Shakespeare expanded the scope of what we consider tragic events

The argument

The case for the tragedies rests on the claim that Shakespeare did not simply write well within an existing form but enlarged what the form could contain. His influence on theatre and literature is attributed to the unconventional nature of his tragic plots and characters, which departed from the expectations his audiences brought with them, and proponents argue that it is this departure, rather than the quality of any single play, that explains why many regard him as the best tragedy playwright. The scope of that influence is presented as unusually broad. It reaches from contemporary dialogue, where phrases originating in the plays entered ordinary speech, to the expectations of the audience, which is to say the assumptions theatregoers now bring to a tragedy before it begins. A writer whose work alters both the language available for describing experience and the conventions by which later work is judged has affected the medium rather than only contributed to it. His tragedies are also described as timeless in a specific sense: they do not lose meaning or influence over time. Proponents locate the reason for this in where tragedy's value actually lies. The core value of tragedy is its effect on the audience's reaction and behaviour as prominent tragic heroes move through virtuous or unfortunate experiences, which means the plays work through response rather than through the particulars of a setting that dates. What makes that response reliable is the construction of the heroes themselves. Each of Shakespeare's tragic figures leaves an impact by winning the audience's sympathy, or their pity, or both at once, so that the audience is implicated in the outcome rather than observing it. Setting such high expectations in the theatre, proponents conclude, Shakespeare redefined and expanded the scope of what could be treated as tragic, which is why the tragedies stand above the comedies and the histories.

Context

Aristotle: an Ancient Greek philosopher who developed several important theories about tragedy and theatre

Premises

Counter-arguments

Although Shakespeare certainly affected the way tragedy and tragic heroes were presented, he was not the only playwright of his era to create such an impact. Miguel de Cervantes lived in the same era as Shakespeare, but he pioneered techniques such as realism and intertextuality, expanding genres in theatre. Cervantes fought in the Battle of Lepante, giving him a realistic understanding of tragedy, which he successfully portrayed through his stories. Even Freud was influenced by Cervantes's work, suggesting that Cervantes had a much stronger influence on his audience in how he presented tragic events.

Rejecting the premises

1. Many writers were reforming tragedy in the Elizabethan age, not just Shakespeare. 2. This indicates that he was perhaps part of a trailblazing movement rather than being extremely significant as an individual tragic writer.