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Elizabethan Theater
By Paolo B.
Terminology
• The term “Elizabethan
theatre” covers only the
plays written and
performed publicly in
England during the reign
of Queen Elizabeth.
"Elizabethan theatre" is
distinguished from
Jacobean theatre which
was associated with the
reign of King James I, and
Caroline theatre which was
associated with King
Charles I.
Background
• Renaissance theatre was
separated by several
medieval theatre
traditions, such as the
mystery plays that formed
a part of religious festivals
in England and other parts
of Europe during the
Middle Ages. The mystery
plays were complex
stories of legends based on
biblical themes, originally
performed in churches.
Theatres
• The establishment of large
and profitable public
theatres was an essential
factor in the success of
English Renaissance
drama.
• -Curtain Theatre(1577)
The Rose (1587), the
Swan (1595), the Globe
(1599), the Fortune(1600),
and the Red Bull (1604).
Performances
• The acting companies
functioned on a repertory
system, unlike modern
productions that can run
for months or years on
end, the troupes of this era
rarely acted the same play
two days in a row.
Costumes
• Since Elizabethan theatre
did not make use of lavish
scenery, instead leaving
the stage largely bare with
a few key props, the main
visual appeal on stage was
in the costumes. Costumes
were often bright in color
and visually attractive but
were expensive.
Playwrights
• The growing population of
London, the growing
wealth of its people, and
their fondness for
spectacle produced a
dramatic literature of
remarkable variety,
quality, and extent.
Although most of the
plays written for the
Elizabethan stage have
been lost, over 600
remain.
Genres
• Genres of the period
included the history
play, which depicted
English or European
history. Shakespeare’s
plays about the lives
of kings, such as
Richard III and Henry
V, belong to this
category.
Printed texts
• A little over 600 plays
were published in the
period as a whole, most
commonly in individual
quarter editions. Through
much of the modern era, it
was thought that play texts
were popular items among
Renaissance readers that
provided healthy profits
for the stationers who
printed and sold them.
End of Renaissance theatre
• The rising Puritan
movement was hostile
toward theater, as they felt
that "entertainment" was
sinful. Politically,
playwrights and actors
were clients of the
monarchy and aristocracy,
and most supported the
Royalist cause.
The end!