Transcript DRAMA

DRAMA
SHAKESPEAREAN TRAGEDY
TRAGEDY
 Series of events which ends unhappily
 Suffering possibly followed by redemption
 Provides audience with a catharsis
(emotional purging)
TRAGIC HERO
 Falls from a high status
 Usually dies
 Commits a hamartia or possesses a fatal
flaw
 Often full of hubris (excessive pride)
 Downfall is his/her own fault
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar
 Takes place in Rome, Italy (44 BC)
 Written by William Shakespeare in 1599
Background of Caesar
 Ruled Rome as part of a triumvirate (group
of 3 sharing authority)
 Military leader: left Rome for 9 years to
conquer what is now Central Europe
 Upon his return, there were mixed emotions
about him.
 Fearing he would become a tyrant,
conspirators plotted his assassination .
PLAY OPENS
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February 15, 44 BC
Lupercal: Roman Fertility Festival
Caesar has just returned to Rome.
Some want to celebrate his return; others
remain loyal to Pompey who was the
emperor who has recently died.
 Caesar died on March 15, 44 BC.
STAGING
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Elaborate costuming
Props to indicate location/time, etc.
Simple sets
Male actors only
The Globe
MAJOR CHARACTERS
 Julius Caesar: last remaining member of
triumvirate
 Marcus Brutus: senator and loyal friend to
Caesar
 Caius Cassius: plotting the conspiracy
 Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony): loyal friend
to Caesar
Shakespearean Plays
Major characters’ parts are
written in BLANK VERSE
(unrhymed iambic
pentameter).
Common Literary Devices
 Couplets: 2 adjacent lines that rhyme
 Similes/Metaphors: unexpected
comparisons
 Personification: giving human qualities to
non-human objects
 Literary Allusion: references to other literary
works
ELEMENTS OF PERSUASION
 Appeals: LOGICAL, ETHICAL,
EMOTIONAL (logos, ethos, pathos)
 Anticipation of Opposition and
Refutation
 Powerful diction (word choice) with
heavy connotation
 Imagery (appeal to senses)