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The Elizabethan

THEATRE

INTRODUCTION

During the Elizabethan age there was the birth of a theatrical production accessible to everyone. Numerous styles and elements converge in the Elizabethan theater from classical authors, such as Seneca to the religious theatrical tradition and the popular shows. Everyone from Queen Elizabeth to

the aristocracy to the lowliest commoner

attended the plays.

ORIGINS

In the Middle Ages, religious festivals were not only acts of worship, they were also opportunities for entertainment.

During the great Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter, the most important events of the Old and New Testaments were represented in form of dialogues sung between a priest and the choir.

13th CENTURY

Mystery, miracle and morality plays

The mystery plays dealt events in the Bible, while the miracle plays dealt the lives of the saints. Instead with the morality plays the teaching of the Bible could be conveyed to a mostly illiterate audience, the characters were usually symbols of fixed values and ideas, such as vices and virtues. Various companies acted oudoors on mavable stage called pageants that were drawn by horses and stopped at prearranged places in town.

The themes of the Elizabethan Theatre derive also from the shows hold by the companies and religious stories, like mistery, miracle and morality plays

TUDORS' SYSTEM OF ORDER AND BELIEFS

The chain of being

Also the system of order of universe that the Tudors inherited from the medieval worldview influence the nature of the ELizabethan Theatre. They picture the universal order in two main forms

THE FIRST MAIN FORM

The chain

The chain of being was a hierarchical structure of all matter and life

The chain starts with God and

progresses downward to angels, humans, animals, plants, and minerals.

Man had a dual nature of matter and spirit and had the unique function of binding all creations together, being possesing free will.

The Elizabethans were interested in

human nature, especially in the

conflict between the passion and the reason.

Cosmic Dance

The cosmic dance was linked to the notion that it created universe was itself in a state of music of perpetual dance and governed by divine. Moreover from the medieval mind, the idea of fixed destiny and the benign or malign influence of stars and planets

THE SECOND MAIN FORM

MACHIAVELLI AND THE ITALIAN COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE

Italian influnces

Some Italian artists have had a great influence on the English Renaissance and beyond. One of them is Niccolo Machiavelli with his work "The Principe". "The Principe" is about the acquisition, use and retention of power and introduces the idea of ​​"the ends justify the means". Machiavelli's influence is evident in Elizabethan drama and in the characters of Shakespeare.

ANOTHER ITALIAN INFLUECE

The Commedia dell'Arte

The Commedia dell'Arte is a theatrical style born in Italy at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The first novelty was that the plays were performed by professional actors, gathered in companies with musicians and acrobats who earned from the public who paid to attend. Whose style derives from the theatrical tradition of Plautus, for example the introduction of fixed characters so each actor had only one character. Moreover the actors acted without a script.

SENECA INFLUENCE

The spirit of the Renaissance brought interest in the classics, Latin and Greek. The influence on the theater was inevitable. Seneca was the most important figure in the tragedy. He followed the model of the Greek drama, and divided the play into five acts. With his works he introduced the theme of revenge to replace the religious one. Her characters were characterized by atrocities and crimes, and persecutions, which were shown on stage. Seneca's works spread strongly in England.

Greek and Latin influences

THE THEATRE AND THE GLOBE

The first permanent theatre was erected in 1576 by James Burbage in Shoreditch, just outside the city of London and called "The Theatre". The theatre were usually circular or polygonal. The most famous theatre was "The Globe" that was shakespeare's theater and was located on the south bank of the Thames. It was built in green oak, with a circular footprint like a giant letter o. In 1613 the original Globe burnt down and was rebuilt before Shakespeare's death.

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1668637583606808578

AUDIENCE

The audience of the Elizabethan theatre was called groundling, is a term coined by Shakespeare in reference to the audience resemblance to gape-mouthed fish.

Performances were attended by men and women, but women often wore a mask to hide their identity.

Spectators could interact with the actors, comment aloud on the actions in the scene, and receive responses, were allowed to applaud the heroes, and boo the villains.

ACTORS AND COMPANIES

The actors were assembled in companies, constantly fighting each other and all led by a chief playwright. The actors of the companies attended the performances of rival companies, trying to find material, sometimes entire plays.

Often the actors who played supporting roles were changed from time to time.

Also, actors could secure the freedom of their profession by "working" under the protection of a nobleman. Each comedy had to meet different tastes.

WOMEN IN THE THEATRE

The role of Women

As for the female role in the theatre, women were not allowed to act. The women's parts were assigned to men. In

In ancient Rome, however, women also acted.

Then in the Middle Ages the theater was banned by the Church and the only ones spared were religious dramas, and the right to act was taken away from women.

Things begin to change in the Elizabethan period in which women also began to become protagonists in some plays such as Romeo and Juliet.

The theater has had many forms of censorship. One of these is taking away the opportunity for women to act. They did not give up, however, and carried on, some probably posing as men, others before an audience in their private living rooms.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MODERN AND E. THEATRE

The Elizabethan theater was built outdoors while today's theaters are indoors, except for a few types.

Furthermore, the Elizabethan theater was cheaper than today's theater and was built of wood.

The shows took place in the afternoon when there was as much natural light as possible.

Furthermore, the stage costumes were often off topic with respect to the historical period of the scene and the same actor played several roles, modifying small parts of the costume. The curtain was also missing and the end of the show was communicated with the exit of all the characters.

QUIZ

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