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Theatre History Survey II quiz 3
France
1. In 1548, the Parlement de Paris issued a decree banning what types of plays within the city
of Paris? __________________________________________________________________________________
2. -- This created a situation in which the most influential agents of the new humanist
theatre being created in Paris were not from the professional theatre, but rather, whom?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. -- This group of intellectuals called themselves the Pléiades, whose leader
__________________________________________________________________ had written a manifesto,
called ___________________________________________________________________________ in 1549.
4. How many acts were there in the neo-classic French tragedy? _____________________________
5. Neo-classical tragedy generally consisted of
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
rather than the acting out of tragic events.
6. Comic drama of the Renaissance was much livelier, borrowing heavily from
________________________________________________, __________________________________________,
and ________________________________________________________ for its characters and plots.
7. There is little evidence that these early examples of French Renaissance theatrical
literature were ever performed in professional theatres. Where were they performed?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
8. When did actresses begin to be seen on the professional stage in France? _________________
9. Name the Cardinal who founded the French Academy in 1635 and created a ‘company of
five authors’ who included Corneille. ______________________________________________________
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10. – this same Cardinal privately built the first purpose-built theatre in France, which was
inaugurated in the year _________________________ and was briefly called the Palais-Cardinal
but eventually was called______________________________________________________________.
11. – This was the theatre which was to become the home of the troupe of arguably France’s
most famous playwright, _______________________________________________________________.
12. What space was first converted for use as a theatre space in France?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
13. With a new writing style came new staging methods. The multiple set bequeathed from
the medieval theatre was replaced by __________________________________________________.
14. What textual format, established by Corneille, was to be the vehicle used by Molière for
his masterpieces? _________________________________________________________________________
15. What was Molière’s birth name? _________________________________________________________
16. Two of Molière’s plays received heavy criticism from the Church, one even being banned
for 5 years. Name them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
⌂ Paragraph answer:
There was a public controversy over Corneille’s play Le Cid, at which time the Cardinal
intervened in a decisive way by deferring to the judgment of the Academy. Discuss these
events, the elements of the play which caused the controversy, and the precedent that was
set by the Cardinal’s actions.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Due to the theatre in Paris being overtaken by dilettantes, the professional theatre there
was at a low ebb in the mid-16th Century. There was only one professional theatre,
operated by the Confraternity of the Passion, even though they were no longer allowed to
perform religious plays. What was the situation for professional actors outside of Paris?
And when did the professional theatre in Paris come back to life?
England
1. Two famous English clowns, Will Somers and Richard Tarleton, had two distinct physical
traits in common. What were they?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. Throughout the 16th Century, tensions were taut between the most powerful English
families, and having large households of servants was a show of strength. How did this
situation benefit actors? ________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
3. English players were, perhaps surprisingly since the English stage is so literary, very popular
all throughout the European countries where they toured at faires and festivals, often
winning the favour and patronage of a foreign prince or other nobles. What were the
characteristics of their playing that made them so popular even when their speech was
unintelligible? ___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What play, performed all over Europe by Papal Decree, was quickly phased out in England
after a post-Reformation attack on the Catholic calendar? _______________________________
5. The first purpose-built theatre building in England was ventured by a 26 year old grocer
named John Brayne in 1566-7. What was it called? ______________________________________
6. – who was his partner in the venture? _____________________________________________________
7. What buildings were put to use as theatre spaces before the purpose-built stages?
_________________________________________________________________________________________
8. – what about these existing buildings made it possible for troupes to avoid trouble with
the authorities? ________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
9. By 1578 there were 8 professional playhouses in London, each showing 6 plays per week,
and if a play ran for 6 performances it was a phenomenal success. What defining quality of
the Elizabethan theatre came about due to this circumstance?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
10. Marlowe used his role as an actor to serve another, more lucrative, purpose under the Earl
of Walsingham. What was it? _____________________________________________________________
11. Considered by some to be Marlowe’s greatest play, mounted by the Admiral’s Men in
1587 at the height of the tensions created by the building up of the Spanish Armada, had it
been considered allegorical, Marlowe would have been executed for treason. Name it.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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12. – the actor playing the lead role is said to have advanced the art of acting. Who was he?
___________________________________________________________________________________________
13. – What was the name of the acting troupe Marlowe primarily wrote for, and what was the
name of their theatre? __________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
14. – because he went unpunished, and because he perceived power-struggles within and
amongst the Courts of Europe in terms of choreography and rhetoric, he set the standard
for 50 years of _________________________________________________________________________.
15. In 1594, a young player named William Shakespeare was invited to join a new troupe
which was being established as a joint-stock company, the first of its kind. Who was their
patron (and the name of the company)? ___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
16. Whereas Marlowe had written plays to feature the amazing voice of a great leading
actor, Shakespeare tended to write for ___________________________________________________.
17. What do we call the very bawdy short play written to feature the company clowns that
was generally presented as an after piece? ________________________________________________
18. – and what are the key features of this mini-theatrical? __________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
19. What major event occurred in 1603? _____________________________________________________
20. – and how did this affect the company of actors working at the Globe?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
21. As the popular theatre declined, Ben Jonson became famous for the elaborate court
entertainments he created which were called ____________________________________________ .
22. – The ______________________________________of the courtiers and court ladies participating
was revealed in the importance of the roles of mythological characters they portrayed.
23. Name the indoor playhouse Shakespeare’s company took over the lease of in 1608.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
24. – what effect did this decision have on future English theatres? _________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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25. With a Catholic King on the English throne, Middleton and many militant Protestants
feared that the work of the Reformation would be undone if Prince Charles were allowed
to wed which European princess? ________________________________________________________
⌂ Paragraph answer:
The household troupes of the early 16th Century were the obvious precursors of the
professional companies that produced talents such as Shakespeare and Marlowe. What
peculiarities of the household entertainments enabled the players to develop the
flexibility and versatility the professional English troupes were known for?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Hostility towards troupes of travelling players was codified in the 1572 Act for the
Punishment of Vagabonds. Ironically, this legal pressure accelerated the transformation of
household players into professional troupes. Discuss.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
In 1599, the Chamberlain’s Men lost the lease they had at the Theatre in Shoreditch, which
prompted them to an amazing feat of architectural skill and daring. What was it?
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Chicken and egg: which comes first, great acting or great writing? Shakespeare’s
responsiveness to the demands of the ensemble was matched by the maturing talent of
Richard Burbage, four years his junior. We cannot say whether Shakespeare exploited or
formed in Burbage the ability to make the vocal leaps from the colloquial (‘Pray you, undo
this button’) to the operatic (‘Blow winds, and crack your cheeks’), but we can say the
whole course of Elizabethan drama was affected by it. Discuss.
⌂ Paragraph answer:
Elizabethan actors were occupationally associated with two Renaissance obsessions:
change and changeability; and the world as a stage. As ‘characters’ became increasingly
singular, actors came even more under attack by many who believed the very act of
‘impersonation’ was not just against the laws of men , but also scripturally forbidden. The
actor was both an image of deceit and the exposer of deceit in the world. Discuss.
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