Tragedy in the English Renaissance was heavily influenced by ancient tragedy but differed from it in salient ways. Most obviously, it lacked a chorus, and was more realistic. The plots of Elizabethan tragedy dealt both with the distant past and the near past or in distant countries but rarely with life in contemporary England. Shakespearean tragedy is notable for being a mixed genre, with the seriousness of the tragedy relieved by comic interludes, often represented by lower class characters (rustics, mechanicals).
There are three major themes that run through many of Shakespeare's tragedies. They are love, family, and power. Often the key conflict of the tragedy is set in motion when power is used unjustly or authority is usurped. The legitimate and just use of power is a major concern for Shakespeare. When the children cast out Lear, Macbeth slaughters Duncan and becomes a tyrant, or Claudius kills Hamlet's father, we see examples of this sort of usurpation or misuse of power leading to tragedy.
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