The Playwrights and Plays The University Wits PreShakespearean

The Playwrights and Plays The University Wits (Pre-Shakespearean playwrights) • with the rise in public theatres, companies needed new plays • the companies turned to the Universities for writers • they were basically an informal group of scholars that applied classical standards to the needs of a vigorous, contemporary stage

The Playwrights and Plays The University Wits included: Robert Green (1558 -1592) John Lyly (c. 1554 -1606) • wrote prose comedies Thomas Kyd (1558 -1594) • wrote The Spanish Tragedy (1587), the most popular play of the 1500 s

The Playwrights and Plays Christopher Marlowe (1564 -1593) [died early, at age 29] • wrote Dr. Faustus, Edward II, The Massacre at Paris • most critically acclaimed of the 4 • helped to perfect blank verse (iambic pentameter)

The Playwrights and Plays Advancements in Play Structure during this time included: • early point of attack • chronological organization • basic unit is short scene, • non-illusionistic, developing action

The Playwrights and Plays Advancements in Play Structure during this time included: • serious and comic tones • moral order emphasized (man can make choices but is ultimately responsible to forces greater than himself) • struggle between good and evil (but less obviously than medieval).

The Playwrights and Plays William Shakespear e (1564 -

The Playwrights and Plays WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564 -1616) • Between 1590 and 1613, he wrote 38 plays • He was also an actor and sometimes director.

The Playwrights and Plays WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE • He was an actor and shareholder in Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later the King’s Men) by 1595. • After 1599, he became a shareholder at the Globe

The Playwrights and Plays WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE • Survival of his plays depended on fellow actors (i. e. Henry Condell and John Heminges) • Original editions of his plays were published in 1623, called the First Folio.

The Playwrights and Plays WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE • Most critics believe his four greatest tragedies are: – Hamlet – King Lear – Macbeth – Othello

The Playwrights and Plays General Characteristics of his plays • 1. Early point of attack • 2. Several lines of action (subplots), independent at first, then somehow merge together • 3. A large number and variety of incidents; mixing of tears and laughter; gentle and violent passions

The Playwrights and Plays General Characteristics of his plays • 4. Time and space used freely – a sense of ongoing life behind the scenes • 5. Large range and number of characters; 30 is common; rich and poor, all individuals.

The Playwrights and Plays General Characteristics of his plays • 6. Varied language: elegant, ribald, witty, prosaic; all to enhance character and action • 7. Subjects from many sources (mythology, history, legend, fiction, other plays) but reworked to become his own.

Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers The Playwrights and Plays Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers • Ben Jonson (15721637) During his time, was more popular than Shakespeare

The Playwrights and Plays Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers • • Ben Jonson (1572 -1637) wrote Every Man in his Humor, Volpone, and The Alchemist wrote many "masques"— more than anyone else.

Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers The Playwrights and Plays Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers John Webster (c. 1580 -1630) • • well-known for the violence in his plays wrote The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil

The Playwrights and Plays Shakespeare’s Contemporaries and Followers John Ford (1586 -c. 1639) • • Illuminates evil by associating it with ordinary people wrote ‘Tis a Pity She’s a Whore

Court Masques and Inigo Jones Court Masques • entertainment written especially for the court • masques were great court spectacles which combined music with dancing, poetry, scenery, and dramatic costume

Court Masques and Inigo Jones Court Masques • These celebrations and festival-like performances established “points of contact” between the monarch and the people

Court Masques and Inigo Jones • studied painting and architecture in Italy • brought the Italian scenic influences to England, including temporary proscenium arch stages, painted perspective and systems for changing scenery

Court Masques and Inigo Jones

Court Masques and Inigo Jones • eventually he was put in charge of production of court masques and creating innovative stage and costume designs

Court Masques and Inigo Jones

Court Masques and Inigo Jones Whitehall • designed by Jones • location of many court masques