Restoration England - Restoration Culture Flashcards
1
Q
what happened to theatres during the interregnum?
A
- theatre, along with most other public entertainment was banned
- it was seen by the Puritans as immoral and a distraction from living a good Christian life
2
Q
what were the two new theatre companies that were created when Charles became king?
A
- ## Charles gave the exclusion right, or patent, to stage plays to two groups: the King’s Company and the Duke’s Company.
3
Q
what were the features of a typical restoration theatre building?
A
- light by candlelight, theatres fitted with the latest in moveable scenery and including machinery that produced sound effects
- cheapest tickets could not be reserved - people would try to squeeze into the pit in front of the stage
- wealthier audience members could enjoy seeing further back and higher up in the theatre
- the theatre was extremely fashionable amongst upper classes - trends such as women wearing marks and eating oranges during the play
4
Q
what are the changes restoration theatre made for women?
A
- women in the Restoration still did not hold positions of authority, could not vote and had very little say in who they married
- whilst some upper-class women did begin to have a little more freedom than before, ultimately it was still their fathers and husbands who held the power
- however, for the first time, women could appear on stage. There was no difference between what was acceptable for male and female actors, and women performed all kinds of roles. One common plotline involved women dressing and acting as men
5
Q
who was Aphra Behn?
A
- Aphra Behn was one of the first women to make a living out of writing plays
- she briefly worked as a spy for King Charles in the Netherlands
- After the death of her husband and finding herself deep in debt, she took a job at a theatre and son began writing plays
- she wrote in all genres but her biggest success came in comedy.
- Behn was very politically minded and often used her plays to criticise Whig politicians. Her work became extremely popular and when she died she was buried in Westminister Abbey
6
Q
how was the power of comedy used in Restoration theatre?
A
- theatres need to attract large audiences to compete with each other - comedies best way to do this
- plays were fast-paced and often had several complicated plots happening at once
- these plays fitted the public perception of how the royal court functioned at the time, including lots of scandalous behaviour from lords and their mistresses
- publically focused, for example, Popish plot + exclusion crisis comedies produced made fun of both Whig and Tory politicians
7
Q
why was Sir William Coventry upset about The Country Gentleman?
A
- there were references in the play that made it clear that the character was based on Sir William Coventry, a real-life politician
- Although the majority of the play was written by Robert Howard, the scenes involving Trouble-All were written by the Duke of Buckingham, a rival of Coventry’s.
- Coventry was outraged and challenged Buckingham to a duel
- Charles imprisoned Sir William for threatening the life of one of his ministers but in order to avoid further scandal the play was banned
- the damage to Coventry’s image was irreparable
8
Q
when was the Royal Society founded?
A
1660
9
Q
what was the Royal Society?
A
-attending Royal Society events was seen as an important part of being a respectable man during the Restoration
- the group, which included leading scientific figures like Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke and architects like Christopher Wren, met weekly to discuss the latest developments in physics, botany, astronomy, medicine and other sciences
10
Q
who was Samuel Pepys?
A
- he was a key figure in court and the Royal Society
- he served as the Chief Secretary of the Admiralty
- his real importance comes from his diary. Pepy’s descriptions of daily life in the Restoarion through the key events of Charles’s reign, including the Great Plague and the Great Fire, are vital to historians in understanding the period. He also comments on society and politics
11
Q
who was Robert Boyle?
A
- he was considered one of the founders of modern chemistry and the scientific method of experimentation
- he discovered ‘Boyle’s law’ - an important scientific principle. It states that if the volume of a gas decrease, its pressure increases in proportion
12
Q
who was Robert Hooke?
A
- described by one historian as Britain’s Leonardo Da Vinci, he organised experiments at the Royal Society
- he was an early user of the microscope. His book, Micrographia, had the first drawings of nature seen under microscope
- his studies touch on issues like evolution, gravity and light
- he was successful architect and was heavily involved in the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire
13
Q
why was the building of an observatory in Greenwich proposed?
A
- it was first proposed in 1674 by Jonas Moore
- the location was perfect as it was close to the Naval college; the navy was increasingly important to trade and influence abroad
- gaining knowledge of the stars was not just motivated by scientific curiosity; it was also about improving navigation for the growing navy
14
Q
when was the Royal Observatory of Greenwich?
A
- the building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren
- built in 1675, it was the first purpose-built scientific building in Britain
15
Q
who was John Flamsteed?
A
- the first Astronomer Royal and director of the Royal Observatory Greenwich
- he recorded and catalogued over 3000 stars and accurately predicted solar eclipses in 1666 and 1668.
- In 1690, he became the first astronomer to record a sighting of Uranus
