... the ghost's speeches indicates that he is not what he claims to be. Rather, he has come as a tempter to pour 'poison' into Hamlet's ear. Hamlet is a revenge tragedy, a common genre in Shakespeare's day. As with other theatrical genres, the revenge tragedy had certain conventions that could not be flouted. As Rene Girard has noted, it is Shakespeare's genius that he ... challenges the very foundations of the revenge tragedy in the course of writing a revenge tragedy, and that he does it without violating the conventions of the genre. In this sort of play, Girard notes, "all eloquence mus...

• Word Count: 1931
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... ). These words were spoken by a truly innovative composer and lyricist of the modern age, Stephen Sondheim. The emotional truthfulness and sheer complexity of his works have practically made Stephen Sondheim a genre in and of himself, with a talent for connecting an audience to a song using catchy music and memorable lyrics. Sondheim understands the importance of lyrics as well as the visceral impact ... on many Greek or Roman tragedies/comedies. This is true because of social publicity. Even non-theatre-goers have heard of Broadway and/or musicals that have been taken to film such as Le...

• Word Count: 1723
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School