Genre Essays

Metatheatricality is defined by Stuart Davis as “a convenient name for the quality or force in a play which challenges theatre’s claim to be simply realistic to be nothing but a mirror in which we view the actions and sufferings of characters like ourselves, suspending our disbelief in their reality. ” (Metatheatre). It is present […]

Aristotle believed that the greatest play to have been written before and during his time was one by Sophocles entitled Oedipus the King. For him, a great tragic play offered a reversal of fortune and recognition on the part of the tragic hero, which were exemplified by Sophocles. The story of Oedipus was, for centuries, […]

After reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, some readers interpret Julius Caesar as the tragic hero of the play. However, Brutus is the real tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is virtuous, but makes crucial errors in judgment or possesses a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. The […]

In Aristotle’s Poetics, he described what a tragic hero is with several characteristics, and in the Greek Tragedy of Sophocles; Electra, the main protagonist really has some of these characteristics. In terms of Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, Electra is considered as a tragic hero. First, she is an individual of noble stature; she […]

Place yourself back in to the times of Greek tragedy and culture, the glorious palace doors overlooking the Kingdom and the elegant, admirable robes. Here you will find the setting of “Oedipus the King” written by Sophocles, adapted in 1986 by Don Taylor. Taylor adapts this version extremely well, highlighting the main themes and significant […]

Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex and David Fincher’s film Fight Club, both display striking resemblances in terms of fundamental concepts and moral teachings. It is arguable that inherent qualities of classical tragedy are present in both. However, do both strictly conform to the traditional understanding of the term tragedy? In my opinion, Oedipus Rex and Fight […]

The melancholy of life, death and old age, are one of the many issues dealt with, in Alan Bennett’s heart-rending tale. It tells the story of an isolated, fragile, elderly woman, who feels ensnared in a modernised society in which she strives for her sovereignty and prominence. In a culture where the old are forgotten, […]

Tragedy occurs when the tragic hero of a play fails to evaluate himself and sees that he is the main problem and the one that is causing society and the good of mankind to suffer. It is because of his compulsion to evaluate himself justly, that tragedy occurs. Aristotle provided us with a Greek theory […]

Roman theatre borrowed Greek ideas and improved on them. Roman theatre was less philosophical, more encompassed than drama – a performance includes: acrobatics, gladiators, jugglers, athletics, chariots races, naumachia (sea battles), boxing, venationes (animal fights). The entertainment tended to be grandiose. Three major influences on Roman theatre were Greek Drama, Etruscan circus-like elements and Fabula […]

How has your critical study of ‘Hamlet’ shaped your understanding of the texual integrity of the dramatic piece? William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy ‘Hamlet’ follows a young prince of Denmark who after his father’s death, is confronted by his fathers ghost and sets out to prove his uncles participation in killing his father and marrying his […]

Tragedy has its origins in Ancient Greek, it was a kind of performance to honor Dionysus. They were performed as competition between three playwrights. Actors who took part in the plays were all man and they all wore masks. They wore masks to impersonate satyrs. According to Aristotle ‘’ Tragedy depicts the downfall of a […]

The tragic hero, Julius Caesar, can be considered a tragic hero in Greek tragedy. This is because the hero must have noble birth, like Caesar. Additionally, the hero must possess a fatal flaw that brings about their demise. In Caesar’s case, his fatal flaw was his pride. Despite being strong and powerful, his excessive pride […]

“Maggie, a Girl of the Street” is a story revealing the cruel environment of the low-class people in New York, written by Stephen Crane. Maggie was a girl born in a poor family; in this family, she did not receive any care and love from her parents. She first worked in the shirt factory; after […]

Willy Loman, like millions of others, dreamed of improving himself and his family. Willy’s life and death, I feel are extremely tragic, he has been working as a travelling salesman for the last forty years of his life, never really amounting to anything and not until the very end of his life has he managed […]

The purpose of a tragedy, as stated by ancient philosopher Aristotle, is to evoke pity and fear in the audience. According to Aristotle, the tragic hero should be someone of high social status, intensifying the impact of their downfall. However, Death of a Salesman goes beyond this idea and applies it to ordinary individuals. This […]

As a tragic hero, Othello should be viewed within the context of Aristotle’s Poetics, within which contains the theories of tragedy and the traits a tragic hero must possess to ensure his downfall. These are seen as flaws which cause the hero’s own downfall regardless of external influences. It is undeniable that Othello bears some […]

‘Romeo and Juliet’ was a play written by William Shakespeare in 1595. William Shakespeare died on St. George’s day, 23rd April, 1616, making ‘Romeo and Juliet’ one of his earlier plays; written in what is now described as his second period, from his joining the Lord Chamberlain’s men in 1594 to the opening of the […]

Throughout the “Withered Arm” the main characters: Rhoda Brook and Gertrude Lodge experience lots of tragedy, and due to this, the book makes the audience empathise with the two of them. The following paragraphs will examine the lengths and extremes of these tragic events, and therefore conclude who deserves our sympathy. Rhoda Brook is a […]

‘A View from the Bridge’ is a 19th Century play, written by Arthur Miller. It is a tragic play about love, passion, lust and deceit. The play focuses on one man: Eddie Carbone. He lives with his niece, Catherine and wife, Beatrice. As the play develops, we see his changing personality due to the arrival […]

I have decided to look at the poems “Mid Term Break” by “Seamus Heaney” and “Out, Out” by “Robert Frost”. Both of the poems are about the tragic death of a young boy. However, they are written in different ways and both have conflicting viewpoints. “Mid Term Break” is an autobiographical, a personal account of […]

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, who was widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language. He was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, in April 1564, the son of John Shakespeare, a successful glove maker and of Mary Arden, a daughter of the gentry. At the age of 18, […]

For my essay I am going to compare the tragedies of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and decide whose is the greater. I will look at how Shakespeare exploits language to heighten drama and tragedy for the audience. William Shakespeare wrote ‘Macbeth’ around the year 1606. It is widely thought that the play was written for […]