Ministry of Higher and Secondary Special Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan Jizzakh state pedagogical institute English Faculty

Timon of Athens
1608 – Written in this particular year, Timon of Athens, and more specifically Shakespeare, was criticised at the time for its attack upon the management of state finances under James I – a risky move for a playwright living under the rule of a ‘divine right’ monarch.
This is one of Shakespeare’s most obscure plays. As such very little is known about it.
1608 – As well as having been written this year, the plays first performance takes place this year.


Antony and Cleopatra
1606 – The year attributed to the writing of Antony and Cleopatra. Like Timon of Athens, it may have first been performed the same year.
1623 – First official publication.
4 – The number of Cleopatra’s children. One was a son by Julius Caesar called Caesarion, and three children by Mark Antony. Their names were Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene and
Ptolemy Philadelphus.
Coriolanus
1607/08 – The period in which Coriolanus is written.
1609-1610 – First performance of the play. However, there are no recorded performances prior to the Restoration in 1660, when its themes made it a natural choice of play to perform.
1682 – The first known performance was Nuhum Tate’s bloody adaptation which was performed at Drury Lane in London.
1719 – An adaptation of Coriolanus by John Dennis was booed off stage after just three performances.
1754 – avid Garrick returns to Shakespeare’s original version of Coriolanus in a production at Drury Lane.
1930s – In this period Coriolanus is amongst the few of Shakespeare’s works to be banned. This was due to its popularity among, and adaptation by, Fascist movements.
The most famous person to play the role of Coriolanus was Laurence Olivier who played the part twice. First at the Old Vic Theatre in 1937, and a second time at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre, in 1959.

2.2 The difference between modern and traditional tragedy

A tragedy can be defined simply as a play that has a sad and depressing ending. Although both classical and modern tragedies have a tragic ending, there are several differences between them. The main difference between classical and modern tragedy is that classical tragedies have a unified plot with one royal or noble protagonist whereas modern tragedies feature ordinary people with realistic problems.
What is a Classical Tragedy
Tragedy is a popular form of drama that originated from Greek literary tradition. Aristotle defines tragedy as a unified work that covers one time span, story, setting, and a main protagonist. The plot of the drama consists of one great, complete action.
Classical tragedy preserves the unities -- one timespan, one setting, one story -- as they originated in the Greek theater. It also defines a tragic plot as one with a royal character losing, through his own pride, a mighty prize. Modern tragedy redefines the genre, with ordinary protagonists, realistic timelines and settings, and multiple plots.
Unified Classic Tragedy
According to Aristotle's Poetics, the tragic playwright must create a unified work. The play's running time must be the exact timespan of the tragedy, with no breaks or flashbacks; the setting must remain in one place. Most importantly, the action follows one inevitable course, and the tragic hero must be royal or highborn. In addition, this hero desires a greater good, such as the rescue or unification of his kingdom, and he places that prize at great risk with his own choices.
The Elements of a Tragic Fall
Aristotle further elaborates that the tragic hero must, by the play's end, lose everything he has gained through hubris -- blind pride that defies the gods. In Sophocles' Oedipal cycle, Oedipus tries to discover his birth secret, while Creon refuses honorable burial to Antigone's brother. Both heroes lose their kingdoms as a result. Shakespeare carries Greek-style hubris even further, as he has Macbeth lose his soul, Lear his sanity and Hamlet his conscious identity, before robbing each character of his life and kingdom as well.
Classical tragedy preserves the unities -- one timespan, one setting, one story -- as they originated in the Greek theater. It also defines a tragic plot as one with a royal character losing, through his own pride, a mighty prize. Modern tragedy redefines the genre, with ordinary protagonists, realistic timelines and settings, and multiple plots.

Classical Tragedy

In his “Poetics,” Aristotle identifies the elements of classical tragedy, based primarily on the work of the playwrights Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. Classical tragedy is the imitation of a single action, in which a hero of high status falls from fortune to misfortune. The fall must occur because of a “tragic flaw,” or some error or shortcoming in an otherwise good protagonist, and not by vice or depravity. The purpose of tragedy, in Aristotle’s view, is to provoke pity and terror in the audience, leading to a catharsis, or cleansing of these emotions.
The protagonist of classical tragedies is typically from a royal or noble family. Antigone, Oedipus, and Agamemnon are some examples of protagonists in classical tragedies. These brave and noble heroes often face a reversal of fortune. This reversal is typically due to a tragic flaw in the character and the influence of a divine power. Fate also plays a major role in classical tragedies.
Some examples of classical tragedies include Oedipus Rex, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Medea, Antigone and Prometheus Bound.
Given below are some elements of a classical tragedy.
Hamartia – A mistake or a fault that is committed in ignorance; this is usually a mistake made by a morally good person
Hubris – the false pride that leads to ruin; this is the opposite of rectitude
Peripeteia – the reversal fortune
Catharsis – feeling of emotional release felt at the end of the tragedy
What is a Modern Tragedy
Modern drama refers to tragedies that were written and performed from the twentieth century. Some examples of modern tragedies include Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman”, “A View from the Bridge”, “The Misfits” and David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross are some examples of modern tragedies.
Unlike classical tragedies, modern tragedies are typically centered around ordinary people and their problems. Thus, they are more realistic than classical tragedies. The conflict in modern tragedies are caused by flaws in the characters, society or the law; fate and divine power do not play a major role in modern tragedies. Modern tragedies may also have multiple plots and more than one central character. The action in the story may also span several weeks, months or years – the differences in time is managed by elements such as flashbacks, pauses, flash-forwards, and narrations. Modern playwrights also use elements such as irony and sarcasm to highlight the flaws in characters.
Whereas in classical tragedy, the protagonist is of noble or prestigious standing, modern tragedy is more likely to focus on the “common man.” A modern audience is expected to relate to, rather than look up to, the protagonist; and while the classical tragic hero’s death is an event to be collectively mourned onstage, the modern tragic hero often dies unrecognized as a hero. The modern tragedy is also more likely to focus on society, rather than fate or fortune, as that which oppresses the hero. However, the modern tragedy retains a highly solemn tone and focus on matters of grave and ultimate importance, features common to tragedy throughout its history.
Difference Between Classical and Modern Tragedy
Characters
Classical Tragedy: Classical tragedies typically have one main character.
Modern Tragedy: Modern tragedies may have more than one central character.
Protagonist
Classical Tragedy: Protagonist is typically from a wealthy, noble or royal family.
Modern Tragedy: Protagonist usually has a common, middle-class background.
Nature of the Protagonist
Classical Tragedy: The protagonist is usually a noble and heroic character, but has a tragic flaw.
Modern Tragedy: The protagonist may be a white, black or gray character.
Plot
Classical Tragedy: Classical tragedies have one unified plot.
Modern Tragedy: Modern tragedies may have multiple plots.
Timeline
Classical Tragedy: Classical tragedies have one time span.
Modern Tragedy: Modern tragedies have more realistic time spans; there are breaks and flashbacks.
Story
Classical Tragedy: The story is about nobility or royalty, their ambitions, attempts to unify or save a kingdom, etc.
Modern Tragedy: The story is about ordinary people and their problems, ambitions and aspirations; thus, the stories are more realistic.
Elements
Classical Tragedy: Classical tragedies typically contain elements such as hubris, hamartia, and catharsis.

Modern Tragedy: Modern tragedies use elements like irony and sarcasm.

Fate and Divine power
Classical Tragedy: Fate and divine power are important elements in classical tragedies.
Modern Tragedy: Fate and divine power rarely play a role in modern tragedies; they are more concerned with realistic, common problems.
From Classical to Modern Tragedy
Between classical and modern tragedy, we find the medieval and Renaissance forms of tragedy. Medieval tragedy mostly took the form of narratives, rather than plays, and focused on the fall of great men caused, not by a tragic flaw, but instead the spinning of fortune’s wheel. Renaissance tragedy took its inspiration from classical tragedy, while changing the form in important ways, by including subplots, comic relief and expanding the possibilities for the tragic hero. Christopher Marlowe’s "Edward II," who is driven by vice which causes his downfall, could not have featured as a protagonist in classical tragedy.