1. Pre- Shakespeare Plays Drama & Theatre

2. 1200s: Drama=Liturgy (in church)  Latin  Biblical  Short  Sung in chants  Theatre as prayer  Latin  Biblical  Short  Sung in chants  Theatre as prayer

3. 1400s: Miracle & “Mystery” Plays = a play of the miracle in the life of Jesus i.e. The Second Shepherd’s Play  Drama as pageant  Local vernacular (Latin to English)  Pedagogical tools, like sermons  Lively and engaging  Performed by Guilds: trade groups (cf Midsummer Night’s Dream) = a play of the miracle in the life of Jesus i.e. The Second Shepherd’s Play  Drama as pageant  Local vernacular (Latin to English)  Pedagogical tools, like sermons  Lively and engaging  Performed by Guilds: trade groups (cf Midsummer Night’s Dream)

4. Mystery Plays, cont’d  Religious, serious  Dialogue  Chauvenistic  Pageant: songs, music=spectacle  Comic: farcical/burlesque  “realistic”  Feast Day celebrations

5. Cycles: a series of plays Present all of Sacred History  Creation of world to End of Time  Emphasis on human history:  Fall of mankind  Consequences of the fall  Original Sin redeemed  Nativity  Incarnation  Passion of Christ

6. 1500s: Luther’s Time Drama = Sermon  Staged debate  Static  Humorless  Moralistic  Very serious

7. Morality Plays  Use of allegory, even in names  Everyman  Good Deeds  Death  Knowledge  Laid the groundwork for later plays

8. Also Interludes  Dialogue between two or more persons  Performed during a break in a royal or noble banquet  Began as shorter morality plays, became increasingly secular and comedic

9. 1600s: Shakespeare’s Time  Begins 1576 “The Theatre”  Drama = Spectacle, Anything Goes, BIG  Longer plays  More characters  Longer time span  Does not follow the unities  Time  Place  Action

10. Historical Context England demonstrates political and naval strength  Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1587  Defeats Spanish Armada, 1588

11. UNIVERSITY WITS  University grads in 20s and 30s  Greatest: Christopher Marlowe “Kit”  1564-1593 (@29)  Younger than Shakespeare with R&J  “Dr. Faustus”

12. ELIZABETHAN DRAMA Defining Characteristic: Tragic Hero Tragedy:  Universal pattern of divine and human justice  Tragedy teaches  Affirmation of God’s goodness and  His power to punish the wicked and avenge the righteous  Tragic conflict caused by human forces  Emphasis on moral responsibility

13. MAJOR THEMES in Elizabeth Drama  Good opposing evil  Fall of the hero and rise of the villain  Revenge and counter-revenge  Comic intrigue