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Shakespearean Tragedy Elements

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Shakespearean Tragedy Elements

Read the original mini-scene below, then answer the questions. Use details from the scene as evidence. Some answers ask for your interpretation; support it with a reason.

A scene of pride and warning

The following original scene uses Shakespearean tragedy elements. It is not from a Shakespeare play. At the edge of a stormy harbour, Captain Mara studies a cracked compass. A messenger has warned that the eastern sea wall is failing. If the floodgates stay closed, the town’s lower streets will drown; if they open, the royal fleet may be swept from its moorings. “Open them,” says Ivo, the harbour engineer. “The town comes first.” Mara looks towards the palace, where her younger brother is preparing to sail with the fleet. “My order must be obeyed,” she replies. “No one will say I was frightened into changing it.” A bell rings from the eastern wall. Ivo offers her the key. For a moment, Mara reaches for it. Then she sees the waiting sailors watching her and pulls her hand back. “Keep the gates shut until dawn.” The storm grows louder. As Ivo runs towards the wall, Mara whispers, “I have chosen. Why does it feel as if the choice was made for me?”

1.Which choice creates the central conflict in the scene?

Whether Mara should open the floodgates to protect the town or keep them closed to protect the fleet
Whether Ivo should leave the harbour and become a sailor
Whether the messenger should ring the bell at dawn
Whether Mara should repair the cracked compass

2.Identify one quality that could make Mara a tragic hero, and explain how it influences her decision.

3.What might Mara’s fatal flaw be? Support your answer with a detail from the scene.

4.What dramatic effect do the storm and the failing sea wall create?

It creates a cheerful mood and suggests nothing can go wrong
It builds tension and makes the consequences of Mara’s choice feel urgent
It proves that the storm is controlled by Mara
It changes the scene into a comedy

5.Match each tragedy element to the best evidence or description from the scene.

Fatal flaw
Conflict
Foreshadowing
Tragic choice

The cracked compass, warning, bell and worsening storm hint that danger is coming.
Pride or stubbornness prevents Mara from changing her order.
Mara keeps the gates shut despite knowing the wall is failing.
Mara must choose between the town and the royal fleet.

6.What does Mara’s final question, “Why does it feel as if the choice was made for me?”, suggest about her view of fate and responsibility?

7.Select all the emotions a tragedy like this could encourage an audience to feel.

Pity for people threatened by the disaster
Fear about the consequences of Mara’s choice
Amusement because the danger is harmless
Tension as the audience waits to see what happens

8.How does the scene suggest that Mara’s downfall, if it happens, could result partly from her own actions rather than only from bad luck?

9.Which statement best distinguishes fate from a character’s personal responsibility in the scene?

The storm may be beyond Mara’s control, but her decision about the gates is hers
Mara controls the storm, so fate plays no part
Fate means characters never make choices
Because the warning comes from a messenger, Mara has no responsibility

10.Write one sentence predicting a plausible tragic consequence of Mara’s decision, then explain which detail in the scene supports your prediction.

11.Imagine Mara changes her order before the bell rings again. Explain how this could weaken the scene’s tragic structure while still keeping the conflict.