Elizabethan Theatre Flashcards
Who built the first theatre and when was it built?
James Burbage built the first theatre in 1576
What where the theaters called during the Elizabethan Era?
Playhouses.
From when until when was Queen Elizabeth’s reign?
1558 - 1603
What where some of the beliefs the English public held at this point?
- chain of being
- humors
What are humors?
Elizabethan belief surrounding four body fluids; black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood.
The Elizabethan era can also be known as the-
-English Renaissance with the re-emergence of education and the stuff going on with the church.
What did where the various flags used in Shakespearean theatre and what did they mean?
Black flag- Tragedy
White flag- Comedy
Red flag- History
Name three well known English playwrights
Shakespeare, Ben Johnson and Christopher Marlowe.
Elizabethan era was an age of:
Religious tension, education and exploration and discovery.
What was the socio-political context of the Elizabethan era?
Rise of the middle class, the breakdown of the Feudal system and the Black Plague.
Before theaters were built where did plays take place?
Inn Yards.
What were playhouses like?
They were octagonal.
The center was open to allow light into the theatre at 2 in the afternoon, when the sun was the perfect high in the sky. The stage was a thrust stage.
Groundlings paid a penny for admission.
Trap doors to allow spirits and demons in
The heaven housed machines that dropped people on the stage.
There wasn’t any scenery (spoken decor was used instead)
All actors were male.
What were the three types of Elizabethan comedies?
Problem plays, Happy plays and Romances.
Why History plays?
The sudden Nationalistic feelings incite din interest in Englands history and thus historical plays were made.
Why tragedy?
The Elizabethans had a penchant for tradegy. They enjoyed all it brought with it; bloodshed, moral discussion, deaths, heightened emotions, the catharsis, etc.
