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- Elizabethan England also known as the "Elizabethan Era" is a period of time in 1558 to 1603 where Queen Elizabeth I reigned over England
- Many historians label this to be the "Golden Age" as during this era England experienced peace and prosperity while the arts flourished
- It also got it name as the "Golden Age" from the number of great writers at the time, including Shakespeare, Marlow, Spenser, Kyd, and Jonson who were great writers in poetry and drama
- A major thing to look at from the era was religion. The two big religions in England were the Catholic and Protestant religions. The beliefs at the time were so strong that it led to executions of many adherents
- The Era ended on the 24th of March 1603 as it was the day Queen Elizabeth I passed away and the throne passed on to the protestant King James VI of Scotland who became King James I of England

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The Elizabethan Era history is depicted in The Lost Colony drama. The term, “Elizabethan Era” refers to the English history of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign (1558–1603).

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Visit this site dedicated to providing information about the facts, history and people of the Elizabethan Era.Fast and accurate facts about the Elizabethan Era.Learn about the history and lives of people during the Elizabethan Era.

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- There are many differences between William Shakespeare's Tragedy and Comedy novels since they are one of the most iconic topics
- When William Shakespeare writes on Comedy it normally ends in marriages or a classic reunion
- However when Shakespeare writes on Tragedy it usually ends in a tragic death, or the common hero
- When we look at one of his most famous novels "Romeo and Juliet" he focusses more on tragedy than comedy as it also talks about love
- Comedy plays a short role in "Romeo and Juliet" as it only shows in the first two acts

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How to Know if It’s a Tragedy, Comedy, or History

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William Shakespeare’s plays were put into three categories when they were first compiled: tragedies, comedies, and histories; they’ve changed in time.

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The main difference between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy is that Shakespearean comedies end in marriages or reunion, but Shakespearean tragedies usually end in the death of the tragic hero.

Shakespeare's plays have been basically categorized into three main categories as comedies, histories, and tragedies. However, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the genre or of some plays, as they show elements of several categories. Literature scholars have identified several common characteristics for comedies as well as tragedies so that they can be identified correctly.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Shakespearean Comedy
- Definition, Common Elements, List of Comedies
2. What is Shakespearean Tragedy
- Definition, Common Elements, List of Tragedies
3. What is the Difference Between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy
- Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms
Shakespeare, Shakespearean Comedy, Shakespearean Tragedy
What is Shakespearean Comedy

Shakespearean comedies can be defined as plays of Shakespearean plays that end with a union or marriage. In act, Shakespearean comedies are not 'comedies' in the modern sense of the world. Plots and characters of the play are rarely comic or laugh-out-loud funny. In addition, not everything that happens in them is happy or light-hearted.

Shakespearean Plays Generally Classified as Comedies

As You Like It

A Midsummer Night's Dream

All's Well That Ends Well

The Taming of the Shrew

The Merry Wives of Windsor

Much Ado About Nothing

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

The Comedy of Errors

Cymbeline

Love's Labour's Lost

Measure for Measure

The Merchant of Venice

Pericles, Prince of Tyre

Troilus and Cressida

Twelfth Night

The Two Noble Kinsmen

The Winter's Tale

Main Characteristics of Shakespearean Comedies

Literature scholars have identified several common characteristics in Shakespearean comedies. These include:

Love and Marriage - The themes of love and marriage and separation and reconciliation are prominent in Shakespeare's comedies. Almost all these comedies end marriage, or at least a betrothal.

Mistaken Identity and Misconception - Characters disguise themselves or impersonate others, or they are mistaken for someone else, creating a comic effect.

Complex Plots - When compared to Shakespearean tragedies and histories, comedies have more twists and turns, making the plot complex and unpredictable.

Furthermore, the language in Shakespeare's comedies uses clever word plays, metaphors and insults. Another notable feature in these comedies is their setting. Most of these comedies have idyllic settings such as the mysterious island of Illyria (Twelfth Night) or the Forest of Arden (As You Like It).

What is Shakespearean Tragedy

Shakespeare is perhaps more famous for his tragedies. Tragedies like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and Othello are well-known all over the world. Moreover, scholars have identified several common characteristics in Shakespearean tragedies. All these plays have a protagonist with a tragic flaw, which leads to his downfall. Also, this protagonist is often a nobleman, with great power and wealth. The tragic hero faces both internal and external struggles in the play. Although the tone of the plays is quite serious, you'll find some passages or characters that act as comic relief.

You'll find one or more of the following elements in Shakespearean tragedies:

Elements in a Shakespearean Tragedies

A tragic hero

A dichotomy of good and evil

Issues of fate or fortune

Greed

Foul revenge

Supernatural elements

Shakespearean Plays Generally Classified as Tragedies

Titus Andronicus

Romeo and Juliet

Julius Caesar

Hamlet

Troilus and Cressida

Othello

King Lear

Macbeth

Antony and Cleopatra

Coriolanus

Difference Between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy

Definition

Shakespearean comedies are plays of Shakespeare that end in marriages or reunions, but Shakespearean tragedies are plays of Shakespeare that usually end in the death of the tragic hero.

Ending

Comedies generally have a happy ending, but tragedies have a sad ending.

Focus

Shakespearean comedies tend to focus more on situations than characters, while Shakespearean tragedies tend to focus more characters.

Characters

Shakespearean comedies can involve common-born or middle-class main characters, while tragedies mainly involve characters from the nobility.

Elements

The theme of love and marriage, complex plot, mistaken identities or misconceptions, clever wordplay are some elements of Shakespearean tragedies, while tragic heroes, a dichotomy of good and evil, hamartia, issues of fate or fortune, foul revenge, supernatural elements, and catharsis are some elements in Shakespearean tragedies.

Conclusion

The main difference between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy is that Shakespearean comedies end in marriages or reunion whereas Shakespearean tragedies usually end in the death of the tragic hero. The theme of love and marriage, complex plot, mistaken identities or misconceptions, clever wordplay are some elements of Shakespearean tragedies, while tragic heroes, a dichotomy of good and evil, hamartia, issues of fate or fortune, foul revenge, supernatural elements, and catharsis are some elements in Shakespearean tragedies.

Reference:

1. Jamieson, Lee. "4 Ways to Identify a Shakespeare Comedy." ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 10 Aug. 2019, Available here.
2. Edley, Luke, et al. "Elements of Shakespearean Comedy." Thanet Writers, 5 Nov. 2019, Available here.
3. Jamieson, Lee. "What Makes Shakespeare's Tragedies Tragic?" ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 24 Dec. 2018, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. "ShrewKatePetrucio" By Smatprt - Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. "Otelo e Desdémona - Antonio Muñoz Degraín" By Antonio Muñoz Degrain - (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia

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What is the Difference Between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy - Pediaa.Com

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The main difference between Shakespearean Comedy and Tragedy is that Shakespearean comedies end in marriages or reunion, but Shakespearean tragedies usually end in the death of the tragic hero. Shakespeare's plays have been basically categorized into three main categories as comedies, histories, and tragedies.

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The Biography of William Shakespeare - The Lost Years

What are the William Shakespeare 'Lost Years'?

What documented evidence is available?

What did he do after he left school? His occupation?

Scandal! Was he a thief? Why did he leave Stratford?

Interesting information about the family, life and times of William Shakespeare

WHAT WERE THE LOST YEARS?

There were no documented facts about the life of William Shakespeare between leaving school in 1578 and marrying Anne Hathaway in 1582! This time is therefore referred to as the First Lost Years

The Second Lost Years - Between 1582 and 1592 there were only four documented facts about William Shakespeare

2 Entries for the Baptism of his children in 1583 and 1585

In 1589 a court documents name William Shakespeare and his parents in a land dispute

In 1592 he is referred to in a very famous pamphlet called the 'Groatsworth of Wit' ( a Groat was a coin worth a small amount of money)

With such little documented evidence of the life of William Shakespeare the period between 1578 and 1592 is therefore called the LOST YEARS

William Shakespeare Lost Years (1578 - 1592)

THE FIRST LOST YEARS (1578 - 1582)

This is the period between William Shakespeare leaving school and marrying Anne Hathaway

We know quite a lot about William's father - John Shakespeare and can piece together the events surrounding the Shakespeare family and how these events affected the life of William during the First Lost Years
In 1578 John Shakespeare's fortune was in decline and he became behind with his taxes. William had to leave school to help his father and the family

We do not know what occupation was undertaken by William! But it is probably safe to assume that at some time he helped with the family business - trading in malt, corn, wool and leather. His occupation would have been a Glover and Whittawer (the maker of saddles, harnesses and fine leather gloves)

His father was also a money lender ( a very dubious occupation ) - William Shakespeare was known to operate as a money lender when he moved from Stratford to London so we can assume that William would have learnt about this area of his father's business!

Now the real guesswork has to start! The plays of William Shakespeare required a significant knowledge of Astronomy and the Law, Seamanship and Military matters, not to mention of Italy where many of his plays are based. Because of this scholars have debated that experience of these matters must have been obtained during the Lost Years. We therefore have a collection of different opinions of the occupations that William Shakespeare might have followed during his Lost Years:

A Sailor or Soldier

A Law clerk

A Teacher

We do know that in 1582 he married to Anne Hathaway as there is documented proof of this

THE SECOND LOST YEARS (1582 - 1592)

We now reach the second part of William Shakespeare's Lost Years

What do we have proof of?

In 1582 William married Anne Hathaway

On May 26th 1583 William's first child, Susanna, was baptised - six months after her parent's marriage - must have caused a real scandal in the family!

On February 2 1585 William Shakespeare's twins, Hamnet and Judith, were baptised

In 1589 William Shakespeare was named, with his parents, in a legal action against a neighbour called John Lambert over a dispute over some land in Wilmcote (a village near Stratford-upon-Avon)

In 1592 he is referred to in a very famous pamphlet, written by an author called Robert Greene, which was called the 'Groatsworth of Wit' in which Robert Greene attacks the actor William Shakespeare as an "upstart crow"!

We also know that on March 3 1592 , the London Acting troupe called Lord Strange's Men produced Henry VI Part 1 at the Rose Theatre. It is therefore assumed that William Shakespeare probably wrote this famous play together with Parts 2 and 3 between 1590 and 1592

Not a lot of documented evidence and information! But we definitely know that he was in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1589 and that he had to moved to London by 1592!

WHY DID SHAKESPEARE MOVE FROM STRATFORD-UPON-AVON TO LONDON?

There is speculation that William might have offended Sir Richard Lucy by poaching a deer on his grounds and had to leave Stratford to avoid prosecution ( No documented evidence supports this theory).

But it is reasonable to assume that there must have been a strong reason to leave his wife, children and family to follow the life of an actor in London ( In Elizabethan times actors were classed as low-lives )

There are many mysteries which surround the life of William Shakespeare - the Lost Years are the first of many!

William Shakespeare - The Lost Years' (1578 - 1592)

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The Biography of William Shakespeare - The Lost Years What are the William Shakespeare 'Lost Years'? What documented evidence is available? What did he do after he left school? His occupation? Scandal! Was he a thief? Why did he leave Stratford? Interesting information about the family, life and times of William Shakespeare WHAT WERE THE LOST YEARS?

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- William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 1564
- William Shakespeare's parents John and Mary has 8 children. William having to have been the eldest
- Shakespeare lived with family until the age of 18 when he married Anne Hathaway and had 3 children
- In total Shakespeare did 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, and 154 sonnets
- Until later sadly died at the age of 52 in April 23, 1616 which people believed to have been his birthday

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William Shakespeare - Quotes, Plays & Wife

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William Shakespeare, often called England’s national poet, is considered the greatest dramatist of all time. His works are loved throughout the world, but Shakespeare’s personal life is shrouded in mystery.

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William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon. His birthday is most commonly celebrated on 23 April (see When was Shakespeare born), which is also believed to be the date he died in 1616.

Shakespeare was a prolific writer during the Elizabethan and Jacobean ages of British theatre (sometimes called the English Renaissance or the Early Modern Period). Shakespeare's plays are perhaps his most enduring legacy, but they are not all he wrote. Shakespeare's poems also remain popular to this day.

Shakespeare's Family Life

Records survive relating to William Shakespeare's family that offer an understanding of the context of Shakespeare's early life and the lives of his family members. John Shakespeare married Mary Arden, and together they had eight children. John and Mary lost two daughters as infants, so William became their eldest child. John Shakespeare worked as a glove-maker, but he also became an important figure in the town of Stratford by fulfilling civic positions. His elevated status meant that he was even more likely to have sent his children, including William, to the local grammar school.

William Shakespeare would have lived with his family in their house on Henley Street until he turned eighteen. When he was eighteen, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was twenty-six. It was a rushed marriage because Anne was already pregnant at the time of the ceremony. Together they had three children. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding and was later followed by twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died when he was just 11 years old.

Shakespeare in London

Shakespeare's career jump-started in London, but when did he go there? We know Shakespeare's twins were baptised in 1585, and that by 1592 his reputation was established in London, but the intervening years are considered a mystery. Scholars generally refer to these years as ' The Lost Years '.

During his time in London, Shakespeare's first printed works were published. They were two long poems, 'Venus and Adonis' (1593) and 'The Rape of Lucrece' (1594). He also became a founding member of The Lord Chamberlain's Men, a company of actors. Shakespeare was the company's regular dramatist, producing on average two plays a year, for almost twenty years.

He remained with the company for the rest of his career, during which time it evolved into The King's Men under the patronage of King James I (from 1603). During his time in the company Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous tragedies, such as King Lear and Macbeth, as well as great romances, like The Winter's Tale and The Tempest.

Shakespeare's Works

Altogether Shakespeare's works include 38 plays, 2 narrative poems, 154 sonnets, and a variety of other poems. No original manuscripts of Shakespeare's plays are known to exist today. It is actually thanks to a group of actors from Shakespeare's company that we have about half of the plays at all. They collected them for publication after Shakespeare died, preserving the plays. These writings were brought together in what is known as the First Folio ('Folio' refers to the size of the paper used). It contained 36 of his plays, but none of his poetry.

Shakespeare's legacy is as rich and diverse as his work; his plays have spawned countless adaptations across multiple genres and cultures. His plays have had an enduring presence on stage and film. His writings have been compiled in various iterations of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, which include all of his plays, sonnets, and other poems. William Shakespeare continues to be one of the most important literary figures of the English language.

New Place; a home in Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare's success in the London theatres made him considerably wealthy, and by 1597 he was able to purchase New Place,the largest house in the borough of Stratford-upon-Avon. Although his professional career was spent in London, he maintained close links with his native town.

Recent archaeological evidence discovered on the site of Shakespeare's New Place shows that Shakespeare was only ever an intermittent lodger in London. This suggests he divided his time between Stratford and London (a two or three-day commute). In his later years, he may have spent more time in Stratford-upon-Avon than scholars previously thought.

Watch our video for more about Shakespeare as a literary commuter:

On his father's death in 1601, William Shakespeare inherited the old family home in Henley Street part of which was then leased to tenants. Further property investments in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602.

Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23 April 1616 at the age of 52. He is buried in the sanctuary of the parish church, Holy Trinity.

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William Shakespeare was a renowned English poet, playwright, and actor born in 1564. Read about his life and works.