. It is the turning point of the action where the
action turns from good to bad
51. Complications-- events which serve to further the climax or catastrophe
52. Falling action-- the continuous downfall of the protagonist. It prepares the audience for the next phase of the play
53. Catastrophe--the tragic failure, usually the death, of the hero and comes as the natural outgrowth of the action
54. Denouement-- the resolution of the play where the tragedy is explained and solution to the problem is given for
future reference. Sometimes presents a moral
55. Tragedy-- a drama which tells of an important and related series of events in the life of a person of significance.
The events usually end in an unhappy catastrophe. The whole drama is treats with great seriousness and dignity
56. Soliloquy--a speech of a character in a play delivered while the speaker is alone on stage. The speech is designed
to inform the audience or reader of what us passing through the character's mind or to give information
concerning other participants in the actin which is essential for the reader to know.
57. Aside-- words spoken by an actor to be heard by the audience only and not by the actors on stage
58. Dramatic irony--the words or acts of a character in a play may carry meaning unknown to him, but understood by
the audience. Usually the characters own interests are involved in a way which cannot be understood
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59. Protagonist--the chief character in the play. He may have heroic qualities. He is usually a person of high rank
60. Antagonist--the chief opponent of the protagonist , his rival
61. Fate--circumstances which cannot be controlled by humans
62. Tragic flaw--a certain quality in a character's personality which causes his own downfall and ends in tragedy
63. Free will--the ability of a character in the play to make his own decisions and shape his own future.
64. Pathos--the suffering of a character and the feeling that the audience has for the characters. Pity is another word
for this.
65. Humorous relief--elements of humor in the play that serve to relieve tension in the audience
66. Chorus--the actor who sets the tone of the play, introduces the characters, and/or explains the plot of the play.
This will appear at the beginning of the play and before acts. He may also appear at the end of the play to provide
closure for the audience
67. Puns--humorous play on words indicating different meanings. Were popular means of providing humor?
68. Blank verse--the style of writing used by Shakespeare. It is unrhymed poetry. Each line consists of five feet, each
foot containing two syllable of iambic pentameter
69. Iambic pentameter--the beat or rhythm of five feet of poetry. Each foot contains and unaccented syllable followed
by and accented syllable
70. Extended metaphor--it differs from a regular one in that several comparisons are made; it sustains the
comparisons for several lines or for an entire poem
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