Renaissance (Senecan) Tragic Conventions

1)    The "MADNESS," or feigned madness, of the hero
        (cf. Hamlet, Titus Andronicus)

2)    The appearance of the GHOST
        (cf. Macbeth, Hamlet)

3)    The "PLAY WITHIN A PLAY"
        (cf. Hamlet, The Changeling)

4)    The "TRAGEDY OF BLOOD," or gory and shocking climax
        (cf. Hamlet, Edward II)

5)    The "OLD ORDER" VERSUS THE "NEW FREEDOM"
        (cf. Richard II, King Lear)

Neoclassical (Aristotelian) Tragic Conventions

1)    The UNITY OF TIME: the play should take place within the fictional space of one 24-hour period

2)    The UNITY OF PLACE: the play should be confined to a single fictional location or to locations accessible to one another within the imaginary period covered by the play.

3)    The UNITY OF ACTION: the play should be uniformly "serious" and not interrupted by emotionally incongruous moments of comic relief.

4)    The play should be characterized by a general ELEVATION OF TONE: the language should be heightened and poetic, the theme majestic and philosophical.

5)    The HERO SHOULD BE A NOBLEMAN or king.