Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Theatre And Society 1 > English Renaissance Theatre > Flashcards

English Renaissance Theatre Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

When did the English Renaissance begin and end?

A

Began during the reign of Henry VIII and ended in 1642 with the Puritan take over.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the English Renaissance also referred as?

A

The Elizabethan Period.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are interludes?

A

Brief dramatic entertainments presented at court and in homes of nobility.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What change happened to morality plays?

A

They became more secular and were influenced by Italian Renaissance humanism.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What was the importance of English School Dramas?

A
  • They became increasingly popular. Written at universities and presented at schools and colleges.
  • They were established by Queen Elizabeth I for court entertainments.
  • Used Blackfriars for their productions.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is a Blackfriar?

A

An indoor hall.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What structure did Elizabethan playwrights follow?

A

They followed the structure of the medieval episodic form.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What things do English dramatists rarely observe?

A

The unities of time, place, and action. They used many characters and many scenes ranging through time and shifting from place to place.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What kinds of plots were used by English Dramatists?

A

Parallel plots or subplots related to the main dramatic action.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How were violence and supernatural beings addressed by English Dramatists?

A

Violence was presented onstage and often had supernatural characters.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What was the importance of the Soliloquy?

A

Often attacked by the Italians, was a popular dramatic convention for the English Dramatists.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What did the English dramatists mix?

A

Genres. Often mixing comic and dramatic scenes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What resources did English Dramatists use since they had to write plays quickly for popular theatre?

A

They used other dramas, literary pieces, and history.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Who was the 1st significant playwright to emerge in the Elizabethan period?

A

Christopher Marlowe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What did Christopher Marlow focus on when it came to playwriting?

A

He focused on the dramatic poetry element of playwriting.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Who developed iambic pentameter?

A

Christopher Marlowe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Describe Iambic Pentameter.

A

It has five beats to a line. It has two syllables per beat with an accent on the second beat. It developed great beauty in literature.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What was William Shakespeare doing in London in 1590?

A

Working as a playwright and actor.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What was the name of the company Shakespeare was apart of?

A

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (after 1603 the King’s Men).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What did Shakespeare do other than playwriting?

A

Often acted as small but important roles such as the Ghost in Hamlet. He was a shareholder in the company part owner of the theatre, he was also involved with the management of the troupe.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Who added comic scenes in his tragedies? Name some examples.

A

William Shakespeare. The drunken porter in Macbeth and the gravedigger in Hamlet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the rules Shakespeare made based on different rules?

A

He skillfully alternates scenes so that each episode illuminates or forms a counterpoint to the one before and just after it.
He uses subplots to reinforce major themes that are equally effective as the main plot.
He created a fascinating collection of characters, both principle and supporting.
His use of language has been praised for centuries.
His complete works was not published until 1623, 7 years after his death.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What were the two types of theatres during the English Renaissance?

A

Public and Private.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

How many public or outside theatres were built outside of London?

A

13.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What is said to be the forerunner of Elizabethan public theatres?

A

Bearbaiting rings or inns adapted for performance.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Why were public theatres built outside of London?

A

London city officials opposed theatre on moral grounds and forbade it in the city.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What were the different shapes used to make theatres?

A

Some were circular, some polygonal, and at least one was square.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

How was the audience seating divided in public theatres?

A

Pits, Galleries, and Boxes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

The galleries consisted of how many levels?

A

3 levels. A section for the higher classes, and an undivided section that had bench seating.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Where were the boxes located?

A

The boxes were on the 1st level reserved for the upper classes and nobility (known as the Lord’s rooms).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What is the yard?

A

The ground in front and on the sides of the stage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

What were the lower class spectators that stood in the yard referred to?

A

Groundlings.

33
Q

What was sold throughout the playhouse?

A

Food and Drink.

34
Q

Where did women avoid in the theatre? Why?

A

They avoided the yard, due to a confined space with creepy drunk men.

35
Q

Describe the stages of outdoor or public theatres.

A

The stage was a raised platform with audience on three sides.
The stage had trapdoors leading below the platforms.

36
Q

What is the tiring house?

A

Behind the raised stage was a stage house which was probably a three-story building that served as a place for costume changes and storing props and set pieces/

37
Q

What was on the first level of the tiring house?

A

The first level is called the inner below. The inner below which had doors for entrances and exits and probably a space used for reveals.

38
Q

What was on the second level of the tiring house?

A

The second level is called the Inner Above. The Inner Above had playing space with windows.

39
Q

What was on the third level of the tiring house?

A

The third level was the musicians’ gallery which housed about six musicians.

40
Q

What was the roof used for on the tiring house?

A

Represented the heavens or shadows.

41
Q

What are private theatres?

A

Indoor theatres that came into use around 1600.

42
Q

How were the indoor theatres lit?

A

By candles and high windows.

43
Q

Why were ticket prices higher than the public theatres?

A

So the poorer people could not afford them. Also, their way of selling tickets is comparable to modern ways, the closer to the stage the more expensive the ticket.

44
Q

What was the first indoor theatre?

A

Blackfriar’s

45
Q

Which theatre is larger? Public or Private?

A

Public.

46
Q

Describe the structure of the private theatres.

A

It had a platform stage that extended to the side walls. The pit had backless benches. In later periods (Jacobean and Caroline) wealthy patrons could sit on the stage.

47
Q

Did the Elizabethan’s use painted perspective scenery in either of their theatres?

A

No.

48
Q

Why did the Elizabethan’s require rapid scene changes?

A

Due to the episodic nature of English Drama.

49
Q

How was the costuming done in the Elizabethan era?

A

Costuming was done in contemporary English fashion. Certain traditional costumes were worn to indicate antiquity, folk heros, supernatural characters, and racial groups. Acting companies owned large stocks of costumes.

50
Q

Who sponsored all troupes?

A

A Noblesman whose rank was no lower thank baron.

51
Q

What did Queen Elizabeth decree in 1574?

A

All plays and companies had to be licensed by the master of revels.

52
Q

What was restricted by the law?

A

The number of acting companies.

53
Q

Explain what the secondary companies would do?

A

They would break off from London troupes and tour under the original license and other companies would falsify them.

54
Q

Were there women actors during the Elizabethan Era?

A

No. Young boys would perform all female roles.

55
Q

Would they double or triple roles?

A

Yes, it was very common.

56
Q

When was typecasting necessary?

A

When casting comic roles.

57
Q

How would the actors receive their lines?

A

Actors would receive sides with their lines and cues instead of a full script.

58
Q

How long was the rehearsal time?

A

Very minimal, about three weeks. Prompters were needed at every performance.

59
Q

Explain the acting styles.

A

Gestures, movements, and speech were stylized.
Actors often had to sing and dance.
Improv was frequent, especially in comedy.

60
Q

Who were the two monarchs who took the throne after Elizabeth?

A

James I and Charles I.

61
Q

Heroism gave way to…

A

decadence and cynicism.

62
Q

Tragedy gave way to…

A

melodrama.

63
Q

Who was the most celebrated playwright from The Jacobean and Caroline period?

A

Ben Johnson.

64
Q

What was Ben Johnson’s job?

A

He was a playwright, literary critic, poet, and actor.

65
Q

Who was one of the first writers in England to champion neoclassical principles?

A

Ben Johnson.

66
Q

What did Ben Johnson write?

A

Plays, volumes of poetry, books on English grammar, and court masques.

67
Q

What outnumbered Johnson’s plays?

A

His court masques.

68
Q

What is a masque?

A

An elaborate entertainment presented at court.

69
Q

How were masques viewed during Elizabeth’s reign?

A

They were more of a royal processional.

70
Q

What did masques typically incorporate?

A

Mythological and allegorical figures including: gods, goddesses, nymphs, signs on the zodiac, etc. in a presentation in honor of the monarch.

71
Q

True or false: Masques were plain.

A

False. They were colorful, ornate, and immensely expensive.

72
Q

Masques introduced what scenic practices to the London stage?

A

Italian scenic practices.

73
Q

Why did Ben Johnson stop writing masques?

A

The scenic elements were overshadowing the literary aspects.

74
Q

After Johnson was no longer involved in masques, what became the chief purpose of masques?

A

Scenic splendor.

75
Q

Who was the most famous masque designer?

A

Inigo Jones.

76
Q

What did Inigo Jones study in Italy?

A

art, architecture, and scenic practices.

77
Q

What innovations from Italy did Jones introduce?

A

Temporary proscenium arches, painted-perspective, systems for changing scenery, and flying machinery.

78
Q

What happened to theatre after the English Civil Wars, the execution of Charles I, and the formation of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell in 1642?

A

All theatre practice was outlawed in England.

Theatre And Society 1 (5 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions