elizabethan - chapter 2.1 Flashcards
what influenced the explosion of cultural achievement int eh elizabethan era
humanism in europe
how did the elizabethan golden age happen
- queen and court set fashions that were then copied by others
- londons population grew
- the gentry became more important
- gentry had disposable income and wanted to spend conspicuously in order to impress others and earn promotion
-> this meant that artists, builders, musicians and writers did well, as their work was in demand - the invention of the printing press meant new ideas could now spread at greater speed
- as new grammar schools and university colleges were set up the curriculum broadened and the english became better educated
what flourished during the elizabethan golden age
english literature, through poetry, prose and drama
-> affordable stories called ‘chap books’ were sold by street pedlars
when science started to develop in the elizabethan era, which areas of science were of great interest
planets
the workings of the human body
what was the gentry class
a group of people who did not work with their hands for a living, but did not belong too the titled nobility
what were the main reasons for the rise of the gentry
the tudors suspicion of the ‘old’ nobility
- the tudors had deliberately marginalised the nobles, who they saw as a threat, by granting very few new titles and excluding them from government
- this left a vacuum which the gentry filled and they became very powerful politically
- many of the key councillors promoted by elizabeth (eg. cecil, walsingham, hatton) came from the gentry class
- the gentry also dominated the house of commons, and they gained power locally through their work as Justices of the Peace
the dissolution of the monasteries by henry VIII
- the monasteries had owned about 1/4 of all land in england
- their dissolution had made more land available to buy than ever before
increasing wealth
- growth in trade and exploration, together with population growth, rising prices and enclosure, all helped many gentry families make their fortunes
- they were therefore able to use all their money to establish estates, to build grand houses and to educate themselves
what did the gentry’s money help happen during the golden age
helped to fuel the cultural achievements of elizabeth’s reign as they were keen to sponsor architectural, artistic, intellectual and literary endeavours, as this helped to affirm their new status in society
why did fashions change during the elizabethan golden age
the wealth of the gentry helped to drive the development of new clothing fashions
the wealthy used their money to buy expensive clothes int he latest styles
why was fashion so important
it was an important status symbol
what law was passed due to the importance of clothes
new Sumptuary Laws, called the Statutes of Apparel, were passed in 1574
-> these laws strictly controlled the clothes people were allowed to wear depending on their social rank
what was the period of building and new architecture ideas called
the ‘Great Rebuilding’
why were a lot of new houses built during the elizabethan golden age
to impress and host elizabeth while she was on progress
how did strong government impact the design of houses
residences no longer had to include defensive features, such as moats and drawbridges
decorative gardens could now be built
who was the leading architect during the golden age and what did he do
Robert Smythson
he was responsible for designing and building some of the most famous elizabethan houses, such as Longleat House in Wiltshire and Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire
what were new buildings often made of
stone or brick
what had rising food prices led to
increased profits for landowners
what were houses that used the latest styles
status symbols
what were elizabethan houses heavily influenced by
the Italian Renaissance architecture from places such as Florence
what did many elizabethan houses look like
architects focused on symmetry and size
many houses had intricate chimney stacks and expensive leaded glass in large mullioned windows
often houses were built with an ‘E’ shaped floor plan, perhaps in honour of the queen
however, many manor houses continued to be less classically influenced and built in a more functional style, such as the timber-framed Wattle-and-Daub Speke Hall near Liverpool and Churche’s Mansion in Cheshire
internally, how were new houses different from earlier designs
- the rooms were now very light, because of the extensive use of glass
- bedrooms were placed upstairs for the first time
- the medieval great hall was no longer popular
-> instead, elizabethan houses often had a long gallery on an upper floor, which was used for entertainment and to display art collections - downstairs, although there were still no corridors, the area was divided into separate rooms with their own windows and fireplaces, which gave families more privacy than they had previously had
- the houses were far more comfortable than before
-> decorative plasterwork ceilings, oak-panelled walls, impressive fireplaces, tapestries, libraries of books
what was the long gallery used for
entertainment and to display art collections
what was theatre like when elizabeth became queen
there were no theatres in the country
so-called mystery and miracle plays, based on Bible stories and the lives of saints, had been popular since the middle ages, but they ere performed on temporary platforms in open places, such as market squares and inn yards, not in permanent theatres
groups of actors would tour the country to perform, but the government did not like them
-> actors were thought to be a threat to law and order, and acting was not considered to be a respectable profession, with actors being thought of as no more than beggars
what law did the parliament pass about actors in 1572
passed a law that said actors were to be punished as vagabonds
which religious group strongly disapproved of the theatre and why
puritans
on religious grounds, associating it with the Ancient Romans and thinking it the work of the devil
what did many people believe was the reason for a great earthquake in the south east of england in 1580
many considered it a sign of God’s anger at the theatre
what did the new law passed in 1572 require for actors, why did the gov pass it, and what did it lead to
required all bands of actors to be licensed
law was brought in because of gov suspicion
had an unexpected effect - it encouraged the actor companies to organise themselves and 4 years later the first purpose-built London theatre opened
-> it was named ‘The Theatre’ and was a commercial success, and this inspired other to copy
-> ‘The Curtain’ opened in 1596, and ‘The Globe’ in 1599
-> by the end of elizabeth’s reign there were 7 major theatres in London and 40 companies of actors
where were theatres due to the authority’s opposition to them
theatres were located outside city walls
most were on the Bankside district in Southwark, on the South Bank of the Thames
-> the area had a bad reputation, with lots of taverns, bear-baiting rings, pickpockets and brothels
what was going to the theatre like
crime was common in the areas, but the performances were exciting
a visit to the theatre was not just about the play
theatre-goers could also purchase refreshments, such as meat pies, fruit, nuts, beer and wine
theatre visits allowed people to socialise, to show off, to network for business purposes and to meet prospective husbands and wives
what influenced the design of elizabethan theatres
the earlier informal performance of plays in inn yards and market places
what was the design of theatres
an uncovered circular pit with surrounding covered galleries
what was the design of theatres similar to and why
similar in design to bear-baiting pits
because unsuccessful theatres could be easily converted
what time of day were plays staged and why
afternoon
because there was no artificial lighting
what signalled that it was performance day
a flag above the theatre
what signalled the start of the performance
a trumpeter
who was not allowed to perform in plays and who replaced their roles
women were not allowed to perform
so boys played female roles
what were the conditions faced by actors
difficult
what was the hectic area behind the stage called and what happened there
called the ‘tiring house’
where actors would dress in their costumes and collect their props
examples of actors who achieved great fame and wealth
Edward Allen
Will Kempe
Thomas Pope
Richard Burbage
which actor eventually formed their own company and become owner of the globe
Richard Burbage
why were theatres so popular
cheap entrance fees made them affordable to almost everyone
which class did the audience at theatres most consist of
audience came from a wide cross-section of society, ranging from poor craftsmen, to merchants, to wealthy nobles
how was the rigid social order upheld inside the theatre
the cheapest tickets (costing 1 penny) were for ‘the pit’ or ‘yard’
it was more expensive (2 or 3 pennies) to watch from the three-tiered galleries
the richest audience members would watch from the ‘Lords’ room’ above the stage or even sit on the stage itself
what were the conditions in the ‘pit’ or ‘yard’ of theatre
- tickets cost 1 penny
- the audience (known as ‘groundlings’) would stand in noisy and smelly conditions, exposed to the weather
-> groundlings were often badly behaved, throwing food at the unpopular characters during the play
how many spectators could the three-tiered galleries seat
up to 2000
what did the galleries offer (that made them better than the pit)
- the comfort of seating
- a thatched roof -> provided protection from the weather
- for an extra penny, a cushion would be provided to sit on
who were some successful elizabethan playwrights
- Ben Jonson
- Thomas Kyd
- Thomas Dekker
- Christopher Marlowe
- William Shakespeare
what are some examples of shakespeare’s successful plays
tragedies, such as ‘Hamlet’
histories, such as ‘Henry VI’
comedies, such as ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’
what did elizabethan plays themes reflect
themes reflected the interests of elizabethans: violence, romance, magic, the ancient world, exploration, patriotism
what did trapdoors in the stage allow for
dramatic entrances and exits
what was the area of the theatre above the stage called and what did they do there
called ‘the heavens’
-> directed the special effects
and ‘the hut’ provided storage space
what generated thunder claps (such as at the beginning of macbeth)
canonballs were rolled
what was used for dramatic stabbing scenes (such as in romeo and juliet)
pigs bladders filled with blood and hidden beneath clothing
in the 1550s and 1560s who were actors treated by the authorities
treated with suspicion
-> they were considered to live immoral lives and the plays themselves were believed to be a cause for concern
why were the government concerned about plays
performances attracted large crowds,which worried the government in cause such groups of people might become disorderly
how did the attitude of elizabeth and her advisors change in the 1570s and what did this mean
they began to view theatre more positively
-> this helps to explain the growth of theatre at that time
instead of seeing the theatre as a threat they began to see it as an opportunity for propaganda and encouraging social stability
how did elizabeth and her advisors begin to see theatre as an opportunity for propaganda and encouraging social stability
- by the end of elizabeth’s reign, london was a busy and overcrowded city. its population had quadrupled to about 200,000 people since the start of the Tudor era. by providing entertainment, the theatre could act as a source of distraction for the poor and discontented lower class, making a rebellion less likely
- even more significantly, if the play content was carefully policies, it be influence the thoughts and feelings of the audiences in favour of the queen and her gov
what happened as a result of the queen and her gov becoming more accepting of theatres
some companies won the funding and protection of the nobility
the nobility invited actors to perform in their country homes
-> Dudley patronised Leicester’s company and Lord Hunsdon formed the Lord Chamberlain’s men
what wa elizabeth’s attitude to plays
although she never visited a public theatre herself, she enjoyed plays and often invited companies to perform at court, become an important patron
she allowed one group of actors to call themselves The Queen’s Company
politically, what did plays contain
subtle political messages that were destined to flatter elizabeth and support her position
they were also carefully censored so as to now be too controversial or to make any obvious references to politicians at the time
what was the Great Chain of Being
the elizabethan belief that everyone and everything had its own place in a hierarchy
there was a strong belief that this rigid ordering of the universe should not be changed as this would cause chaos
what did elizabeth and her gov like about shakespeare’s plays
shakespeare’s plays often emphasises heirachy and orderliness (suited belief in great chain of being), and the triumph of good over evil was a common moral
which of Shakespeare’s history plays present the tudors in a vary favourable light
-> it focused on the war of the roses, and presented elizabeth’s grandfather, the first tudor king, as the saviour of the nation
Richard III
what strengthened elizabeth’s position (other than plays) in the golden age
the gov was careful to license the printing presses in order to control what was published
what was the most widely read book during elizabeth’s reign
John Foxe’s ‘Book of Maryrs’, which was first published in 1563
-> Foxe’s work was designed to flatter elizabeth and strengthen her position
-> the book reflected well on the protestant elizabeth, whose accession had seemingly rescued england from the horrors of catholic rule
what did visual and literary propaganda create
a cult of personality around elizabeth
what are examples of visual propaganda
- people were already familiar with what the queen looked like from her coins
- from the 1570s onwards a carefully manufactured image was promoted
-> elizabeth was short of money, so her courtiers ordered pictures of her to be painted as a means to flatter her and advance their own careers - the portraits made clever use of symbols to create a mystical image of the queen
-> she wore expensive clothing and jewels - later portraits were full of allegorical symbols
- elizabeth’s ministers controlled her image, destroying pictures she disliked
- she rarely sat for portraits
-> instead a standard face pattern was reused for approved images
-> prints based on these were widely circulated
