Quote: "Shakespearean tragedy is the designation given to most tragedies written by playwright William Shakespeare."
This subfield investigates the theoretical approaches and applications of literary theory to Shakespeare's works, including Marxist, feminist, and postcolonial approaches.
Literary Theory: Literary theory refers to the systematic and critical study of literature, including the interpretation and analysis of literary texts, as well as the social and historical contexts that inform them.
Shakespearean Theater: Refers to the works and productions of William Shakespeare, including his plays, sonnets, and other works written during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras.
History of Shakespearean Theater: An overview of the social and political context of Elizabethan and Jacobean England, including the role of the monarchy, the social hierarchy, and the development of theater as a form of entertainment.
Play Analysis: A methodical approach to analyzing the plot, themes, characters, and language of Shakespeare's plays.
Shakespearean language: A study of the unique language and expressions used by Shakespeare, such as iambic pentameter, puns, and metaphors.
Shakespeare's Life and Times: A study of the biographical details of Shakespeare's life and the cultural and historical context of his works.
Genre Theory: The study of the different genres of literature, including tragedy, comedy, history, and romance, and their evolution over time.
Gender Theory: Examining the ways in which gender is presented and constructed in literature, and exploring the social and cultural contexts that inform these representations.
Postcolonial Theory: The study of colonial and postcolonial literature, including works from former British colonies, and a focus on issues of identity, resistance, and subversion.
Deconstruction Theory: An approach to literary analysis that emphasizes the instability and ambiguity of meaning in texts, and the ways in which power relations are encoded in language.
Psychoanalytic Theory: An exploration of the unconscious and psychological motivations of literary characters, and the ways in which literary works reflect and shape cultural attitudes towards the human psyche.
Marxist Theory: A critical approach to understanding the relationship between power and culture, and the ways in which economic and social systems shape literary production and reception.
Feminist Theory: Examining the representation of women in literature, particularly in Shakespeare's works, and exploring feminist critiques of patriarchal power structures.
Performance Theory: A consideration of the theatrical and performative aspects of Shakespeare's plays, including stage direction, costume design, and the use of music and other sensory effects.
Reception Theory: The study of how readers and audiences interpret literature, and the ways in which texts are read and received in different cultural contexts.
Cultural Studies: An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the ways in which culture is produced, disseminated, and consumed, including the role of literature in shaping cultural identity and values.
Comparative Literature: The comparative study of literature across different cultures and historical periods, including the influence of Shakespeare's works on other literary traditions.
Historical Context: A deeper look at the different periods of historical contexts that Shakespeare's works are placed within.
Shakespearean actors: This includes a study of actors and actresses who were important in making the theater in the era of Shakespeare what it was.
Structuralism: An approach that seeks to analyze the underlying structures of literary texts.
Post-structuralism: A response to structuralism that emphasizes the instability and fluidity of meanings in literary texts.
Feminism: A perspective that seeks to analyze gender roles and inequalities in literature.
Cultural Studies: An interdisciplinary approach that examines the cultural and societal contexts of literary texts.
Psychoanalytic criticism: A perspective that focuses on the psychological motivations and behaviors of literary characters and authors.
Marxism: A perspective that analyzes literature as a reflection of class struggle and the social and economic conditions of the time.
New Criticism: An approach that emphasizes close reading of literary texts, paying attention to form and language.
Reader-response: A perspective that emphasizes the role of the reader in interpreting and creating meaning from literary texts.
Tragedy: A genre that depicts the downfall of a noble character due to a tragic flaw or external circumstances.
Comedy: A genre that aims to amuse and entertain through witty dialogue, mistaken identities, and happy endings.
History plays: Plays that depict historical events, often focusing on English monarchs and political power struggles.
Romance: A genre that combines elements of tragedy and comedy, often featuring supernatural or fantastical elements.
The Globe Theatre: A theater built in 1599 and associated with Shakespeare's plays, known for its circular shape, open-air seating, and raucous audiences.
The First Folio: The first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623 after his death.
The Shakespearean sonnet: A type of poetic form invented by Shakespeare, consisting of 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme.
Quote: "Many of his history plays share the qualifiers of a Shakespearean tragedy, but because they are based on real figures throughout the history of England, they were classified as 'histories' in the First Folio."
Quote: "The Roman tragedies—Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra and Coriolanus—are also based on historical figures."
Quote: "Shakespeare's romances (tragicomic plays) were written late in his career and published originally as either tragedy or comedy."
Quote: "They share some elements of tragedy, insofar as they feature a high-status central character..."
Quote: "...but they end happily like Shakespearean comedies."
Quote: "Almost three centuries after Shakespeare's death, the scholar F. S. Boas also coined a fifth category, the 'problem play.'"
Quote: "...for plays that do not fit neatly into a single classification because of their subject matter, setting, or ending."
Quote: "Because they are based on real figures throughout the history of England, they were classified as 'histories' in the First Folio."
Quote: "They share some qualifiers of a Shakespearean tragedy."
Quote: "...because their sources were foreign and ancient they are almost always classified as tragedies rather than histories."
Quote: "...they end happily like Shakespearean comedies."
Quote: "Scholars continue to disagree on how to categorize some Shakespearean plays."
Quote: "...plays that do not fit neatly into a single classification because of their subject matter, setting, or ending."
Quote: "They were classified as 'histories' in the First Folio."
Quote: "Almost three centuries after Shakespeare's death, the scholar F. S. Boas also coined a fifth category, the 'problem play'..."
Quote: "...they are also based on historical figures."
Quote: "They end happily like Shakespearean comedies."
Quote: "Shakespeare's romances (tragicomic plays) were written late in his career and published originally as either tragedy or comedy."
Quote: "Scholars continue to disagree on how to categorize some Shakespearean plays."