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Theatre During the Elizabethan Era essay
Theatre during the Elizabethan era
Theatre During the Elizabethan Era essay
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Queen Elizabeth's Lasting Effect on Theater
Queen Elizabeth came to be known as one of the greatest rulers of the English empire. Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a more efficient government was created. The church was unified, the English empire was expanded, and language, literature, and theater flourished to a greatness that would be impossible for almost any other period of English history, or any other European empire, for that matter, to match. Although there was a great rise in literature,it was theater that catapulted to greatness during Elizabeth's reign. Out of Elizabeth's era came Elizabethan theater. Elizabethan theater has such a variety of topics, that would make it virtually impossible to talk about in ten pages. The focal point of this paper will be on Queen Elizabeth's contributions to theater as well as her favor to Children of Paul's, or Paul's Boys (a "Boy Company") and the Queen's Men and Lord Chamberlain's Men (two Adult Companies). Prior to Elizabeth's reign, those members of the Tutor family enjoyed entertainment consisting mainly of court tournaments. Within these court tournaments bear baiting was the most popular event. Although "Elizabeth found this hugely diverting", theater was her entertainment of choice, for Elizabeth found "such cruel spectacles...an unattractive feature of the age" (Somerset 367). However, regardless of her opinion, countrymen saw nothing wrong with bear baiting, and continued the event. Even though Elizabeth was a great lover of theater, that does not mean that theater, was not put down routinely. The Puritans found Elizabeth's interest in theater to be "utterly reprehensible", actors to be a "contemptible breed", and the theaters that they performed in nothing more "...
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... Clarendon Press M.CMXXIII This was useful in giving in depth information on playhouses and acting companies. Somerset, Anne Elizabeth I, St. Martin's Press New York 1992 Elizabeth I was useful in giving me information on the Queen, her empire, and how she helped the theaterical development in England. Hillebrand, Newcomb Harold The Child Actor, Russell & Russell, New York 1964 This was helpful in giving me general backgound on boy companies. McMillin, Scott and MacLean, Sally-Beth, The Queen's Men and their Plays, Cambridge University Press 1998 This book was intramental in giving me information on the Queen's Men. I have also retrieved a lot of information online http:/www.eb.com Elizabeth I Encyclopedia Britannica Online Shakespeare, William Encyclopedia Britannica Online The Theater, Encyclopedia Britannica Online Theater History, Encyclopedia Britannica Online
A final difference between Shakespeare's world and modern times is you had to present your new play in front of the Queen before you could put it on. IN the essay " Actors in Shakesperare's Day", Stephanie Chidester writes, "If players were to legally retained by novlemen, they had to prove they could act, and one means of demonstraiting their ligitimacy was playing at court for Queen Elizabeth." This illustrates a significant difference because in the modern world if you want to put on a play, you get all the equipment, you don't have to get the Queen's permission.
Eighteenth century British theatre was perhaps the starting point that would evolve into modern theatre. Women started to be allowed on stage and acting techniques were beginning to change. Leading performers were like celebrities with a number of fans. Theatre was an intricate part of the social ladder. In the overall scheme of things the actors and actresses played an important part in making the theatre what it was. Without the performers there wouldn’t really be theatre, so in order to understand the eighteenth century British theatre the performers of that era need to be understood.
Shakespeare's first tragedy has been a topic of discussion since the day it was written. Titus Andronicus "was staged on 24 January 1594 by the Earl of Sussex's Men at the Rose Theatre" (Welsh 1). Though this tidbit of information seems somewhat irrelevant to Titus, we must note that there are certain standards and practices established by a play from its first performance. It is also important to establish the general attributes that audiences attribute to Shakespearean performance.
During the Elizabethan Era, an average citizen was insensitive to watching the substantial suffering of humans and animals in games known as “Spectator” or “Blood” sports. These sports attracted many people, both men and women, of all classes. Although these games may be considered to be bestial today, they were appealing and appreciated by many common Elizabethans. Gambling at these uncivilized events was acutely popular among the hundreds of spectators in attendance. Queen Elizabeth took extreme pleasure when watching spectator sports, and would host them when attempting to enthrall foreign, visiting officials. Cock fighting, bear baiting, and bull baiting were three very prevalent games.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
The Indulgence of Machiavellian Behaviour The Elizabethan era is named after the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First. This era is one of the most fascinating eras in history, not only because of the queen herself but also because of the very first theatre in England – The Globe –which began with the performance of plays written by William Shakespeare. Due to his many inspiring and renowned plays, this era has been significantly marked. I have chosen texts based on this era and they are the following, William Shakespeare plays: Othello and King Richard III, the series Reign by Stephanie Sengupta and the movie Elizabeth the Golden Age by Shekhar Kapur.
This new theatre was an extremely risky venture. Any actor caught performing would be imprisoned. Box office receipts would be confiscated for the Commonwealth. Enormous fines would be levied against any daring to sit in an audience. Entire playhouses would be destroyed, their interiors gutted or exteriors burned. Theatre faced extinction. It became an obsequious art, catering to Cromwell's strict moral code. Killigrew would survive, and eventually form the Theatre Royal, but he lived in constant fear. Davenant worked through legal channels to produce theatre Cromwell could not dispute. His pieces were simple, more opera then play, and propaganda for the Commonwealth. Interestingly, the first woman to appear on the British stage did so in this time, in Davenant's The Siege of Rhodes. He began pushing the envelope, uncomfortable in his new sycophantic role. He renewed his ties to the British aristocracy, exiled to France. He befriended Charles II, and when the young king made his triumphant return to power, Davenant was given the monopoly on all theatre in London. He shared this power with his old friend Thomas Killigrew. Under their guidance, the theatre exploded back into being.
Elizabethan times in the 1600s was a progression for the world of the theater. A period named after Queen Elizabeth I of England, it is from this period that modern day society has its foundation for the entertainment industry. From the violence that was prevalent because of the Black Death, people turned to the theater for its poetry and romance. During this time period, there were two types of theatrical performances that were available for the people’s viewing, comedies or tragedies. These two genres were never really intertwined until the time of William Shakespeare. His play, Romeo and Juliet, is an example of both a comedy and a tragedy. It starts off as a comedy with Romeo weeping like a baby because of his love Rosaline, who did not love him back and ends as a tragedy when Romeo and Juliet, a pair of star crossed lovers, commit suicide because the lost of each other. It was also during Shakespeare’s time that writer were finally acknowledged by the people. Before this time, writers were not considered upper classman. Another group of people that began to rise into a higher social class were the actors. Actresses were not present back then because women were not allowed on stage. It was considered unladylike to have a female actor. Men played all the parts. Theater owners were dependent on actors to make them a profit. Rehearsals for the plays were fairly short, only lasting for about a week. The performances themselves would only show for three to four days.
In the Elizabethan period, it was "forbidden" for women to appear on stage and considered "immoral", and so boys played...
Bear-baiting was a very popular source of entertainment in the late 1500s in Elizabethan England, involving dogs attacking a captive bear. The audience for this form of entertainment, was people who enjoyed watching blood, gore, and violence. Another form of entertainment people enjoyed during this period was stage plays, which was popularized by William Shakespeare. How did he convince those whom enjoy bear-baiting to come watch his plays? Shakespeare was aware of his surroundings and he knew what the audience liked. Hence, he wrote tragedies where there was blood, gore, and violence, which the audience enjoyed. The ultimate reason for Shakespeare’s success is that apart from good writing, he was also aware of the audience’s knowledge, awareness,
1908 Government Regulation of the Elizabethan Drama. The. New York: Columbia University Press. Lee, Sir. Sir Sidney. 1916
Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama. N.p.: Rice University, 1982. 223-38. Vol.
Marcus, Leah S. Recent Studies in Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama. No. 2 ed. Vol. 32. N.p.: Rice University, 1992. Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900. JSTOR. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .
The Victorian Era in the United Kingdom is archetypally deemed the time period when Queen Victoria ruled, from 1837 to 1901 (Miller 1). While the Queen’s reign altered many social aspects of British life, perhaps the most noticeable was drama. Previously, theatre had been precluded and disapproved of due to various reasons, particularly religion. However, Queen Victoria chose to attend histrionic performances often and eventually made it reputable. The Queen considered Shakespeare too confusing of a playwright (Airdrie 1) and it soon became the job of numerous others to create amusing plays that she and countless other Europeans would enjoy. Although the playwrights of the Victorian era such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, and J.M. Barrie came from extremely diverse backgrounds and circumstances, each one gave writing their all in the hopes that they would both express themselves and regale their audience.
The name most associated with excellence in theatre is William Shakespeare. His plays, more than any other playwright, resonate through the ages. It may be safe to say that he has influenced more actors, directors, and playwrights than any thespian in the history of the stage. But what were his influences? During the Middle Ages theatre was dominated by morality, miracle, and mystery plays that were often staged by the church as a means to teach the illiterate masses about Christianity. It wasn’t until the early sixteenth century that Greek tragedy experienced a revival, in turn, inspiring a generation of renaissance playwrights.