Elizabethan Theatre

Renaissance Artists treated their subjects with humanity and created work with which the general public could more easily identify.

Elizabethan England
The Renaissance in England is generally referred to as the Elizabethan period. Queen Elizabeth ! reigned for "# years $ollowing her death! she was succeeded by %ing &ames
st

The four humours

'en &onson wrote plays where the characters were all based on the humours.

The Theatre of Elizabethan England Public Theatres

The first public theatre in England was The Theatre. 'uilt in (ondon in #)*. The +lobe! The Rose! The ,wan ,eated - #.. people! same basic design.

/ublic theatres were outdoors! they were used for performances in the summer months. ,hows which were ad0ertised using posters and flyers! began in the afternoon curtain up was by three! announced by three trumpet blasts and continued until dusk.

Private Theatres
,maller than public theatres 1-#.. people2. /ri0ate meaning enclosed had a roof. ,lightly more e3pensi0e anyone was free to attend. ,etup was similar to that of a public theatre e3cept the stage did not e3tend until downstairs.

Audiences in Elizabethan Theatres

The audiences who supported Elizabethan 4rama were li0ely and rowdy.

Development of dramatic forms and devices

The classical dramas had been redisco0ered and were used as source materials for new plays! along with stories from 5talian literature and English! Roman and world history. 4rama6s from the classical era influenced Elizabethan drama with the work of Roman dramatist ,eneca! who wrote tragedies with moments of 0iolent spectacle stabbing! murders! suicides supernatural forces.

The structure of Elizabethan plays

Intensive Structure Plot
'egins late near end of story (inear mo0ing in single line 1few subplots2 ,hort space of time 1hours8days2 $ew! solid! e3tended scenes 19 acts consisting of one scene2 ;ccurs in a restricted locale one room or one house. (imited 1*8<2 ,ingle thread =ause8and8effect (inked in logical se>uence of e0ents

Extensive Structure
'egins relati0ely early. 7o0es through series of episodes. ,e0eral threads of action include parallel plots (onger period of time 1weeks8years2 7any short fragmented scenes 1alternating between long:short! public:pri0ate! comic:serious2 7ay range o0er cities:countries (ots of characters 1se0eral dozen2 ?eb of circumstances ,cenes are in contradiction to one another E0en may rise from se0eral or no apparent cause Elizabethan Theatre Epic Theatre

Time Scenes

Setting haracters !ine of Action

Examples

Realism +reek Theatre

The !anguage of Elizabethan Drama

/owerful dramatic 0erse 'lank @erse generally written in unrhymed iambic pentameter 5ambic pentameterA The way that the rhythm of a line of 0erse is constructed. /entameterA fi0e beats in a line.

5ambicA two syllables for each beat! with the accent on e0ery second beat.

,ome plays are so well crafted that the manner in which the blank 0erse is used in the upper class might indicate 0arious distinctions within the class! thereby offering clues to staging and characterisation.

The Performers
All men no women allowed to perform. Boung actors with unbroken 0oices generally took female roles. 5n addition! actors were alsoA ,ingers! 4ancers! and 7usicians. ,tatus of actors was not high 1classA Rogues2. =ould join (ord =hamberlain6s men 1so they6d be ser0ants of noble men2. Co scriptsA They were gi0en sides 1line for actor and cue2. /lots were backstage so that actors would know the progress. /laywright:(eading actors ran rehearsals 1minimal rehearsal time2. /rompt became important.

ostumes and Scenery

Elizabethan drama not specially tailored to setting of play : contemporary Elizabethan clothes. Co historically accurate knowledge of past costumes. ,ets were not generally elaborate. Audience was familiar with symbolism on stage. Co attempt to create realistic settings. /laces were usually indicated through a descripti0e passage in the dialogue. $ew important properties were used 1throneDroyal court! bushDentire forest! barrelDcountry inn2.

Sound and lighting

,ound was li0e 1instrumental! sung music2. ,ound effects were created by instruments 1e.g. drumrollDstorm2 Co electricity. Co special lighting effects performances took place in day.

Elizabethan Play"rights hristopher #arlo"e

$irst playwright who rose to fame in the Elizabethan period. Ee ad0anced the art and dramatic structure. 5ncorporated the use of dramatic 0erse. 4e0eloped the iambic pentameter 1ga0e Elizabethan dramatic 0erse its strength! subtlety! suppleness and great lyric beauty. Eis plays were known for their wide array of interesting characters. E.g. The Tragical Eistory of 4octor $austus.

$illiam Sha%espeare
'irthA F9 April! baptised F* April! #*" ,tratford8Gpon8A0on! ?arwickshire! (ondon. Third of eight children. #<F 7arried Anne Eathaway 1produced a daughter and twins2. ,hakespeare mo0ed to (ondon where he created his theatrical career.

,tarted off as an actor and then became playwright. +ood knowledge of the technical and business aspects of the theatre and also wrote a great deal of poetry ,hakespearean ,onnets and narrati0e poems. Reputation based mainly on the plays that he apparently wrote! modified or collaborated.

omedies

,hakespearean comedy has a light8hearted tone and style! concludes with a happy ending that usually in0ol0es marriage. 7akes use of the following themes! motifs and techni>uesA Boung lo0ers who struggle to o0ercome difficulties presented by their eldersH ,eparation and unificationH 7istaken identitiesH A cle0er ser0antH Eeightened tensions! often within a familyH 7ultiple! intertwining plotsH and $re>uent use of puns! often of a se3ual nature. E.g. Taming of the ,hrew.

Tragedies
,hakespearean tragedy has a dark tone during which the order of the world of the play is sub0erted and chaos reigns until made right. ,hakespearean tragedies ha0e the following themes! motifs and techni>uesA An Aristotelian 0iew on the concept of tragedyH A tragic hero! who is admirable but flawed! capable of both good and e0ilH The operation of free will in the face of fate or destinyH ;pportunities for the redemption of the tragic hero! which are ignoredH and An accelerating mo0ement towards doom.

&istories
Eistories are plays based on the li0es of the English %ings. ,hakespearean histories ha0e the following themes! motifs and techni>uesA Each focuses on a small part of the li0es of the characters in the playH ;ften e3clude e0ents in order to create an effecti0e dramatic structureH

A kind of ITudor propagandaJ that shows a political bias that celebrates the founders of the Tudor dynasty and the order this dynasty to England. E.g. Eenry @ 1#th2

'omances
,hakespeare wrote se0eral romances. =lear influences of medie0al romantic literature and a characteristic lyrical poetic style 1how you feel2. They may be dominantly tragic or comedic in their nature. Tragic romances display the following featuresA (o0ers are doomed because of a barrier in the world around themH 4eath can be seen as a consummation of their lo0eH and The 0iew that lo0e cannot succeed in a tragic world.

=omic romances would include the following characteristicsA Eappy ending in0ol0ing the reunion of long8separated family membersH 7agic or fantasyH A deus ex machina 1unlikely character or de0ice or e0ent introduced suddenly to resol0e a situation or untangle the plot1H and The alternation of Ici0ilisedJ and IpastoralJ scenes. E.g. Romeo and &uliet ,hakespeare6s use of 0erse is e3traordinaryA use of powerful metaphors and the musicality of his language. =haracters in his plays are memorable! comple3 and well8rounded 1often completely life8like2 %new how to manipulate intricate plots and the structure of many of his plays is nothing short of masterful.

(en )onson
7ore literally

$irst playA The 5sle of 4ogs =ontinued to create new plays and his forte was comedy Ce0er shy of trouble! &ohnson was often at odds with the law

End of Elizabethan Theatre

/uritans 1group of protestants who promoted strict morality in society and belie0ed that the theatre spread immorality2 closed down theatres. =ommon complaintA The practise of boys dressing as women to play female roles. /laywrights and actors were clients of the monarchy and aristocracy and therefore stood in political opposition to the /uritans! who represents the state rather than the monarchy.

Theatres remained closed for most of the ne3t < years! re8opening after the restoration of the monarchy. /re0ious era plays and the new genres of restoration comedy e0ol0ed! gi0ing English theatre of the later )th century a distincti0e character and new possibilities for creati0e de0elopment.