Elizabethan Theater PreRenaissance Theater l l Medieval drama

Elizabethan Theater

Pre-Renaissance Theater l l Medieval drama: evolved from church ceremonies (specifically Easter) 1300 -1400: l l Workers guilds (or unions) staged cycles of plays about the history of the human race (Creation, Fall, etc. ) 4 cycles of these plays remain Plays were less religious deus ex machina a device used to randomly resolve the plot (not seen on stage)

l l Most notable play prior to the Renaissance was a Dutch play, Everyman. 4 types of plays Pre-Renaissance: l l Miracles Mysteries Moralities Interludes (1 act plays) playwrights “penned” these, meaning the authors were no longer anonymous

Old Traditions, New Theater l l After the building of theaters, plays still were performed in improvised spaces In 1576, James Burbage built the first public theater and named it “Theater”

The Globe l l Called the “Wooden O” Built out of wood from the “Theater” The plans (or blue prints) do not survive, only the stage directions within Shakespeare’s plays describe the layout and appearance of theater 3 main parts: l l l Building Proper Stage Tiring House (backstage)

*Building Proper* l l l Wooden, 3 stories high, surrounded by a spacious inner yard and open to the sky Had 2 entrances: one for the audience, one for the actors Admission to stand (as a groundling) was one penny Burned down in 1613 Held 3000 people Closed during plagues

*Stage* l l Actors were highly trained A lot of “effects” were used: witches, devils appeared from a trap door in the floor; this trap door represented Hell. The ceiling was decorated with stars, moons, suns, etc. and had a trap door that allowed spirits, angels, etc. to be suspended from wires, and the ceiling represented Heaven.

*Tiring House* l l l Comes from an archaic word, Tire, which means “attire. ” Contained a multipurpose gallery A curtained area below the gallery was used for “discoveries” (items hidden from the audience until one of the characters allows the audience a “peek” behind the curtain) Used a lot of props, and some were too heavy to move off stage so they remained throughout the play The audience was expected to suspend belief upon entering theater —they were supposed to know the action on stage was fictional

Scenery and Backdrops l l l Minimal scenery Theater were very ornate with colorful tapestries and hangings Costumes were elaborate and expensive

Music l l Plays must have acting and singing—audiences expected it It was used to progress the action, set the mood, or reveal a character Varying Venue l l Acting companies performed in 2 places other than open air theaters: 1. Great halls of castles and manor houses or 2. Indoor, fully covered theaters in London. Shakespeare’s acting company, The King’s Men, received their own private theater in 1608, named Blackfriars

William Shakespeare

Childhood l l Wrote over 36 plays and 150 poems Born in Stratford upon Avon (a market town) on April 23, 1564 (though some historians say he was born April 26…) John Shakespeare (father) was a merchant; Mary Arden (mother) was the daughter of a prosperous country family Shakespeare attended grammar school where he studied Latin, the Bible, and English Composition; he was apprenticed as a butcher

Life l l l At the age of 18, he married 26 year old Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a farmer They had 3 children, Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet ( son who died at age 11) Drama was flourishing in London in the 1580 s– Shakespeare arrived there in 1587 and became successful by 1592 (if not earlier)

l l l 1564 -1613 He was a member of 1 acting company, which included Will Kemp (the best known clown) and Richard Burbage (the best know tragedian) First play production was Richard III (1592 -93) In 1596, Shakespeare asked his father to apply for a family crest to show others that the family was of high social status and he bought a house in the “ritzy” part of Stratford, and he named this house, New Place

l l l In 1599, he joined with a few men from his company (now called Lord Chamberlain’s Men) to finance a new theater (the Globe) on the South side of the Thames River By 1600 Shakespeare regularly associated with the aristocracy and 6 plays were given command performances at Queen Elizabeth’s courts He prospered under Queen Elizabeth (She asked him to write The Merry Wives of Windsor)

l l After Queen Elizabeth’s death, King James of Scotland was crowned at the height of the plague; therefore, he did not immediately go to the palace, but secluded himself. Shakespeare’s company took advantage of this and gave the king private performances. As a result, the company was renamed “The King’s Men” In 1610 retired to New Place in Stratford and continued to manage The King’s Men and the 2 theaters (The Globe and Blackfriars)

l l l He continued to write several plays during his retirement His last historical play, Henry VIII (a tribute to Queen Elizabeth), caused the fire in 1613 (in the Globe) that burned down the Globe theater. At the last of the play, a cannon fired, igniting the roof Shakespeare died April 23, 1616 and was buried under the floor of Stratford Church with an epitaph daring anyone to “move my bones”

l l l Shakespeare’s characters represent a vast range of the human psyche, behaviors, and attitudes Males played female roles The first set of Shakespeare’s printed works was a published in 1623 (known as the first folio) and was comprised of 18 plays

Shakespeare’s Works l Types of plays l Tragedies l Comedies Histories/ Chronicles

Tragedies l l Have a main character, tragic hero, who has a fatal flaw of character, tragic flaw Which is responsible for his death or downfall. There is often the intervention of the gods or fate, and there is someone at the end of the play to restore order from chaos, to “pick up the pieces" and go forward

Comedies l Often have elements of romance and mistaken identity. Often they have supernatural beings (Fairies, etc. ) They always end on a happy note. Shakespeare wrote more comedies than any other type of play

Histories/ Chronicles Based on reigns of English kings l Tragicomedies: combination type of play with elements of tragedy and comedy. Sad elements are used, but the play ends happily l

Examples l l TRAGEDY: Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello COMEDY: Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream, As you like it HISTORY: Henry VIII, Richard III, King John TRAGICOMEDY: The Tempest