THE WORLD OF THEATRE The Comic Genres During

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THE WORLD OF THEATRE

THE WORLD OF THEATRE

The Comic Genres During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the travelling companies continued to

The Comic Genres During the reign of Queen Elizabeth the travelling companies continued to provide entertainment: • Commedia dell’arte = a cast of masked stock characters (the miserly old man, the young wife, the ardent seducer) • The medieval INTERLUDES

 • In the 15 th and 16 th century Morality were gradually replaced

• In the 15 th and 16 th century Morality were gradually replaced by “ INTERLUDES” • ( interludium = play-between )that with their realistic elements formed the bridge linking Medieval Drama with Elizabethan theatre:

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS • Performed during banquets at court or in inn yards. • In

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS • Performed during banquets at court or in inn yards. • In this location the actors ( that were starting to be professionals ) could collect an admission fee • Shorter than Moralities • Rare use of allegory • Real characters • Humour and satire • Lack of a didactic purpose

INNYARD • Many of these inns had tiers of galleries all round the yard

INNYARD • Many of these inns had tiers of galleries all round the yard

The Great Hall of noble places

The Great Hall of noble places

DISADVANTAGES • the Players always had to rely on the hospitality of inn-keepers or

DISADVANTAGES • the Players always had to rely on the hospitality of inn-keepers or of the noblemen • they had no storage space, so they had to carry all their properties and costumes with them. • the biggest disadvantage of all was that the City of London authorities were hostile to them.

In the Renaissance ®performances in the courtyards were banned so public outdoor playhouses were

In the Renaissance ®performances in the courtyards were banned so public outdoor playhouses were build. ®In the second half of the 16 th and in the 17 th c. Drama flourished. ®This period was characterized by the performance of thousands of plays, most of them free reelaboration by the major playwrights since there was no copyright law.

ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND • Country unified, trade and commerce flourished • Age of exploration •

ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND • Country unified, trade and commerce flourished • Age of exploration • Expanding with confidence and reflecting in it the drama of the period • England became a dominant force under Elizabeth I (15581603) • London largest city in Europe. Population 200, 000 1559. Doubles again in 50 years.

when Shakespeare was only eleven • In 1575 the City authorities imposed a Code

when Shakespeare was only eleven • In 1575 the City authorities imposed a Code of Practice upon the Players which so displeased them that they decided to withdraw outside the City boundaries. • Thus it was that in the following year, 1576, the first London theatre, called 'The Theatre' was built in Finsbury Fields and the next year, 1577, The Curtain was built in the same area

 • These two theatres were so successful that ten years later other buildings

• These two theatres were so successful that ten years later other buildings were built • but this time across the river on Bankside, which gradually became a theatre centre. In 1587 The Rose • in 1595 The Swan • in 1599 The Globe • in 1600 The Fortune, all in the same vicinity.

London’s permanent theatres It was a break with the past

London’s permanent theatres It was a break with the past

ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND • Theatres in London were not on the “better” side of the

ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND • Theatres in London were not on the “better” side of the River Thames • Surrounded by brothels, pubs and gaming houses • Bear baiting, cock fights and tournaments were being held in the same space that the original theatre was performed

THEATRE: A COMMERCIAL VENTURE • • No longer state or church 6 days a

THEATRE: A COMMERCIAL VENTURE • • No longer state or church 6 days a week (NO Sundays) In the afternoon, (2 -5)No lights Changed plays often to keep the people coming • They announced what kind of play was showing with flags: Black-Tragedy, White-comedy, Red-History • One play could be performed up to ten times in a season • New plays in constant demand

The Globe was built by the Burbage Brothers • after 1599, Shakespeare's company, at

The Globe was built by the Burbage Brothers • after 1599, Shakespeare's company, at that time called the Chamberlain's Men, performed his plays in THE GLOBE THEATRE

the first was burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII.

the first was burned down in 1613 during a performance of Henry VIII.

It was rebuilt in 1614

It was rebuilt in 1614

the Blackfriars was taken over for winter performances by Shakespeare's company, which since the

the Blackfriars was taken over for winter performances by Shakespeare's company, which since the accession of James I in 1603 had been known as the King's Company

The architecture of theatres • • • The playhouses: round or octagonal in shape

The architecture of theatres • • • The playhouses: round or octagonal in shape were 12 metres high made of wood

 • It was an open-air theatre • the building surrounded an open yard

• It was an open-air theatre • the building surrounded an open yard (like the old Inn –Yards ) • the galleries, however, were thatched

THE STAGE • It was divided in three parts: • • • outer inner

THE STAGE • It was divided in three parts: • • • outer inner upper stage

It was rectangular

It was rectangular

the stage was jutting out into the audience

the stage was jutting out into the audience

There were numerous trapdoors on the stage

There were numerous trapdoors on the stage

The main stage had doors on each side at the back and between these

The main stage had doors on each side at the back and between these doors was a small curtained recess: the inner stage ( dressing room)

 • Round three sides of the yard ( PIT) were three tiers of

• Round three sides of the yard ( PIT) were three tiers of galleries where the wealthier or superior members of the audience sat • the rest of the audience stood in the open yard around the stage : • 'the Groundlings' •

SCENERY ®It relied very little on set, but heavily on author’s ability to tell

SCENERY ®It relied very little on set, but heavily on author’s ability to tell the tale ®The scenery was very little: simple objects simbolized a place or the role of an actor (e. g. , a table stood for a room. )

 • a thatched roof over the back part of the stage • the

• a thatched roof over the back part of the stage • the front of the stage was open to the elements; if it rained the actors, like the groundlings, got wet.

the upper stage with a balcony and perhaps a small gallery above the upper

the upper stage with a balcony and perhaps a small gallery above the upper stage.

"two penny gallery" on the top tier The GROUNDLINGS paid for their entertainment. THE

"two penny gallery" on the top tier The GROUNDLINGS paid for their entertainment. THE GROUNDLINGS It cost a penny to get into theatre

The Actors

The Actors

The Actors ® The condition of the actors changed with the rise of the

The Actors ® The condition of the actors changed with the rise of the popularity. According to the law they were classified as “ vagabonds” so they needed protection, they put themselves under the protection of noblemen or the king/ queen. ( Lord Chamberlain’s Men- The king’s men)

The actors ®The female roles were performed by boys disguised as women ®They had

The actors ®The female roles were performed by boys disguised as women ®They had to vary their repertoire ® They had no more than two weeks to prepare a new play ®. They often found themselves playing several roles in the same performance ® They should have excellent memory

LOOK AT THE VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE GLOBE

LOOK AT THE VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE GLOBE

The clown and the fool The clown rough peasant whose language counterbalanced other characters’

The clown and the fool The clown rough peasant whose language counterbalanced other characters’ heroic or romantic language The fool professional jester dressed in motley, cap and bells

Elizabethan Drama was influenced by: • Italian humanism • Translation of Italian works, it

Elizabethan Drama was influenced by: • Italian humanism • Translation of Italian works, it became a literary work, with a dramatic narrative, a story ( not only songs, dancing and pantomime) • Italian Commedia dell’Arte travelling companies • Seneca’s plays

Seneca’s plays ® horrific and bloody incidents ® revenge- vengeance ® omnipotence of destiny

Seneca’s plays ® horrific and bloody incidents ® revenge- vengeance ® omnipotence of destiny ® Supernatural ® cruel tyrant ® where the protagonist comments on his own situation ® rhetorical and declamatory style ® monologue or soliloquy ® lively dialogues

The theatre had to mirror the society Society had to mirror the divine order

The theatre had to mirror the society Society had to mirror the divine order of the Universe ( the macrocosm), inside which man ( the microcosm) had to respect a precise hierarchy. God is at the top.

Drama derived from the breaking of this order every action disturbing the balance is

Drama derived from the breaking of this order every action disturbing the balance is “ dramatic” • criminal actions brought chaos and anarchy to society • the strict relationship between the laws of man and the laws of nature were emphasized: prodigious phenomena were presented as consequence or presage of criminal actions • man full of passion and doubts replaced the old allegorical character

In the Elizabethan Drama: • Fate and destiny were replaced by free and personal

In the Elizabethan Drama: • Fate and destiny were replaced by free and personal choice • Still conflict between good and evil • No observation of the 3 units : Time ( no more than 24 hours), place ( setting never changes), action ( no subplots)

Why did Drama reach such a popularity? Because it was: • Open and understandable

Why did Drama reach such a popularity? Because it was: • Open and understandable by everyone. The cost of the tickets depended on the seat. • The language was alive and direct • Talented playwrights • Theatre-going habit as entertainment

Language ®The language, alive and direct, was affected by the concept of hierarchy ®Being

Language ®The language, alive and direct, was affected by the concept of hierarchy ®Being in verse, the Elizabethan theatre borrowed from poetry the use of metaphors and the blank verse ®Blank verse, similar to real living speech ( written to be performed ) written in lines of iambic pentameter, but does NOT use end rhyme.

Audience ®All social classes went to theatre: nobles, commoners, citizens, lawyers… people with different

Audience ®All social classes went to theatre: nobles, commoners, citizens, lawyers… people with different tastes and cultural background ®The audience were involved in the performance, since they were in direct comunication with the actors

The audience • The spectators ate and drank during the performance • They freely

The audience • The spectators ate and drank during the performance • They freely expressed their emotions with laughter or tears Geoffrey Rush in Shakespeare in Love directed by John Madden, 1998

Authors and works ® C. Marlowe (1564 -1593) - Tamburlane the Great - Doctor

Authors and works ® C. Marlowe (1564 -1593) - Tamburlane the Great - Doctor Faustus - The Jew of Malta ® B. Jonson (1572 -1637) - Volpone - Bartholomew Fair ® W. Shakespeare (1564 -1616) - Hamlet - Romeo and Juliet - King Lear. . .

Jacobian Age ( James I ) • Theatres no more for all classes •

Jacobian Age ( James I ) • Theatres no more for all classes • , no more part of the same audience; there was a division between PUBLIC OUTDOOR theatres and PRIVATE INDOOR theatres • The middle class started to consider theatres as a place of perdition • More refined plays, like masques , were held in noblemen’s palaces • Language more elaborated ( similar to what happened in poetry with the Metaphysical poets) • Structure more complex ( subplots ) • Content reflected the scepticism and melancholy of the age • Subject: often dogmas and taboos were challenged ( sexuality, religion)

The most important Jacobean Dramatists • John Webster : The Duchess of Malfi •

The most important Jacobean Dramatists • John Webster : The Duchess of Malfi • Thomas Middleton A Game at chess.

Early Tudor Costume

Early Tudor Costume

Late Tudor Costume

Late Tudor Costume