Entertainment Flashcards
What was the three most popular entertainment for the rich?
Hawking, hunting and archery
Why did the rich have a wide range of entertainment opportunities?
The had more leisure tima and could afford to participate in a range of activities
What wad hawking?
A falcon/hawk would sit on a trainers arm with a blind cap on. When the cap was removed the bird would fly off to kill prey and return once complete
Why did nobility participate in hunting?
They normally had their own deer parks, where they could hunt deer for dinner
Who were expected to practice archery and when?
Men over the age of 24 were expected to practice after church on Sunday
What sort of entertainment was enjoyed by all the classes?
Dancing, music, singing and ball games
What type of music did the rich enjoy?
They paid musicians to play foreign tunes like gavotte and slow paven
What type of music did the poor enjoy?
Traditional country dances
How was music and signing accesible to all?
Was a home entertainment as many people learnt to play instruments like recorders, lutes or viols
When did tennis originate?
In the Tudor times tennis became popular with the upper classes. While bowls and skittles were popular among all classes
What was football like in the Elizabethan period?
Was one of the most popular forms of entertainment but the roughest ball game.
There were few rules; no proper goals or limit on team numbers.
The winning team kicked the ball across the opposite finishing line which could be a mile away
Many fights broke out on the pitches - injury was highly likely and there was an occasional death too.
What did lower classes of society do for entertainment?
Went to taverns, bet on cock fighting, watched bands of strolling players, played football
What did bands of strolling players do ?
Toured the country performing.
Who watched their performances?
Townsmen, farmers, tradesmen and families watched there performances. Sometimes they were hired by the queen to perform a private show.
How did bands of strolling players attract audiences?
Set up a stage in a market squares to attract attention
What were common theme of plays that strolling bands performed/?
Adventures of Robin Hood, where poor triumphed over the rich
What is an example of a Bear Garden?
In Southwark London there is a bear garden/arena which could accommodate 1000 viewers
What is Bear baiting ?
Bears/bulls were chained toa Wooden stake and attacked by dogs - bets were placed on hw long the dogs would survive or wether the bear/bull would live
What is cockfighting?
Normally two birds were placed in a pit to fight until only one was alive. But sometimes as many as 20 were placed into the ring. Spectators would bet on which bird would win.
How was tennis played by lower elements of society ?
On an open court hitting the ball to and fro with the palm of their hand
What happened in 1585?
She overruled an attempt (by an MP) to ban bear baiting
What did the government do in 1572?
A law was passed which banned strolling players unless they had a license.
What did the authorities fear?
They believed the theme of poor triumphing over the rich would incite riots and rebellions
How were theatre companies set up?
Set up with the financial support and patronage from nobility
Why were permanent theatres built?
Companies toured the country and performed for the queen and court - so they grew in popularity
What are 3 theatre companies?
The Earl of Leicesters players - 1574
The Queen’s men - 1583
The Lord Admiral Howard’s company - 1583
The Lord Chamberlains’s men - 1594
When was the first theatre formed?
1576 by James Burbage
Which theatre premiered most of Shakespeare’s plays?
The Globe
Name 4 theatres and when they were built?
The curtain - 1577
The rose -1587
The Swan - 1596
The Globe -1599
What shape were theatres?
Round or octagonal
WHAT DID THE theatre resemble?
The universe - hell was beneath the stage and devils emerged through trap doors beneath and the canopy above represented heaven
When were plays generally performed?
In the afternoon fro the light
How did people know a play was about to start?
A flag was flown or a cannon was sounded to alert passers by
What was the interior /exterior like?
Interior - open space in centre with a raised stage which was colourful. Finely painted oak panels that looked like marbel
Exterior- plain
Why were ticket prices cheap/
To attract lower classes, but they had the worse seats in the roofless central pit
Who weren’t allowed to act?
Women
Who was Richard Burbage?
A good tragic actor - who earns his name starring in Shakespeares plays
Who was Edward Alleyn?
Famous tragic actor - played lead in Marlowe’s plays including Dr Faustus
Who was Will Kempe?
A popular actor who specialised in comic roles
Leading role in Shakespeare comedies
Who was Thomas Pope?
A member or Lord Chamberlain’s men
Was a comedian and acrobat - colleague of Shakespeare
Who was Shakespeare
Shakespeare with a playwright who wrote at least 37 plays
He wrote comedies tragedies and historical dramas
he was one of the most productive and popular commercial playwrights
His most popular works included which the second Romeo and Juliet Anthony and Cleopatra Macbeth and the Tempest
Who was Thomas Kyd
Kyd was an important figure in the development of the English drama - a revenge tragedy
Was a close friend of Marlowe’s who’s most famous work was the Spanish tragedy
Who was Thomas Dekker?
Thomas mainly wrote comedies
He was a dramatist and pamphleteer
a popular play was his Shakespeare’s holiday which was a rowdy comedy based on the lives of ordinary Londoners
Who is Christopher Marlowe
Marlow play a leading part in the development of the tragedy
his most famous work was Dr Faustus
1593 he was stabbed to death by Ingram Frizer during a tavern brawl and his suspect assassination resulted from his work as a government spy
What was theatre like ?
Cheap and popular which attracted all classes
What were plays like?
Plays were popular for their gripping storylines, tales of heroism and good triumphing over evil.
Plays were used as propaganda, too.
What did Shakespeare promote
Loyalty and obedience to the Queen
Who opposed the theatre?
The authorities saw the theatre and its large audiences as a threat to law and order, arguing that it encouraged the gathering of beggars, pickpockets and other petty criminals in one place
Religious groups, especially Puritans, believed the theatre to be work of the devil, encouraging people to be sinful. They believed the plays lacked decency and morals, encouraging a sinful lifestyle
