The Stage-Play: Drama and Politics Flashcards
What was the first highly successful revenge tragedy?
Thomas Kydd’s Spanish Tragedy (1590 approx.) was a successful revenge play in the classical style for public audiences
What is the crux of the plot of Thomas Kydd’s Spanish Tragedy?
The crux of the plot of Thomas Kydd’s Spanish Tragedy is that justice can’t be achieved at a corrupt court
What is the plot of Thomas Kydd’s Spanish Tragedy?
In Thomas Kydd’s Spanish Tragedy, Don Andrea is dishonourably killed and accompanied by Revenge on his quest to avenge himself
How does Francis Bacon characterise revenge?
Francis Bacon said that revenge is a ‘wild justice’ that puts the law out of office
Why were revenge tragedies popular in the Elizabethan era?
Revenge tragedies were popular in the Elizabethan era because of their rhetorical language and sheer theatricality mirroring contemporaries’ lives
What is a dramatic example of the Tudor perception of their “modern” political culture?
William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus (1592) shows the Tudor idea of their “modern” political culture, the enemy’s children are baked in a pie- a macabre reenactment of personal medieval justice
How did the Classical author Seneca influence Elizabethan drama?
Seneca’s idea of the revenge crime surpassing the original crime became popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean literature
By when had the Classical author Siasties’ works all been republished?
By 1581 Siasties’ works had all been republished, his idea of anger being a temporary madness validated popular Humanist culture
What can be said of Hamlet (1600)?
Hamlet’s crisis of conscience elaborates on the idea of anger making you loose all sense
What must be remembered about Hamlet’s regicide?
Although Hamlet killed the king, and this might present contemporary issues re: Elizabeth, it was depicted as rightful Christian revenge rather than self-interested treason
What was an issue with Humanism in literature and drama?
In literature and drama, there was conflict between Classical and Christian codes
What three types of audiences of Elizabethan drama were there?
Legal courts, the Royal court, and the general public were the core audiences of Elizabethan and indeed earlier drama
What made the political culture depicted in dramas acceptable to the English contemporary audiences?
The political culture depicted in dramas was acceptable to English contemporary audiences because they were set abroad and this didn’t highlight domestic tensions such as the Wars of the Roses
What can be said about the changes in audience during the Tudor era?
During the Tudor era, unprecedented numbers in public theatre were met, and many plots resonated with High Political audiences
What can be said about the multiplicity of plots?
There may perhaps have been allusions in plot lines or characters which would have been apparent only o upper class audiences
