Comparison of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Hamlet and OthelloShakespeare's tragedies were extremely popular in Elizabethan times and today. A tragedy is described as “a sad, serious story or play, usually ending in the death of the hero. A disastrous, fatal or terrible event.” By comparing the three plays, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello it is possible to see how he used techniques suited to tragedy and how he applied them to his plays. The opening of the play is significant because it establishes the preceding scene and atmosphere. When watching the beginning of many of Shakespeare's plays, audiences generally discover that the protagonist is represented by other characters. The audience also learns about the location where the play is performed, along with important events contained in the play's plot. To compose openings for plays you need to examine how Shakespeare uses setting, imagery, language, theme, and structure. In this way it will be possible to understand that Shakespeare attracts the audience's attention in his opening scenes. The setting of a work is very important. The setting creates the atmosphere and can say a lot about the characters in that scene, subsequent scenes, and often introduces characters we haven't yet met. In Othello an ambiguous character, Iago, is introduced into a dark alley. Dark and shadowy paths are synonymous with wrong actions and give the audience a clue that the character is evil. Shakespeare therefore does this to create an image of the character. It puts that character in a stereotypical environment. There is a certain degree of mystery surrounding darkness as it limits your senses. This helps accentuate the idea that Iago is a dubious character. In Macbeth the witches appear amidst thunder and lights...... middle of the paper...... Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Macbeth. http://chemicool.com/Shakespeare/macbeth/full.html, no lin. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Norton Criticism ed. Ed. Ciro Hoy. New York: Norton, 1992. Shakespeare, William. Othello. Clayton: Prestwick House Inc., 2005