English Renaissance Theatre Flashcards
When did the English Renaissance begin and end?
Began during the reign of Henry VIII and ended in 1642 with the Puritan take over.
What is the English Renaissance also referred as?
The Elizabethan Period.
What are interludes?
Brief dramatic entertainments presented at court and in homes of nobility.
What change happened to morality plays?
They became more secular and were influenced by Italian Renaissance humanism.
What was the importance of English School Dramas?
- 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.
What is a Blackfriar?
An indoor hall.
What structure did Elizabethan playwrights follow?
They followed the structure of the medieval episodic form.
What things do English dramatists rarely observe?
The unities of time, place, and action. They used many characters and many scenes ranging through time and shifting from place to place.
What kinds of plots were used by English Dramatists?
Parallel plots or subplots related to the main dramatic action.
How were violence and supernatural beings addressed by English Dramatists?
Violence was presented onstage and often had supernatural characters.
What was the importance of the Soliloquy?
Often attacked by the Italians, was a popular dramatic convention for the English Dramatists.
What did the English dramatists mix?
Genres. Often mixing comic and dramatic scenes.
What resources did English Dramatists use since they had to write plays quickly for popular theatre?
They used other dramas, literary pieces, and history.
Who was the 1st significant playwright to emerge in the Elizabethan period?
Christopher Marlowe.
What did Christopher Marlow focus on when it came to playwriting?
He focused on the dramatic poetry element of playwriting.
Who developed iambic pentameter?
Christopher Marlowe.
Describe Iambic Pentameter.
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.
What was William Shakespeare doing in London in 1590?
Working as a playwright and actor.
What was the name of the company Shakespeare was apart of?
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men (after 1603 the King’s Men).
What did Shakespeare do other than playwriting?
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.
Who added comic scenes in his tragedies? Name some examples.
William Shakespeare. The drunken porter in Macbeth and the gravedigger in Hamlet.
What are the rules Shakespeare made based on different rules?
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.
What were the two types of theatres during the English Renaissance?
Public and Private.
How many public or outside theatres were built outside of London?
13.
What is said to be the forerunner of Elizabethan public theatres?
Bearbaiting rings or inns adapted for performance.
Why were public theatres built outside of London?
London city officials opposed theatre on moral grounds and forbade it in the city.
What were the different shapes used to make theatres?
Some were circular, some polygonal, and at least one was square.
How was the audience seating divided in public theatres?
Pits, Galleries, and Boxes.
The galleries consisted of how many levels?
3 levels. A section for the higher classes, and an undivided section that had bench seating.
Where were the boxes located?
The boxes were on the 1st level reserved for the upper classes and nobility (known as the Lord’s rooms).
What is the yard?
The ground in front and on the sides of the stage.
What were the lower class spectators that stood in the yard referred to?
Groundlings.
What was sold throughout the playhouse?
Food and Drink.
Where did women avoid in the theatre? Why?
They avoided the yard, due to a confined space with creepy drunk men.
Describe the stages of outdoor or public theatres.
The stage was a raised platform with audience on three sides.
The stage had trapdoors leading below the platforms.
What is the tiring house?
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/
What was on the first level of the tiring house?
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.
What was on the second level of the tiring house?
The second level is called the Inner Above. The Inner Above had playing space with windows.
What was on the third level of the tiring house?
The third level was the musicians’ gallery which housed about six musicians.
What was the roof used for on the tiring house?
Represented the heavens or shadows.
What are private theatres?
Indoor theatres that came into use around 1600.
How were the indoor theatres lit?
By candles and high windows.
Why were ticket prices higher than the public theatres?
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.
What was the first indoor theatre?
Blackfriar’s
Which theatre is larger? Public or Private?
Public.
Describe the structure of the private theatres.
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.
Did the Elizabethan’s use painted perspective scenery in either of their theatres?
No.
Why did the Elizabethan’s require rapid scene changes?
Due to the episodic nature of English Drama.
How was the costuming done in the Elizabethan era?
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.
Who sponsored all troupes?
A Noblesman whose rank was no lower thank baron.
What did Queen Elizabeth decree in 1574?
All plays and companies had to be licensed by the master of revels.
What was restricted by the law?
The number of acting companies.
Explain what the secondary companies would do?
They would break off from London troupes and tour under the original license and other companies would falsify them.
Were there women actors during the Elizabethan Era?
No. Young boys would perform all female roles.
Would they double or triple roles?
Yes, it was very common.
When was typecasting necessary?
When casting comic roles.
How would the actors receive their lines?
Actors would receive sides with their lines and cues instead of a full script.
How long was the rehearsal time?
Very minimal, about three weeks. Prompters were needed at every performance.
Explain the acting styles.
Gestures, movements, and speech were stylized.
Actors often had to sing and dance.
Improv was frequent, especially in comedy.
Who were the two monarchs who took the throne after Elizabeth?
James I and Charles I.
Heroism gave way to…
decadence and cynicism.
Tragedy gave way to…
melodrama.
Who was the most celebrated playwright from The Jacobean and Caroline period?
Ben Johnson.
What was Ben Johnson’s job?
He was a playwright, literary critic, poet, and actor.
Who was one of the first writers in England to champion neoclassical principles?
Ben Johnson.
What did Ben Johnson write?
Plays, volumes of poetry, books on English grammar, and court masques.
What outnumbered Johnson’s plays?
His court masques.
What is a masque?
An elaborate entertainment presented at court.
How were masques viewed during Elizabeth’s reign?
They were more of a royal processional.
What did masques typically incorporate?
Mythological and allegorical figures including: gods, goddesses, nymphs, signs on the zodiac, etc. in a presentation in honor of the monarch.
True or false: Masques were plain.
False. They were colorful, ornate, and immensely expensive.
Masques introduced what scenic practices to the London stage?
Italian scenic practices.
Why did Ben Johnson stop writing masques?
The scenic elements were overshadowing the literary aspects.
After Johnson was no longer involved in masques, what became the chief purpose of masques?
Scenic splendor.
Who was the most famous masque designer?
Inigo Jones.
What did Inigo Jones study in Italy?
art, architecture, and scenic practices.
What innovations from Italy did Jones introduce?
Temporary proscenium arches, painted-perspective, systems for changing scenery, and flying machinery.
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?
All theatre practice was outlawed in England.
