Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15
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Date: 2022-04-04
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Comments and reviews: 7
Jamie
I want to make a note about you saying _Titus Andronicus_ was Shakespeare's first tragedy, because it's a bit more complicated than that.
There are potentially two tragedy plays written by Shakespeare that could precede _Titus, _ which is usually assigned a date around 1589-1591.
First, there's _Arden of Faversham, _ a domestic tragedy published in 1592. The play dramatizes the murder of Thomas Arden in a plot orchestrated by his wife Alice Brigantine, and her lover Richard Mosby. Like many plays of the time, it was published anonymously, and many writers have been suggested in the past, such as Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, & William Shakespeare. However, several recent computer stylometric analyses have forwarded Shakespeare as author of scenes 4-9. MacDonald P. Jackson identified four people as potentially the author of the rest of the play, which Gary Taylor later narrowed down to poet & playwright Thomas Watson. Oxford University Press, accepting Shakespeare's authorship, date _Arden_ to 1588, which would make it precede _Titus Andronicus. _ However, this is still kinda up to dispute, and there are modern scholars that attribute the whole play to Kyd instead.
Second, there's _Hamlet. _ Traditionally, Hamlet is dated to around 1599-1603, in the very middle of Shakespeare's career. There are, however, two major issues revolving around _Hamlet. _ For one, the first quarto of _Hamlet_ significantly differs from the second quarto & first folio, being about half as short. Earlier scholars explained Q1 as simply being a bad quarto, a poor reconstruction of the play from memory. Secondly, there exist pre-1599 references to some sort of Hamlet play. The oldest reference comes from Thomas Nashe in 1589, who made a semi-mocking comment about an -English Seneca-, who -if you entreat him- will afford you whole Hamlets, I should say handfuls, of tragical speeches. - This lead to a theory postulating the existence of an 'Ur-Hamlet, a lost play Shakespeare used as a source for his play. Some would specifically suggest Thomas Kyd as author of the 'Ur-Hamlet' due to another vague reference by Nashe. However, more recent scholarship has increasingly disputed the Q1 bad quarto theory & the Kyd 'Ur-Hamlet' theory. Instead, several scholars are arguing that Q1 represents an earlier draft of _Hamlet_ by Shakespeare, written & preformed around 1588-1589, which was heavily revised around 1603. If this is indeed the case, then _Hamlet_ would precede _Titus Andronicus_ as well (but _Arden_ could potentially precede both.
So essentially, the title of 'Shakespeare's First Tragedy' is a contention between _Arden of Faversham, Hamlet, _ and _Titus Andronicus. _
reply
I want to make a note about you saying _Titus Andronicus_ was Shakespeare's first tragedy, because it's a bit more complicated than that.
There are potentially two tragedy plays written by Shakespeare that could precede _Titus, _ which is usually assigned a date around 1589-1591.
First, there's _Arden of Faversham, _ a domestic tragedy published in 1592. The play dramatizes the murder of Thomas Arden in a plot orchestrated by his wife Alice Brigantine, and her lover Richard Mosby. Like many plays of the time, it was published anonymously, and many writers have been suggested in the past, such as Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, & William Shakespeare. However, several recent computer stylometric analyses have forwarded Shakespeare as author of scenes 4-9. MacDonald P. Jackson identified four people as potentially the author of the rest of the play, which Gary Taylor later narrowed down to poet & playwright Thomas Watson. Oxford University Press, accepting Shakespeare's authorship, date _Arden_ to 1588, which would make it precede _Titus Andronicus. _ However, this is still kinda up to dispute, and there are modern scholars that attribute the whole play to Kyd instead.
Second, there's _Hamlet. _ Traditionally, Hamlet is dated to around 1599-1603, in the very middle of Shakespeare's career. There are, however, two major issues revolving around _Hamlet. _ For one, the first quarto of _Hamlet_ significantly differs from the second quarto & first folio, being about half as short. Earlier scholars explained Q1 as simply being a bad quarto, a poor reconstruction of the play from memory. Secondly, there exist pre-1599 references to some sort of Hamlet play. The oldest reference comes from Thomas Nashe in 1589, who made a semi-mocking comment about an -English Seneca-, who -if you entreat him- will afford you whole Hamlets, I should say handfuls, of tragical speeches. - This lead to a theory postulating the existence of an 'Ur-Hamlet, a lost play Shakespeare used as a source for his play. Some would specifically suggest Thomas Kyd as author of the 'Ur-Hamlet' due to another vague reference by Nashe. However, more recent scholarship has increasingly disputed the Q1 bad quarto theory & the Kyd 'Ur-Hamlet' theory. Instead, several scholars are arguing that Q1 represents an earlier draft of _Hamlet_ by Shakespeare, written & preformed around 1588-1589, which was heavily revised around 1603. If this is indeed the case, then _Hamlet_ would precede _Titus Andronicus_ as well (but _Arden_ could potentially precede both.
So essentially, the title of 'Shakespeare's First Tragedy' is a contention between _Arden of Faversham, Hamlet, _ and _Titus Andronicus. _
reply
Rachael
I may be wrong but my personal hypothesis is that the comedies were primarily written for the working class and the tragedies were primarily aimed at the ruling class. That's why they tend to prefer teaching the tragedies in HS English classes, because they were about the big philosophical questions faced by nobles, not laborers. More relatable in modern times, when everyone is more like the nobles of that time, especially with public schools.
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I may be wrong but my personal hypothesis is that the comedies were primarily written for the working class and the tragedies were primarily aimed at the ruling class. That's why they tend to prefer teaching the tragedies in HS English classes, because they were about the big philosophical questions faced by nobles, not laborers. More relatable in modern times, when everyone is more like the nobles of that time, especially with public schools.
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crash_course
The people who survive these things are usually the ones who don't initiate any BS. Like Edgar, Benvolio, and Horatio. They're the ones who survive and get to tell everyone exactly how everything went to heck in five acts.
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The people who survive these things are usually the ones who don't initiate any BS. Like Edgar, Benvolio, and Horatio. They're the ones who survive and get to tell everyone exactly how everything went to heck in five acts.
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Somphoth
Lol Shakespeare's deliberate description of a figurative elaboration. By the way, women could never have a part w/ lines in the beginning of theatre. Not until theatre had commune to other cities.
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Lol Shakespeare's deliberate description of a figurative elaboration. By the way, women could never have a part w/ lines in the beginning of theatre. Not until theatre had commune to other cities.
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Abhinav
People complain about George R. R. Martin killing off beloved characters. Shakespeare got in on the ground floor when it came to murdering his darlings!
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People complain about George R. R. Martin killing off beloved characters. Shakespeare got in on the ground floor when it came to murdering his darlings!
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Ben
Ummm, Edgar becomes the king at the end, he doesn't die. Also you left out Goneril and Regan's husbands who are somewhat integral to the story.
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Ummm, Edgar becomes the king at the end, he doesn't die. Also you left out Goneril and Regan's husbands who are somewhat integral to the story.
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Stephanie
A heartfelt -Thank You! - for not thought bubbling -Titus Andronicus. - Had to do that one for a college project. Yeecchhh!
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A heartfelt -Thank You! - for not thought bubbling -Titus Andronicus. - Had to do that one for a college project. Yeecchhh!
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