Age Of Shakespeare ( Drama ) Flashcards
The Elizabethen romantic drama.
The quarter-century following Gorboduc was a period of great confusion in the English drama. WHY?
On one hand were scholars who wanted to adapt Classic or Senecan play of which Sackville and Nortons tragedy( Gorboduc) is an example. Humanists like Sidney also believed in classic models.
On the other hand were those who catered to the miscellaneous public who cared little for the finer details of art.
They made a lot of experiments, all of them very crude and different, evolved from the older English stage.
What triumphed in drama the national or classical taste?
National
Just before Shakespeare began his playwright career, what form of drama was established
Romantic drama
How was the romantic drama established?
Work of Shakespeare’s close predecessors , a group of University men who has been trained about classical drama, BUT while profiting from their lessons also carried forward the tradition of the popular stage instead.
Classical drama three unities(1) It adhered rigorously to unity of subject and tone.
So what happened?
Spheres of tragedy and comedy were entirely seperate.
Classical drama three unities (2) There was little or no dramatic action. Meaning?
Incidents of the plot took place off stage and are reported to audience through dialogue and narrative
Classical drama 3 unities (3) The three unities of time, place and action controlled the construction. Meaning? Give 3 implications
a) entire story of play is in a single day
b) in a single scene
c) single story without minor subplots
From where were the 3 unities derived?
From Attic writers of tragedy and teachings of Greek critic Aristotle ; coming into modern drama through plays of Latin Seneca
Shakespearean/ romantic drama principles are opposed to classical principles. What are the principles?
(1)has variety in theme, blending tragedy and comedy
(2) Is essentially a drama of action, with everything happening on stage
(3) The three unities are flouted. A) story extends over long periods of time B) Changing scene places often C) Employing subplots connected to main subject
Shakespeares predecessors.
They paved his way. They are commonly known as?
University Wits
Name the 7 University Wits
1) John Lyly
2) Thomas Kyd
3) George Peele
4) Thomas Lodge
5) Thomas Nash
6) Robert Greene
7) Christopher Marlowe
Who was the University wit who didn’t actually study at university but writes in the same style?
Thomas Kyd
Which of the university wits has special place in literary history and the influence they had on Shakespeare?
Lyly and Marlowe
Lyly wrote how many comedies ?
8
Which are Lylys best comedies? All written for performance at court.
Campaspe, Endymion, Gallathea
Interest in Lylys comedies does not depend on plot but? At a time when the public stage ran into coarse humours, Lyly gave comedy an intellectual tone.
Wit, ingenuity and grace of dialogue
Lylys skill in _ anticipated Shakespeare.
Repartee, puns, conceits
Which of Shakespeare’s early comedies owe much to Lyly? How?
Loves Labours Lost
Midsummer Night’s Dream
- both combine a courtly main plot with episodes of rustic and clownish fooling.
Give some background of Marlowes life and personality.
A man of fiery imagination who lived a wild Bohemian life and killed in a drunken brawl while young.
He was more of a lyric poet than a dramatist.
Despite the extravagance by which these plays of Marlowes are frequently marred, they give him a pre-eminent place among Shakespearen playwrights. Name the plays
Tamburlaine the Great, Dr Faustus, The Jew Of Malta, Edward II
What did Marlowe achieve or innovate in his plays?
He fixed the type of tragedy and chronicle play for his successors.
He introduced blank verse ( before confined to classical plays and private plays) into public stage and romantic drama.
What is the evidence that Shakespeare was profoundly influenced by Marlowe?
His early blank verse is fashioned on Marlowes. His ( Venus and Adonis) is partly inspired by ( Hero and Leander).
His ( Richard 2) and (Richard 3) are based on model of chronicle play provided in ( Edward 2).
Even in ( The Merchant of Venice) there are details enough to show he wrote with ( The Jew of Malta ) in mind.
Shakespeare’s life.
Born when and where?
23 April 1564 at Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Who was Shakespeares father?
Son of a prosperous tradesman who later became Mayor
Talk about Shakespeare’s few years at school.
Like other Stratford boys, he went to the local Grammar school and was taught Latin and arithmetic
What happened when Shakespeares family faces financial troubles?
When he was 14 he was taken from school to help the family earn money
When he was 19 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, a woman who was senior to him and whose father was a yeoman.
How was their marriage? Who were his children?
Hasty and unhappy. Three children Susannah, Judith and Hamnet were born to him.
What is the story about Shakespeares reason to come to London in 1587?
He fell into bad company and a deer stealing escapade at Charlecote Hall obliged him to go from home. This may or may not be true.
What was popular in London 1587?
Drama was gaining in popularity through work of University Wits
Shakespeare’s jobs in London?
He took to the stage and became an actor then a playwright+actor. A bad reference from Robert Greene shows that in late 16th C Shakespeare was well known as a successful author.
Shakespeare remained in London for many years. He produced on average a couple plays a year. How was prosperity brought to him?
He became a shareholder of two of the leading theatres the Globe and Blackfriars.
Purchased property in Stratford and London
What were Shakespeares domestic sorrows that was simultaneous with his prosperity?
His son, father, younger brother and mother died in a couple of years.
Where did Shakespeare retire ?
In Stratford where he bought the largest house ‘ New Place’
Shakespeare’s daughters did what?
By the time of his retirement, his elder daughter married Dr. John Hall who was later celebrated as a physician. His younger daughter married Thomas Quiney whose father had been one of Shakespeare’s closest friends.
When did Shakespeare die?
23 April 1616
Who was a practical man of affairs like Chaucer? He reached London poor and left it rich and respected.
Shakespeare
Some characteristics of Shakespeare’s writings which reflect his biography?
Great imagination is combined with a feeling for reality, common sense and a varied familiarity with the world.
His learning is not of the scholar but a wide miscellaneous learning. At a time when all learning was saturated with the classicism of the Renaissance. The atmosphere around him was intellectual.
Translations gave him easy access to ancient literatures treasures.
Shakespeare’s works.
How many?
37 plays BUT authenticity of several are doubtful.
In some cases he just retouched older material.
