Shakespeare's genres
History plays:
Shakespeare began to write history plays (Henry 6°, Richard 3°, Henry 8°)
plays contain some of Shakespeare's most powerful dramatic figure
for example Richard 3: the diabolical Machiavellian king; and Falstaff: an energetic character best know from the comedy "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
starts to write ten history plays: to explain the story of English monarchy till the Tudor dinasty
The tragedies:
Shakespeare followed some rules: some tragedies involved death and ended unhappily;
while others were called theatrical unities: time, space and action (for example plays should take place in one place only)
Shakespeare's most famous tragedy was Romeo and Juliet, written between 1594-95, and was the first tragedy to be totally centered on love
The comedies:
between 1592-1600 he explored contrasting themes of love and friendship in a series of refined love comedies
characters come from Elizabethan society to give a vivid picture
these comedies have a dark tone and character are more complex and the author wants to explore the psychology of love
Shakespeare was dealing with historical events not too far away in time
they are characterized by the struggle for power, love and property with an historical background so detailed
Shakespeare started to write tragedies between 1580 and 1590: he followed the pattern of the revenge tragedy (for example Hamlet wants to kill his uncle)
set the model of for all modern love stories
But Shakespeare changed again the concept of tragedy with others plays
he studies the psychological insight of character which people with an high position in society (king, prince, great commander)
they are all studies of complex characters that take difficult decision
they end with the restoration of order, there isn't an happy ending
Hamlet and Otello are considered the first modern tragic heroes
laughter is often mixed with sorrow
Dark comedies are plays balanced between comedy and tragedy
Shakespeare's final comic phase is characterized by a return to the romantic drama in a completely new idea, the romantic comedies, they showed a Shakespeare reconciled to human nature
in these romances there is a contrast between old and young, (for example father and son)