Drama, derived from the Greek word meaning “action”, is an
important genre in literature used to entertain people by real-like
performances on a stage known as theatre. It was part of Roman, Greek, and
Indian civilization but later spread to other parts of the world.
Elizabethan Age, 16th and 17th century, was the most splendid year for the rise of western drama. Elizabeth was a powerful monarch and a supporter of art, which motivated people to indulge in the activities related to theatre. During her reign, some playwrights made their earnings through theatre. In the beginning, actors used to perform in open theaters situated in inns and courtyards. Later, many public theaters were built. Theater becomes a popular entertainment source, and people of all walks of life used to attend it. Although women were not allowed on stage but were part of the audience.
Following are the representative playwrights of the Elizabethan
era:
- William Shakespeare
- Christopher Marlowe
- John Webster
- John Lyly
- Ben Johnson
- Thomas Heywood
- Thomas Kyd
- Thomas Dekker
- George Chapman
Elizabethan tragedy dealt with heroic themes, centering on a great personality who is destroyed by his passion and ambition. The comedies often satirized the flaws and gallants of society. The plays were highly influenced by ancient works including Greek tragedy and Attic drama.
Most storylines were
taken from Greek mythology and Roman mythologies involving renowned playwrights
like Plautus and Terence for comedy and Seneca for tragedy. The influence of
Spanish tragedy can also be seen in the works of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and
Christopher Marlowe. The plots contained murders, revenge, and violence. It can
be seen in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Different styles and themes were also introduced in Elizabethan drama The writing style, most of the plays were written in Blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter. The disguise was one of the devices that were used frequently by characters in Elizabethan plays. They made them more interesting by adding violence, humor, asides, wordplays, rhymed couplets, and soliloquies.
Different interludes were introduced in royal banquets. Miracle plays also
known as “mysteries”, were performed on special occasions and depicted biblical
history. They were performed in pageant wagons and people would gather around
to watch them. The structure of miracle plays had an important influence on
English history plays. Morality plays
containing religious themes first appeared in the fourteenth century but then were
increasingly secularized in the 16th century.
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) stands out in this period both as a
poet and playwright. His plays included a variety of genres i.e. tragedy, comedy,
tragicomedy, history, and late romances. His early classical and Italianate
comedies, like A Comedy of Errors, containing tight double plots and
precise comic sequences, give way in the mid-1590s to the romantic atmosphere
of his greatest comedies.
In Elizabethan Age, the present time was reflected in the dramas.
The writers would write what they observed around them. For instance hatred for
Jews, the community is reflected in anti-Semitic plays, The Jew of Malta
and The Merchant of Venice written by Christopher Marlowe and William
Shakespeare respectively. In the former, the Jew was a cruel, egotistic, and
greedy man and in the latter, the merchant was also a greedy and vindictive
person.
As ethnics and religious beliefs are an important part of society
so they are an important part of society’s entertainment so these plays were
used to teach moral lessons to people. Sometimes through action and sometimes
they would convey it directly to the audience. An excellent example of this
direct address occurs in A Woman Killed with Kindness by Thomas Heywood
with a lesson, women stay faithful to their husbands!
In most Elizabethan plays, violent acts were only reported on the
stage between the characters. This way, the audience would learn about the
action that could not be performed. For instance, if there was part from a
battle or some ceremony, they were not able to hire and manage hundreds of
people on the stage. Also, some acts of violence could not be performed so it
was preferred to only mention them.
The audience was seated in a semi-circular or circular design
theatre. Similarly, the Greek theatres known as ‘Theatron’ were built into a
hill to create natural viewing space and open-air structure. Just like
Elizabethans, Greek people allowed only men to act. Tragic heroes in both
theatres experience their downfall after the climax and then the drama’s resolution
takes place. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Orestes, both involve the
murder of a king by a relative. Also, there is a unity of theme in Othello
and King Lear.
The Puritans were zealous Protestants and they condemned such kinds
of entertainment and considered them ungodly institutions. Throughout the era,
they tried to close theatres and continuously campaigned against the playhouses
as they feared that it threatened England’s morality. They eventually succeeded in
closing all the public theaters in 1642.
This article is written by Hafsah Afridi, one of the contributors at the School of Literature.
