Character in Relation to Action in the Tragedies of George Chapman

If the writer of tragedy is skillful in his depiction of character, the successive decisions of a tragic hero will progressively eliminate possibilities of outcome of the drama. If there have been no surprises of character - in the sense that we have not suddenly been confronted by a facet of the hero's character which contradicts our previous knowledge of him - the ending will seem appropiate.

I am concerned with the type of tragic hero Chapman is trying to create. I shall take into account the pressures which other characters put upon the hero, pressures which stem at least in part from the fact that these characters act upon different principles from those of the hero.