Elizabethan Theatre Why was Elizabeth ’ s reign such an important period in the development of the theatre? How does it still influence us today?

Queen Elizabeth

Elizabethan Fashion "She must be stifling in that thing"

Introduction Throughout the middle ages plays were performed by workers in towns and were religious based, often retelling stories from the Bible. However, this ended after Henry VIII ’ s break from Rome and formation of the Church of England in Therefore playwrights took inspiration from the Roman theatre and writers like Seneca, who wrote about crime, revenge, witches and ghosts. Elizabethan writers introduced theatre audiences to horror, the supernatural and GORE …

Elizabethan Theatre Theatre becomes popular mixture of the… Didactic Humorous Secular Something for everyone! The illiterate The literate The sophisticated.

Elizabethan Theatre The grand mystery of Shakespeare Profound psychological insight. Allegorical (e.g. Hamlet and the Brahe vs. Diggs Copernican debate). Arousal theory and counterpoint of humour with serious content. Example of both entertainment and serious content.

Elizabethan Playwrights The most well known playwright of Elizabethan times is Shakespeare. But there were also other writers who in their time were just as, or even more famous than the Bard.

Christopher Marlowe  Born 1564  Studied at King's School, Canterbury and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge with scholarships.  For many years served the Elizabethan secret service as a spy involved with several extremely confidential missions.  Had several brushes with the law, including being involved in an “ affray which resulted in someone ’ s death ”, arranging the counterfeit of some coins and “ failing to keep the peace ” with two constables.  In May 1593 he was involved in a scandal when his room-mate and fellow playwright Thomas Kyd was found with heretical papers. Under torture, Kyd claimed they were Marlowe ’ s, and accused him of atheism. OR DID HE?  However, before the Privy Council took definite action on these charges Marlowe was stabbed in a tavern brawl on the 30th May 1593 and died aged 29.

 According to the inquest Marlowe met with three men, Frizer, Skeres and Poley in a tavern in Deptford. They stayed there all day until an argument broke out and Frizer stabbed Marlowe in the eye out of self-defence.  But there are several strange things about the murder. Why did Marlowe agree to visit three men he had never met before? How come a friendly meeting got so out of hand?  If it was a murder that had been planned in advance, why had they spent the whole day there? Why hadn ’ t they of just waited for him to be executed under the charges of atheism?  If there wasn ’ t some kind of conspiracy, how come the Coroner of the Queen's Household, William Danby, just happen to be staying nearby and decided to officiate, with no outside help?  How come Frizer happened to be under the service of Thomas Walsingham, a close friend of Marlowe ’ s, at the time this took place? How come Robert Poley was under “ Her Majesty ’ s Service ” ? Marlowe’s Murder

The answer ? One theory is that he didn ’ t even die at all! With the help of his powerful friends he staged his own death and fled the country to escape execution. To make money he continued writing plays under the name … William Shakespeare! Evidence suggests that the real Shakespeare was an illiterate businessman!

Ben Jonson was born into a poor and unhappy family. He was first recognised as a writer with his play Every Man In His Humour. This play painted a brilliant picture of Elizabethan life. Ben Jonson was thrown into prison several times, for his political writings and also for killing a man in a duel. Other famous plays were Every Man Out Of His Humour, and Jonson’s masterpiece, Volpone. Ben Jonson 1573 – 1637

Thomas Kyd 1558 – 1594 Kyd was well educated and shared a room with the other famous Elizabethan writer Marlowe. Kyd's play, The Spanish Tragedy (1589), was the most popular and influential tragedy of Elizabethan times. In 1593, he was arrested on the charge of heresy. He was eventually released but died in poverty and disgrace.

The Performances The theatres often had mechanisms that allowed “angels” and “gods” to be lowered down onto the stage. Stages were also equipped with a trapdoor leading to a “Hell” beneath the stage. The trapdoor was also used as a grave in theatrical funerals. There was very little scenery available for theatres, so the writers often used to dialogue to explain to the audience where the scene was taking place. Costume was very important in Elizabethan theatre. Actors wore colourful and elaborate costumes that would tell the audience the characters status, family ties or profession. The emphasis that was given to a character’s clothing made the theme of disguise a common convention of Elizabethan theatre. In order to exchange places with another character or conceal his identity, all an actor needed to do was to change his costume. The Elizabethan theatre also used a variety of sound effects. Music played an important role in the setting the mood of the plays. Other sounds created were thunder, running horses, falling rain, and cannon blasts.

Elizabethan Theatre William Shakespeare

Born April 1564 Stratford-upon-Avon

Shakespeare legends Colorful, sentimental tales Delivered rousing speeches while helping his father butcher animals Left Stratford a fugitive after being caught poaching deer Got his start in the London theatre by taking care of gentlemen’s horses who arrived at performances (kind of parking attendant)

What we do know about W.S. A glover’s son from a small town in Warwickshire goes to London in his young manhood (see Russell Fraser’s Young Shakespeare) Finds his way into the theatrical world by acting and writing, and producing the plays and poems that have captured the imagination of the world

Early life Born to Mary and John Shakespeare in April 1654 The 3 rd of 8 kids first son Baptized on April 26 - probably born April 23 Baptismal record

Latin phrase: Gulielmus filius Johannes Shakspere [William son of John Shakspere] “xxx” was added later to designate the famous name Shakespeare’s Baptismal Record

Shakespeare’s parents John married Mary Arden and became a prominent citizen of Stratford Became a glover - treated animal hides and made soft leather goods - belts, gloves, purses Involved in town government - ale taster, constable, bailiff (like a mayor) John’s fortunes declined when William was 12

Marriage to Anne Hathaway November 1582: 18 year old groom marries Anne, 8 years older and 3 months pregnant May 1583: Daughter Susanna was christened. 1585: Twins Hamnet and Judith Record is silent for seven years, from age 22 to 29, when Shakespeare surfaces in London

London: The first decade Thomas Nashe Mentions the spectacular success of the Henry VI plays Publication of Venus and Adonis (1593) Dedicated to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd earl of Southampton (young man of the Sonnets?) Plague in London - December 1592/May Closing of theaters

The Sonnets 154 sonnets written in the 1590s Two parts: (young man); (“Dark Lady”) Speculation about Shakespeare’s sexuality

Return to the theater Joined Richard Burbage and 6 other players to form the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Acted in the Theatre, just north of the city walls - lease expires, and Globe is built 1594: Titus Andronicus

London: Maturity 1590s: comedies and histories 1600s - Shakespeare changed artistic direction - the great tragic phase: Julius Caesar, Hamlet (1599) > Macbeth (1606) All’s Well That Ends Well (1603), Measure for Measure (1604) - “problem” plays

Shift in direction - possible reasons Psychological: Personal crisis brought on by death of son Hamnet and father John Practical: Tragedies brought in greater crowds and higher profits Formal: Tired of writing the plays he had written in the 90s, he experimented Literary: Tragedy was superior to other modes Cultural: Darkening vision - increasing pessimism about politics, economics, social structure

Shakespeare’s triumph Principal player, producer, and shareholder in the King’s Men Unofficial court dramatist - produced Measure for Measure, Othello, and King Lear for King James I Blackfriars - the indoor theater - night performances for a more exclusive audience Reduced output (one play per year) - Shakespeare and his company dominated

Retirement Back to Stratford Prosperous landowner and citizen March 1616: altered his will April 23, 1616: Shakespeare dies Shakespeare’s tombstone

Who is the real Shakespeare? Principal Nominees Christopher Marlowe Queen Elizabeth Francis Bacon Edward de Vere, earl of Oxford

Why not Shakespeare? Education - Shakespeare was lacking in a university education, but was really illiterate Class - No one from the lower middle class - and the country - could have produced the works that are considered the pinnacle of world literary achievement

The case for Bacon and de Vere Bacon: 19th century favorite replaced by Edward de Vere ( ) Knew the court intimately Such an insider could not take credit openly for plays dealing with sensitive issues as the abuse of royal power, political hypocrisy, courtly vanity, monarchical madness, and regicide - therefore the “plot” to hide de Vere

The dramatist’s “real” identity hidden in Shakespeare’s tombstone

What really matters? Not the biography, not the author But the plays It matters less who wrote the plays than that they were written and that we continue to admire and enjoy them

The Plays Comedy Tragedy Histories

Comedies The Taming of the Shrew Much Ado About Nothing As You Like I Twelfth Night Midsummer Night’s Dream

Tragedies Hamlet Romeo and Juliet Othello King Lear Macbeth

Histories King Henry IV, Part I King Henry IV, Part II King Henry V King Henry VI, Part I King Henry VI, Part II King Henry VI, Part III King Henry VIII King Richard II King Richard III The Reign of King Edward the Third

The Globe Theater 1599 Burned in 1613

The New Globe Theater 1999

Elizabethan Theatre: The Globe

Shakespeare Today Elizabethan theatre is still plays a part in our day to day lives, mostly through the influence of Shakespeare. You can find references to his work in films, novels, plays, musicals, songs, poetry, artwork, satire…Even today his characters and storylines continue to inspire…

Shakespeare in Language Elizabethan theatre has had a very important effect on theatre today, and other parts of every day life. For example: Shakespeare coined over 1600 words still used today including countless, critical, excellent, lonely, majestic, obscene and its. Names coined by Shakespeare: - Imogen in the play Cymbaline, - Jessica in the play The Merchant of Venice - Miranda in the play The Tempest - Olivia in the play Twelfth Night - Cordelia in the play King Lear

And lastly… “If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", if your lost property has vanished into thin air, if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, laughed yourself into stitches, if you have too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare!”

The End