1. Elizabethan Theater E E

2. The Elizabethan Era Queen Elizabeth I embodied power and beauty
It was an extravagant and brutal age
The first theaters in England appeared
William Shakespeare

3. Drama in the Elizabethan Age
- After defeating the Spanish
Armada, England became intensely
Interested in the past.
Playwrights were practical men
bent on making a living
Once a playwright sold his manuscript, he had no personal
right to it
Plays were written to be acted ,
not read

4. Playhouses Private – small, roofed buildings for the wealthy people
Public – usually the backyards of inns
Famous theaters – the Rose, the Swan, the Globe, and the Fortune

5. Structure Public theaters were either a round, square, or octagonal
wooden structure which
consisted of:
unroofed courtyard
roofed galleries
platform stage
tiring-house
curtained discovery space
hut
trapdoor

6. Seating Determined by the wealth and the social status of the people.
The wealthiest people took the best seats

7. Dialogue The playwright used poetic dialogue to:
paint a picture of the scene
establish the time and the place of
the action
familiarize the audience both with
the characters’ identities and their
physical appearances
Soliloquies and asides were also
used to compensate for the absence
of an elaborate stage.

8. Time of the action Physical appearance Picture of the setting
Why should I war without the walls of Troy
That find such cruel battle here within?
Troilus and Cressida
Time of the action
Look Hector, how the Sun begins to set;
How ugly the night comes breathing at his heels,
Even with the veil and darking of the Sun,
To close the day up, Hector’s life is done.
Physical appearance
O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
Romeo and Juliet

9. Costumes Elaborate and colorful costumes
Communicate the message of the character, show his/her social status, profession

10. Acting Companies
Before the theaters were built performances were put on by traveling troupes
They had the reputation of being vagabonds
Many people gathered and sometimes behaved disorderly

11. Actors The typical Elizabethan acting company comprised of:
shareholders
salaried actors
apprentices
Actors were expected to be able to:
sing
clown
fence
perform acrobatic feats
dance

12. The Globe Theater Built in 1599 by Cuthbert Burbage
Shakespeare put on most of his plays in there and acted in some of them
In 1642 the theater was completely destroyed

13. Sources http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-age.htm

14. Thank you for your attention!
Presenters:
Dessislava Georgieva
Aneliya Stoyanova