Development Of Drama To 1561

Question 1

Was the first English drama after or before the century of Norman Conquest

Answer 1

After the century of norman conquest

Question 2

Earliest mention of drama in england

Answer 2

Performed in honor of St Katherine at Dunstable in 1110

Question 3

By the time of Norman conquest, a form of __ drama has evolved in &__ and found its way into England

Answer 3

Religious, France

Question 4

The purpose of religious drama was __ and written by ___ authors, the performers were __ and the language used was ___

Answer 4

Didactic, ecclesiastical, priests, latin

Question 5

Which was the first form of drama

Answer 5

Miracle plays

Question 6

As larger crowds came to view the church’s miracle plays, from where to where did they move?

Answer 6

Interior of church to porch, porch to churchyard, left the church and to streets

Question 7

What were the changes observed when religious drama moved to the streets

Answer 7

Laymen began to be performers and first French then English replaced latin

Question 8

Religious drama in england did not reach its height till 14th century. At which time the festival of _ was performed

Answer 8

Corpus Christi

Question 9

Miracle plays were then represented in nearly all great towns in interconnected Cycles. What was other names for these plays

Answer 9

Corpus Christi plays or collective mysteries

Question 10

The miracle plays were divided among Trading Guilds and their performances would occupy several days. Name some trading guilds

Answer 10

Coventry, York, Wakefield , Chester

Question 11

What were the themes and tones of the miracle plays done by trading guilds

Answer 11

Creation of world, fall of man, the flood, issacs sacrifice, Exodus from Egypt, Crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, last judgement

Here and there they touch a tragic note such as in crucifixion scene, ocassionally comic element is there such as in the Shepherd plays

Question 12

These religious performances lasted well into the 16th century and were likely seen by which famous dramatist? How do we know he saw them?

Answer 12

Shakespeare in boyhood- in Hamlet he makes a reference to the braggart King Herod of the miracle plays

Question 13

What came after the miracle play

Answer 13

Morality play

Question 14

Differences and similarities of miracle and morality play

Answer 14

Both are didactic.
Miracle plays characters are taken from religious writing. Morality plays characters are personified abstractions.
Miracle plays had to follow rules of a given religious story. Morality plays were not obliged and had greater freedom in handling the story.

Question 15

The rise of morality play was very natural at a time when __ poetry was popular

Answer 15

Allegorical

Question 16

Name some personified abstractions of Morality plays

Answer 16

Science , Free Will, Lusty Juventus , Good and Bad Angels

Question 17

Who held a prominent position in miracle plays

Answer 17

The devil

Question 18

Who held a prominent position in miracle plays LATER and was the recognised fun maker( forerunner of Elizabethan Clown )

Answer 18

Vice

Question 19

Who did Vice attack in humorous ways to become very popular with the audience

Answer 19

The Devil

Question 20

How was morality play handled in the reformation period? Give example

Answer 20

It was used by both parties for controversy and exposition . Example everyman was written to inculcate catholic values

Question 21

What happened to the morality play finally

Answer 21

As the abstractions came to resemble persons, the morality play passed into comedy

Question 22

What was another development of the morality play

Answer 22

The interlude

Question 23

Give the two meanings for interlude

Answer 23

Many interludes are just modified moralities.
In the more specific sense, interlude means any short satirical drama much less serious than the main morality.

Question 24

The interlude play grew up early in the 16th century. It’s closely associated with the name of

Answer 24

John Heywood

Question 25

Give background of John Heywood and talk of his work

Answer 25

He was a court musician and entertainment provider to King Henry 8.
His work is four Ps where a Pedlar, Pardoner, Palmer and Pothecary exchange stories to see who can say the biggest lie.

Question 26

What were some other interlude plays and what was their tone

Answer 26

Scholastic purpose interludes : interlude of the four elements

Interlude with addition of action to comedy: Thersytes

Question 27

The early experiments in play writing are very important because they provided a __ for English genius.

Answer 27

Dame school

Question 28

Under the direct influence of the __ English drama matured into great art

Answer 28

Revival of learning or renaissance

Question 29

Filled with enthusiasm for _, men went back to the classics and took works of _ playwrights as their models

Answer 29

Antiquity, Latin/Roman

Question 30

Which Latin comics’ tragedies and comedies were acted at universities first

Answer 30

Comedies- Plautus, Terence
Tragedy- Seneca

Question 31

After the enactment of Latin plays in england, there were imitations of Latin plays, and then attempts to fashion English plays in the style of the classics. What was the value of these attempts?

Answer 31

English playwrights learnt much about dramatic technique

Question 32

Talk about the first English comedy and by whom
How does it relate to older plays
Performed by whom?

Answer 32

Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall, headmaster of Eton
Composed in rhyming couplets and deals with wooing of Dame Custance by the vain hero, and the pranks of Matthew Merrygreek the jester

It is reminiscent of older humours of miracle and morality plays

Performed by his schoolboys

Question 33

Talk about the first real English tragedy and by whom
How does it relate to previous attempts at playwriting
Is it based on anything?
Where was it performed?

Answer 33

Gorboduc or later Ferrex And Porrex by Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst and Thomas Norton

Based on an episode of Geoffrey of Monmouths history

Pedantic effort to replicate Senecan tragedy

Performed before members of the Inner Temple for Christmas

Question 34

Which genre of play first used blank verse

Answer 34

Gorboduc the tragedy