What tragedies are described in Shakespeare's Four Tragedies?

1. "Hamlet"

When Prince Hamlet of Denmark was studying at the University of Wittenberg in Germany, he suddenly received news of his father's death. When he returned home for the funeral, he met his uncle Claudius after he came to the throne. A series of events involving his uncle's hasty marriage to his mother, Gertrude, one month after his father's funeral, filled Hamlet with doubts and dissatisfaction.

Immediately afterwards, the ghost of his father Hamlet appeared when Horatio and Bernardo were standing guard, indicating that he was poisoned by Claudius and asked Hamlet to avenge himself.

Subsequently, Hamlet used the pretense of madness to cover himself and confirmed through the "play within a play" that his uncle was indeed the murderer of his father. After mistakenly killing Polonius, the father of his beloved Ophelia, Claudius attempts to get rid of Hamlet through the help of the British king.

But Hamlet took the opportunity to escape back to Denmark, only to learn that Ophelia had committed suicide and had to accept a duel with his brother Laertes. During the duel, Hamlet's mother Gertrude was poisoned and died by accidentally drinking the poisoned wine prepared by Claudius for Hamlet.

Hamlet and Laertes were also both poisoned by the poisoned sword. Hamlet, who learned the reason for the poisoning, killed Claudius before he died and asked his friend Horatio to tell his story to later generations. .

2. "Othello"

Othello is a brave general in the Principality of Venice. He fell in love with Desdemona, the senator's daughter. Because the age difference between the two was too big, the marriage was not allowed.

The two had to get married privately. Othello has a sinister flag officer, Iago, who wants to get rid of Othello. He first informed the senator, but unexpectedly led to their marriage.

He also provoked the relationship between Othello and Desdemona, saying that Cassio, another lieutenant, had an unusual relationship with Desdemona, and forged so-called tokens of love.

Othello believed it and strangled his wife to death in anger. When he learned the truth, he drew his sword and killed himself in regret, and fell beside Desdemona.

3. "King Lear"

The whole play has two parallel story lines. The main clue tells the story of the ancient British king Lear who was old and dim, and wanted to divide the land among his three daughters according to the degree of love for him.

Both the eldest daughter Goneril and the second daughter Regan coaxed the old man with sweet words, but only the youngest daughter Cordelia told the truth, saying, "I love you only according to my title, not even a cent." More, every penny is less.”

Lear expelled his youngest daughter in anger, married her to France, and divided the land equally between his two hypocritical daughters. However, he was mercilessly neglected by his two daughters, and ran away to the storm in anger. In the wilderness, he associates with Edgar disguised as a mad beggar.

Later, the youngest daughter came from France to conquer, and finally the father and daughter met. However, the British and French armies fought, and the French army was defeated. Cordelia was captured, and was killed by Edmund's secret order soon after. Lear He held her body and died madly in grief and anger.

Another sub-clue is that the Earl of Gloucester listened to the slander of his concubine Edmund and exiled his eldest son Edgar. Later, because he sympathized with Lear, his eyes were gouged out. When he was wandering in the wild, he met his son Edgar, who had become a beggar.

After the concubine Edmund inherited the title, he flirted with Lear's eldest daughter and second daughter at the same time, causing them to become jealous and kill each other. In the end, the second daughter was poisoned to death, and the eldest daughter committed suicide after her plot to murder her husband was exposed. . Edmond was challenged by Edgar and killed in a duel.

4. "Macbeth"

General Macbeth, cousin of King Duncan of Scotland, returned from serving the king in suppressing rebellion and resisting invasion. He met three witches on the way.

The witch told him some prophecies and cryptic words, saying that he would be crowned king, but he had no heirs to inherit the throne. Instead, the descendants of his colleague General Banquo would be the king. Macbeth is an ambitious hero who murders Duncan at the instigation of his lady and becomes king.

In order to deceive others and prevent others from seizing the throne, he step by step killed Duncan's guards, Banquo, and the wife and children of the noble Macduff.

Fear and suspicion make Macbeth more and more evil and cruel. Lady Macbeth goes insane and dies, but Macbeth is not sad at all. With all the rebels and relatives separated, Macbeth faced the siege of Duncan's son and the English reinforcements he invited, and ended up with his head cut off.

As soon as Macbeth appeared on the scene, he had different ambitions, killed the king and usurped the throne. In order to consolidate the throne, he brutally massacred the people, making the country a river of blood, putting the society in chaos, and trapping the people in fire and water. It can be said that he is similar to Richard III. It's the same tyrant. Such a tyrant deserves his suffering and death. ?

Extended information:

Introduction to other tragedies created by Shakespeare:

1. "Julius Caesar"

BC In 44 years, at a celebration ceremony, Caesar, who had already taken over the power, was half-hearted about some of his followers wanting to make him "Emperor".

The consul Cassius, who consciously saw through Caesar's mind, was furious. In order to prevent the emergence of a "dictator", he persuaded Brutus, the chief consul, who was known for his integrity, to form an alliance with him and join some other nobles to eliminate the danger to the country.

Although Brutus was a good friend of Caesar and was promoted by him, in order to defend the ideals of Roman democracy and freedom, he resolutely became the leader of the "rebel party".

The consul Cassius was also a practical and ambitious man. He knew that the success of the coup depended on Brutus's reputation, so he followed Brutus's command.

After Caesar was stabbed to death by a random sword, the magnanimous Brutus not only did not agree to execute Caesar's confidant General Antony, but allowed him to collect Caesar's body and make a memorial speech to the public.

Antony skillfully carried out public incitement to channel the public's dissatisfaction with Caesar against the "rebellious party", so Brutus, Cassius and others were forced to flee. In the battle of Libi in the autumn of 42 BC, Brutus made another strategic mistake and the entire army was destroyed. He committed suicide by wearing his sword.

2. "Troilus and Cressida"

The Greek army has been besieging the city of Troy for ten years, but with no results. The war reached a stalemate because the Greek generals, instigated by the sarcastic Odysseus and the abusive Thersites, launched a life-and-death internal struggle.

Agamemnon, in particular, used unfair means to obtain a prisoner of Achilles, which made Achilles very angry and refused to send troops to fight.

The Trojan prince Troilus told the smooth minister Pandaros the secret of his love with Cressida (the daughter of the Trojan Calchas who was abandoned in Greece).

The Trojan prince Hector proposed to fight any Greek general alone. The Greek generals suggested drawing lots to determine who would fight Hector, and conspired to get Ajax to win the lottery, thus stimulating Achilles' jealousy and returning to the battlefield.

The Greeks said that as long as the Trojans returned their queen Helen (her affair with the Trojan prince Paris led to the Trojan War), the Greeks would voluntarily evacuate.

The Trojans argued endlessly about this. Hector and his sister Cassandra insisted on accepting this condition, but Paris insisted that they should continue fighting. Troilus supports Paris' position.

Calchas demanded that Anteno, a Trojan prisoner of war, be exchanged for his daughter Cressida and let her return to the Greek military camp. Diomedes takes charge of the exchange, and Cressida is given a warm welcome in the Greek camp.

At this time, although Ajax accepted Hector's challenge, Hector refused to fight because they were distant relatives.

Even so, the Greeks still praised Ajax as a hero, and Achilles was angry. Odysseus leads Troilus to eavesdrop on Cressida's flirtation with Diomedes, and Troilus kills Diomedes.

He made a big noise in the Greek military camp. The two men dueled, but neither was injured. The Trojan War escalated in an all-round way. Hector killed Achilles' friend Patroclus. For this reason, Achilles returned to the battlefield. He and his soldiers surrounded and killed Hector.

Troilus tells the Trojans that the war is still going on, still as bleak as ever, and that Achilles tied Hector's body to a horse's tail and galloped through the dust. The whole play ends just like it started, in turmoil and disillusionment.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Hamlet

Baidu Encyclopedia - Othello

Baidu Encyclopedia - King Lear

Baidu Encyclopedia - Macbeth