CORE-II ENGLISH DRAMA # Unit II, Lesson 1: Elizabethan Theatre - Theatres, Theatre groups, audience, actors and conventions, Tragedy and Comedy

 CORE-II ENGLISH DRAMA

# Unit II, Lesson 1: Elizabethan Theatre - Theatres, Theatre groups, audience, actors and conventions, Tragedy and Comedy

## 2 Marks Questions and Answers (10)

1. Question: What was the first purpose-built theatre in London?

   Answer: The Theatre, built by James Burbage in 1576.

2. Question: Name two prominent Elizabethan theatre companies.

   Answer: The Lord Chamberlain's Men and the Admiral's Men.

3. Question: Who typically played female roles in Elizabethan theatre?

   Answer: Young boys or men, as women were not allowed to perform on stage.

4. Question: What was the "groundling" in Elizabethan theatre?

   Answer: Groundlings were audience members who paid a penny to stand in the pit in front of the stage.

5. Question: What was the typical shape of Elizabethan public theatres?

   Answer: Polygonal (often octagonal) or circular.

6. Question: What is meant by the "Unities" in Elizabethan drama?

   Answer: The dramatic principles of unity of time, place, and action, derived from classical drama.

7. Question: Name two famous Elizabethan tragedies.

   Answer: "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare and "Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe.

8. Question: What was a "jig" in Elizabethan theatre?

   Answer: A short, comic performance often featuring music and dance, performed after the main play.

9. Question: What was the purpose of the flag flown above the theatre?

   Answer: To announce that a play was to be performed that day.

10. Question: Name two famous Elizabethan comedies.

    Answer: "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare and "The Shoemaker's Holiday" by Thomas Dekker.

## 5 Marks Questions and Answers (5)

1. Question: Describe the structure and features of a typical Elizabethan public theatre.

   Answer: A typical Elizabethan public theatre had several distinctive features:

   1. Shape: Usually polygonal or circular, open to the sky with a covered stage.

   

   2. Stage: A large, raised platform stage that thrust into the yard, with a trapdoor for special effects.

   

   3. Galleries: Three levels of covered seating galleries surrounding the yard.

   

   4. Tiring House: A backstage area behind the stage for actors to change costumes and wait for cues.

   

   5. Heavens: A painted ceiling over the stage, sometimes with a trapdoor for "descents from heaven."

   These features allowed for flexible staging and intimate actor-audience interaction, defining the unique character of Elizabethan theatre.

2. Question: Explain the role and organization of Elizabethan theatre companies.

   Answer: Elizabethan theatre companies were central to the era's dramatic production:

   1. Structure: Companies were organized as joint-stock companies, with actors as shareholders.

   

   2. Patronage: Most companies sought noble patrons for protection and prestige, e.g., Lord Chamberlain's Men.

   

   3. Repertory: Companies maintained a large repertoire of plays, performing different shows daily.

   

   4. Roles: Companies had a hierarchical structure, with lead actors (sharers) and hired actors (hirelings).

   

   5. Touring: Companies would tour outside London, especially when theatres were closed due to plague.

   This organization allowed for stable, professional theatre production and fostered the development of England's rich dramatic tradition.

3. Question: Analyze the composition and behavior of Elizabethan theatre audiences.

   Answer: Elizabethan theatre audiences were diverse and interactive:

   1. Social Mix: Audiences ranged from nobility in the galleries to commoners (groundlings) in the yard.

   

   2. Interaction: Audiences were vocal, reacting to performances with cheers, boos, and comments.

   

   3. Attendance: Theatre was popular entertainment, with performances regularly drawing large crowds.

   

   4. Gender: Both men and women attended, though respectable women often wore masks.

   

   5. Expectations: Audiences expected a variety of entertainment, including jigs and music alongside the main play.

   This diverse, engaged audience shaped the development of Elizabethan drama, influencing playwrights and performers.

4. Question: Discuss the major conventions of Elizabethan tragedy.

   Answer: Elizabethan tragedy had several defining conventions:

   1. Five-Act Structure: Typically followed a five-act format, influenced by Seneca.

   

   2. Blank Verse: Most dialogue was written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

   

   3. Tragic Hero: Central character of high status with a fatal flaw leading to their downfall.

   

   4. Supernatural Elements: Often included ghosts, witches, or other supernatural beings.

   

   5. Comic Relief: Inclusion of comic scenes to provide contrast and relief from tragic tension.

   These conventions shaped the form and content of Elizabethan tragedies, allowing for both formal structure and creative innovation.

5. Question: Compare and contrast Elizabethan tragedy and comedy.

   Answer: Elizabethan tragedy and comedy shared some features but differed in key aspects:

   Similarities:

   1. Both used blank verse and prose.

   2. Both often included supernatural elements.

   3. Both explored themes of love, power, and social order.

   Differences:

   1. Ending: Tragedies ended in death and disaster, comedies in marriage and reconciliation.

   2. Protagonist: Tragic heroes were usually of high status, while comic protagonists could be of any social class.

   3. Tone: Tragedies dealt with serious themes, while comedies were lighter and often satirical.

   4. Structure: Tragedies often followed a stricter five-act structure, while comedies were more flexible.

   5. Purpose: Tragedies aimed to evoke pity and fear, comedies to provoke laughter and social commentary.

   These differences allowed playwrights to explore a wide range of human experiences and emotions across the two genres.

## Essay Question and Answer (1)

Question: Analyze the unique characteristics of Elizabethan theatre, discussing how its physical spaces, acting companies, audience dynamics, and dramatic conventions contributed to the flourishing of English Renaissance drama.

Answer: Introduction:

The Elizabethan era (1558-1603) witnessed an unprecedented flowering of English drama, producing some of the greatest works in the English language. This theatrical renaissance was shaped by a unique combination of factors: the physical structure of the theatres, the organization of acting companies, the nature of the audience, and the dramatic conventions of the time. This essay will examine how these elements interacted to create a theatrical tradition of remarkable richness and vitality.

Physical Spaces:

The architecture of Elizabethan theatres played a crucial role in shaping dramatic production:

1. Open-Air Amphitheatres:

Public theatres like The Theatre (1576) and The Globe (1599) were open-air, polygonal structures. This design, accommodating up to 3,000 spectators, allowed for daylight performances and created an intimate actor-audience relationship.

2. Thrust Stage:

The large platform stage that jutted into the audience area enabled a more dynamic and interactive style of performance. It allowed actors to engage with the audience on three sides, fostering a sense of immediacy and involvement.

3. Minimal Scenery:

The lack of elaborate sets necessitated rich, descriptive language and sparked the audience's imagination, contributing to the poetic quality of Elizabethan drama.

4. Gallery Seating and Standing Yard:

The social stratification of the audience, with wealthier patrons in the galleries and "groundlings" standing in the yard, reflected and reinforced social hierarchies while also creating a diverse, mixed audience.

Acting Companies:

The structure and operation of acting companies were fundamental to the development of Elizabethan theatre:

1. Repertory System:

Companies maintained a large repertoire of plays, performing a different play each day. This system encouraged prolific playwriting and versatile acting.

2. Joint-Stock Companies:

The organization of companies as joint-stock ventures, with actors as shareholders, provided financial stability and fostered a collaborative creative environment.

3. Boy Companies:

The tradition of all-male casts, with boys playing female roles, influenced playwriting and performance styles, leading to complex explorations of gender in plays like "Twelfth Night."

4. Patronage:

Noble patronage provided companies with protection and prestige, while also influencing the content of plays, often reflecting contemporary political and social issues.

Audience Dynamics:

The nature and behavior of Elizabethan audiences significantly impacted theatrical productions:

1. Social Diversity:

The mix of social classes in the audience meant that playwrights had to appeal to a broad spectrum of tastes and intellects, contributing to the multilayered complexity of Elizabethan drama.

2. Interactive Spectatorship:

The vocal and responsive nature of Elizabethan audiences encouraged a participatory form of theatre. Playwrights often incorporated direct address and topical references to engage this lively audience.

3. Expectations of Variety:

Audiences expected a full day's entertainment, including jigs, music, and sometimes bear-baiting. This variety influenced the structure of plays, encouraging the inclusion of songs, dances, and comic interludes even in tragedies.

4. Repeat Attendance:

Regular theatregoers developed sophisticated tastes, allowing playwrights to experiment with complex plots, rich language, and intertextual references.

Dramatic Conventions:

Elizabethan playwrights worked within a set of dramatic conventions that both structured their work and provided opportunities for innovation:

1. Genre Mixing:

While distinctions between tragedy and comedy existed, Elizabethan playwrights often blended elements of both, creating tragicomedies and problem plays that defied simple categorization.

2. Blank Verse and Prose:

The use of blank verse (unrhymed iambic pentameter) for noble characters and prose for comic or lower-class characters became a convention that allowed for linguistic variety and characterization.

3. Five-Act Structure:

Influenced by classical models, many plays followed a five-act structure. However, this was often used flexibly, allowing for episodic storytelling and multiple plot lines.

4. Supernatural Elements:

The inclusion of ghosts, witches, and other supernatural beings was common, reflecting both popular beliefs and theatrical spectacle.

5. Soliloquies and Asides:

These conventions allowed for deep psychological exploration of characters and direct communication with the audience, contributing to the richness of characterization in Elizabethan drama.

Conclusion:

The flourishing of English Renaissance drama was the result of a unique convergence of physical, social, and artistic factors. The architecture of the theatres fostered an intimate and dynamic relationship between actors and audience. The structure of acting companies encouraged both prolific playwriting and skilled performance. The diverse and engaged audience spurred playwrights to create works of both popular appeal and intellectual depth. Finally, the dramatic conventions of the time provided a framework within which playwrights could experiment and innovate.

This theatrical ecosystem produced an extraordinary body of work that continues to be performed and studied worldwide. The plays of Shakespeare, Marlowe, Jonson, and their contemporaries, born from this unique theatrical context, explore the full range of human experience with a depth, complexity, and poetic power that remain unmatched. The Elizabethan theatre, with its distinctive characteristics, laid the foundation for the enduring legacy of English drama and significantly influenced the development of Western theatre as a whole.