IB English HL Year II
Part III: Genre Studies (Drama)
V. Quinn and A. Heusterberg-Richards
DIRECTIONS:​ Track the Aristotelian elements of tragedy as they appear (or do not) in our dramas. Be specific to moments/lines in the dramas.
Hamlet
The tragic hero Laertes
How defined a tragic -Cares about his sister
hero -Near the king and prince,
* "must be good" potential leader of a
* "[must] aim at revolution
proprietary" -Sympathetic - Hamlet
* "[must be] true to life" makes him so by saying
they’re the same, justified
in wanting vengeance
because he loves his family
The hamartia of said Overeagerness
tragic hero ​(flaw) “O, thou
vile king,
Give me my father” (IV, v,
126-128). Laertes moves to
immediately blame the King
upon hearing that his father
is dead
“The rather if you could
devise it so
That I might be the organ”
(IV, vii, 78-79). Laertes
Aristotelian elements of drama
RAGAD
Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern
-Seem to want to help
Hamlet, especially at first
-Want money
-Lower class, don’t matter -
just like most people
Lack of ability to make a
choice, no independence
-Literally ask why Hamlet
could be mad after listing the
reasons why he’s mad - can’t
figure it out because then
they would DO something
about it
The Birthday Party
Stanley
-Good - is he? Might have
done something wrong
-Proprietary - doesn’t aim
at anything
-True to life - he does have a
basic, boring life that’s
representative of most
humans
Passivity - lets things
happen
Doctor Faustus
Faustus
-Good - sympathetic at
some points, especially at
the beginning, doubts
gods/wants to be at the
level of the gods which
can make him relatable
-Wants power - to be at
the level of the gods
-Represents what a lot of
people want (relatable
because wants each of the
sins at some point - most
people can relate to at
least one sin)
Hubris - thinks he can be a
god, the world would be
better in his image
 immediately wants to duel
once he hears that Hamlet
is the murderer
The peripeteia ​(ironic He wants to leave, but then
situation) gives Ophelia a long speech
before leaving
His desire to kill Hamlet so
quickly, and then he
realizes that Ophelia has
died, destroying him
King starting to manipulate
Laertes
The catastrophe Getting hit in the duel with
(fall/reversal of fortune) his own sword
The anagnorisis Saying that he is justly
(recognition/acceptance) killed with his own sword
The audience’s catharsis Asking for Hamlet’s
(purge of fear/pity) forgiveness and telling him
that the King is to blame
Act III - they are on the ship
so technically they can make
their own choices, however
these choices don’t matter
overall because their final
end - death - is already
written
Reading the letter and
learning that Hamlet has
switched it and they will die
Stating that death isn’t really
death, it’s just
disappearance, and since
they’ve already disappeared
from Hamlet, they’ve already
died
Temporary - stabbing the
player king - seems like a
choice is finally made, but it
is fake
Nothing is really ironic Once he gets power
through selling his soul to
Mephistopheles, he
doesn’t do anything that
he said he would - he just
does small, petty tricks
No real fall - he’s taken As he is dying, and
away, but his life was realizes he has wasted his
already so miserable that 24 years, he realizes that
it’s not that great of a fall it wasn’t worth it
No acceptance comes about When he says that he
- at the beginning he’s curses himself for doing
already accepted that he’s this to him, rather than
passive and just going to let anyone else - he
things happen - can’t recognizes that he is to
become more accepting blame
None - don’t experience fear Same as anagnorisis -
and pity for him audience is relieved that
at least he will die
knowing he cannot blame
others for his faults