The Age of Elizabeth-Drama

 The Age of Elizabeth-Drama 

This blog is part of assignment of Paper 105: History of English Literature – From 1350 to 1900

Unit 1: Chaucer to Renaissance 

Table of content:

Abstract 

Introduction 

Keywords 

Brief History 

Venues of the Elizabethan Drama 

Genres of the Elizabethan Drama 

Famous play Wrights 

Staging of Shows 

The legacy of Elizabethan Drama 

The last Renaissance dramatists 

Personal information: 

Name : Vala Nikita 

Batch : M.A Sem -1 (2024-2026) 

Enrollment Number: 5108240038

E-mail Address : nikitavala2811@gmail.com 

Roll no. 18 

Assignment Details :

Topic :  The Age of Elizabeth-Drama 

Paper and subject code : Paper 105: History of English Literature – From 1350 to 1900

Submitted to : Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardy, Department of English, MKBU , Bhavnagar 

Date of submission : 20 November, 2024 

• Abstract: 

The Elizabethan Era was a golden age of English drama during Queen Elizabeth I's reign. It saw the rise of influential playwrights like William Shakespeare, who, along with others, introduced genres such as tragedy, comedy, and history plays. Elizabethan drama explored themes of power, love, betrayal, and the supernatural, often using rich poetic language like blank verse. Theatres like the Globe were central to the era, attracting diverse audiences with performances that relied on simple staging and elaborate costumes. This period left a lasting legacy, with many works still performed and studied today for their timeless exploration of human nature

• Introduction: 

The Elizabethan Era, spanning from 1558 to 1603 under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, is widely regarded as a golden age in English history, particularly for its contributions to literature and drama. This period marked a cultural flourishing, with theatre becoming a central form of entertainment and a reflection of the society's values, concerns, and aspirations. It was an age of exploration, political stability, and artistic innovation, where England saw the emergence of a national identity, partially driven by a thriving theatrical culture.

Elizabethan drama revolutionized the English stage with its innovative storytelling, complex characters, and diverse themes. Playwrights like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Ben Jonson redefined the possibilities of drama, creating enduring works that continue to captivate audiences worldwide. The plays of this era introduced new genres, including tragedies that delved into human flaws and fate, comedies that celebrated love and wit, and historical plays that examined the nature of power and leadership.

The popularity of theatre during the Elizabethan Era was not limited to the elite; it attracted a wide audience from all social classes, making it a vibrant public experience. The simplicity of stage settings was balanced by elaborate costumes and the powerful use of language, relying heavily on the audience's imagination. This period set the stage for modern drama, establishing a legacy that would influence English literature and global theatre for centuries to come.

• keywords :

Elizabethan Era, William Shakespeare, Tragedy, Comedy, The Globe Theatre, Blank Verse, Playwrights  ,Human Nature, Supernatural,Renaissance.

• Brief History

Elizabethan Drama is a general term used to refer to plays that took place during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the 1st.

Elizabethan Drama took place between 1558 and 1603 (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

During this era, drama majored on civil wars and successions.

Elizabethan Drama was divided into three eras, namely: Elizabethan Theater-1562 to 1625,Jacobean Theater-1603 to 1625 and Caroline Theater-1625 to 1652 (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

Between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the English drama flourished in London. Also known as the English Renaissance drama, the Elizabethan drama grew between1562 and 1652. Within this period, renowned writer and performer, William Shakespeare had begun his legendary works. The drama within this era was mainly based on civil wars as well as Kingdom succession. The Elizabethan drama era was characterized by three phases which were named after monarchs of the time (Barton & McGregor, 2011). They included: Elizabethan Theater which took place between 1562 and 1603, the Jacobean Theater that took place between 1603 and 1652; and the Caroline Theater extends that took place between 1625 and 1642. The Elizabethan drama ended in 1652 after the plays were banned by the Puritanical parliament.

• Venues of the Elizabethan Drama

Elizabethan drama of the early times was performed in temporary theaters.

Red Lion was the first permanent theater.

Red Lion was opened in 1567 (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

Theatre in Shoreditch was established in 1576 after the failure of the Red Lion.

Permanent theaters were located outside the cities.

They did not have rooftops.

The early Elizabethan dramas were not performed in permanent theaters. In most cases, traveling troupes performed these plays in the courtyards. The Red Lion was the first permanent theater that was opened in the year 1567 (Barton & McGregor, 2011). Due to its remote location, the Red Lion was not successful in yielding result. Since Theatre in Shoreditch was established at an ideal location, it became successful. The newly established theater hosted a more permanent basis for actors. Mainly because of the government regulations at that time, these permanent theaters were located outside the cities. Among other permanent theaters that followed included; The Globe, The swan, The Red Bull, The Rose and The Fortune. These permanent structures had an open space at the center and an extended stage which had three sides open for the audience. They did not have roofs. The permanent theaters offered most of London’s population the opportunity to see these plays.

• Genres of the Elizabethan Drama

There were three main genres: comedy, tragedy and History.

Comedies includes Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Much about nothing” and Ben Jonson’s “Every Man in his Humor” (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

Tragedy drama included Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus,” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

 

Historical drama focused on European and English history. They include William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” and Christopher Marlowe’s “Edward II”.

The Elizabethan drama was characterized by three main genres. These genres included history, tragedy and comedy. These genres can inappropriately be categorized as everybody knows how the play ends, everyone in the play dies and everybody gets married at the end, respectively. As far as these genres are concerned, in tragedies, misfortunes took place because of characters choices and flaws. Examples of the tragedy dramas include Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus,” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” (Barton & McGregor, 2011). The historical dramas focused on European and English history. They include William Shakespeare’s “Richard III” and Christopher Marlowe’s “Edward II”. Another historical play recorded during the Elizabethan drama is the life of Julius Caesar that inspired Shakespeare works. Shakespeare was well known in comedies. His well-known plays are “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Much about nothing”. Other comedies include Ben Jonson’s “Every Man in his Humor”.

• Famous Playwrights

Shakespeare is the most renowned playwright of the Elizabethan drama era.

Other famous playwrights include Thomas Heywood, Thomas Kyd, John Webster, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Middleton (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

During this period, writing was for entertainment.

Works were not published or publicized.

Theater rights belonged to the company.

World’s renowned playwright of all times, William Shakespeare is considered to be the master of playwrights of the Elizabethan drama era. On the other hand, there are other significant play writers who made an impact during this period. Known as Shakespeare’s contemporary, these play writers include Thomas Heywood, Thomas Kyd, John Webster, Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Middleton (Barton & McGregor, 2011). During Elizabethan era, writing was for entertainment . For that reason, works were not published or publicized. The theater rights belonged to the company which paid the playwright.

• Staging of Shows

All shows were characterized by a troupe of performers(Barton & McGregor, 2011).

Women’s roles were played by men.

Men who were given women’s roles looked like maidens.

In Romeo and Juliet, Viola masquerades, a boy, perfectly plays the role of a woman.

Staging of the Elizabethan drama was more different than the contemporary stage. All shows were characterized by a troupe of performers who performed varied shows every night (Barton & McGregor, 2011). These shows were rarely the same twice in one week. Even though they were made in a beautiful manner, they were not specific to the shows. Women’s roles were played by men. Mostly these men were men who look like the female maidens. For example, in Romeo and Juliet, as a boy, Viola masquerades, perfectly plays the role of a woman.

• The legacy of Elizabethan Drama

The Elizabethan drama era facilitated the establishment of the permanent theater.

Restoration of the monarchy (Barton & McGregor, 2011).

Shakespeare’s and Johnson’s works found popularity during this period.

Gave rise to a new generation of performers.

The significance of the Elizabethan error is that it played a major role in redefining drama. The Elizabethan drama era facilitated the establishment of the permanent theater. Also these dramas played a major role in the restoration of the monarchy (Barton & McGregor, 2011). Within this period, a new generation of playwright did not only explore, but also explored the contentious issues effectively during the restoration period. As a result, the works of Johnson and Shakespeare found their popularity. Also, this period gave rise to a new generation of audiences as well as performers.

• The last Renaissance dramatists

Already in the Jacobean period, signs of a politer drama such as would prevail after 1660 were beginning to appear. Simply in terms of productivity and longevity, the most successful Jacobean playwright was John Fletcher, whose ingenious tragicomedies and sometimes bawdy comedies were calculated to attract the applause of the emerging Stuart leisured classes. With plays such as The Faithful Shepherdess (1609 or 1610), Fletcher caught up with the latest in avant-garde Italianate drama, while his most dazzling comedy, The Wild Goose Chase (produced 1621, printed 1652), is a battle of the sexes set among Parisian gallants and their ladies; it anticipates the Restoration comedy of manners. Fletcher’s successor in the reign of Charles I was James Shirley, who showed even greater facility with romantic comedy and the mirroring of fashions and foibles. In The Lady of Pleasure (1635) and Hyde Park (1637), Shirley presented the fashionable world to itself in its favorite haunts and situations.

However, the underlying tensions of the time continued to preoccupy the drama of the other major Caroline playwrights: John Ford, Philip Massinger, and Richard Brome. The plays of Ford, the last major tragic dramatist of the Renaissance, focus on profoundly conservative societies whose values are in crisis. In ’Tis Pity She’s a Whore (1633?), a seemingly typical middle-class family is destroyed by the discovery of incest. In The Broken Heart (1633?), a courtly society collapses under the pressure of hidden political maladies. Massinger, too, wrote some fine tragedies (The Roman Actor, 1626), but his best plays are comedies and tragicomedies preoccupied with political themes, such as The Bondman (1623), which deals with issues of liberty and obedience, and A New Way to Pay Old Debts (performed 1625, printed 1633), which satirizes the behavior and outlook of the provincial gentry. The tradition of subversive domestic satire was carried down to the English Civil Wars in the plays of Brome, whose anarchic and popular comedies, such as The Antipodes (1640) and A Jovial Crew (produced 1641, printed 1652), poke fun at all levels of society and include caustic and occasionally libelous humor. The outbreak of fighting in 1642 forced the playhouses to close, but this was not because the theater had become identified with the court. Rather, a theater of complex political sympathies was still being produced. The crisis in which the playhouses had become embroiled had been the drama’s preoccupation for three generations.

• Conclusion: 

The Elizabethan Era remains one of the most influential periods in the history of English drama. It was a time when theatre evolved from simplistic medieval traditions into a sophisticated art form that explored the depths of human experience. The works of Elizabethan playwrights, especially those of William Shakespeare, have had a profound impact on literature and drama, shaping storytelling techniques and themes that continue to resonate with audiences today. The era's focus on complex characters, poetic language, and diverse genres laid the foundation for modern theatre, showcasing the timeless appeal of exploring human nature, ambition, love, and morality. The enduring legacy of Elizabethan drama is a testament to its power to reflect, challenge, and entertain, making it a cornerstone of Western literary and cultural history.

Words : 2,052

Images: 2 

References: 

“The History of Elizabethan Drama Era - 1009 Words | Presentation Example.” IvyPanda, 26 May 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-history-of-elizabethan-drama-era.

https://www.britannica.com/art/English-literature/Elizabethan-and-early-Stuart-drama