Essay about Greek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Greek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeare's Hamlet

For several thousands of years, drama has existed among mankind. The ancient Greeks are accredited with the creation of drama, which began as simple religious rituals and eventually evolved into the more complex forms of tragedies and comedies. The first rules of drama, not surprisingly, were also written by a Greek--the famous philosopher and intellectual, Aristotle. Aristotle took note of the what qualities created a successful dramatic piece by observing a plethora of plays written by different Greek dramatists. As a result of what he observed, Aristotle compiled a set of guidelines to define the perfect tragedy. So influential, thorough, and well crafted were his writings that…show more content…
All of the characters of the play need to act true to life and to act in a general manner. The actions of the characters determine the outcome of the play, so each character should act in a particular way to ensure smoothness in the unraveling of the plot.

Skillful word handling is also very important to the quality of the play. The arrangement of words into a given meter and the choice of words used greatly effects the interest of the play. Through the diction of the play, the playwright shows his true ability to actually create poetry or write in prose. Song is another medium that can be used in the place of regular verse or prose, but the use of diction in song is equally important as it is in regular dialogue.

Physical presentation of the play, while appealing to the eye, is the least of all the factors of a play. The scenery and costumes of the actors do add interest to the play but are not actually required, as the given tragedy can be performed just as successfully without it. As stated before, spectacle merely adds a superficial touch to the play, as the poet himself may or may not have any bearing over its handling.

A good example of the use of the guidelines of Aristotle in more recent times is manifested in the writings of William Shakespeare. The tragedies of Shakespeare are always well thought out, and contain skillfully crafted plots. Each tragedy contains a
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