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Throughout Shakespeare’s lifetime it is agreed by most scholars that he has written 37 plays. Although the exact date of several of these plays is uncertain, his remarkable career is generally divided into four periods. The third period, from 1600, includes many of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies and “problem” or “bitter” comedies. To many this period of Shakespeare’s writing is considered to be his greatest. It is within this period that he wrote some of his best and most popular works. The four most famous tragedies written during this period are: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth.
First performed in 1603, Hamlet is probably the best known of Shakespeare's works. In the play, King Hamlet (Senior) is dead. His brother, Claudius, succeeds him to the throne (despite Hamlet having a living, sane son). Despite it seeming incest in that day and age Claudius cements his hold on the Danish throne by marrying his brother's widow, Gertrude. When Hamlet (Junior) arrives at Denmark nothing but chaos follows. His father's ghost informs him of his uncle's foul deeds (the murder of Hamlet's father) "Murder most foul, as in the best it is, But this most foul, strange, and unnatural (Hamlet: A
. . .
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch,
With his surcease, success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and end-all—here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We’d jump the life to come.
Overall the third period marks the great tragedies, and the principle works, which later earn Shakespeare his fame in later centuries. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there 's the rub:
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there 's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life
(Hamlet: Act 3. That cuckold lives in bliss who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves (Othello: Act 3. Goneril poisons her sister Regan because of a man and then kills herself. Shakespeare is at his best in these tragedies, and they will be remembered for all time.
Shakespeare wrote the tragedy Othello in 1604 to be performed to the new King: King James I.
Macbeth is a tragedy partially based upon the Chronicles by an English historian. Lady Macbeth is also overcome with guilt and eventually dies. Othello wounds Iago, and Iago is arrested. No way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss (Othello: lines 420-421). Lines 1-7)
Macbeth goes on to kill many people who he is afraid will take over his throne.
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