Elizabethan Drama PDF

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Elizabethan drama. Evolution of the literacy forms...

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DRAMA: FROM THE MORALITY PLAY TO ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN DRAMA Drama and poetry are the most important literature forms. Drama is the text, the literary part and theatre is the rest of elements. Drama starts with the main conflict of all human beings – the conflict between good and evil. Ritual dances are considered the origin of drama. The good characters were angels… and the bad forces were evils. Morality plays, a sort of didactical plays in which the characters were allegories. The Morality plays were staged at high platforms where the protagonist was surrounded by allegorical characters – Justice, Mercy, Vice, Gluttony etc. Some of them are comical characters. The main characters were also allegorical, they represented the human beings – this is the reason why some titles are Everyman or Mankind. Everyman dates from about 1490. It shows a genuine expression of mankind. ELIZABETHAN DRAMA The three main manifestations of Elizabethan drama are tragedy, comedy and historical drama. The first tragedy in England was Gorboduc, written by Sackville and Norton and firstly staged in 1562. Ferrex and Porrex were two brothers and they fought for the throne. Tragic elements appear ending up in a tragic denouement. This genre presents Greek and Latin influence. Seneca is remarkable as we can see in this play. The revenge tragedy was a very common type of tragedy in Elizabethan drama, The Spanish tragedy by Thomas Kyd is an example. There is an enormous influence of classics (Seneca who combines beautiful lines with violence lines; philosophical and phycological lines). The first comedy in England was Ralph Roister Doister by Nicholas Udall, first staged in 1551, Plautus and Terence represented funny figures and characters. The general features of Elizabethan drama are: the influence of the classics, chronicle sources which were the basis for the historical drama and abandoned output. Historical drama was based in the chronics of the period, those chronicles were essential for the historical drama writers they were very important as a basis. Revenge tragedy: Thomas Kyd: the Spanish tragedy (revenge is the main topic). There is a lot of violence in these tragedies. It was a type of tragedy. CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE Consider the first dramatist of the Elizabethan era. Born in Canterbury in 1564 he studied in Cambridge. He was murdered in 1593. He was mainly a writer of tragedies which include historical tragedies and drama, some of them are: - Edward II, represented in 1591. - Tamburlaine the great : tells the story of the conquer of what we call Middle East. He was firstly a shepherd and he became a soldier and then an emperor. In this case Tamburlaine through ambition reaches his aim and become emperor. Is a characteristic marlovian hero/line a combination of good a bad characteristics (intelligence, brave, virtous, extraordinary ambitious against ruthless and pitiless), as the medieval hero is a model of virtues the marlovian are ambivalent heroes.

- The jew of malta. - Doctor faustus: it was performed about 1582. It has been considered the first tragedy of the renaissance, particularly because Dr. Faustus is a man of knowledge and it is closely related with the renaissance. He knows everything. He is not satisfied and wants to know more want to be like a god. Then he make a pact with a envoy of the devil, Mephistohilis. He plays upon with his ambition and pact with him the sell of his soul for 24 years of power and knowledge, signing it with his own blood. He began a magician but then a solitary man because Mephistopheles plays trick with him, he cheated him. After 24 years the devil appears punctually and request for the soul of doctor Faustus. Doctor Faustus knows that his time is over, then Marlowe represent masterfully how worried Faustus is. Faustus is 40 years and he knows that his time has come. THEATER AT THE ELIZABETHAN AND JACOBEAN PERIOD Theater was the main entertainment for everyone. There were also other kind of entertainments, bear-baiting and bull-baiting where one animal was placed on the arena to fight. The companies of actors were also important those days. The dramatists sold their plays to the theater companies to put it on stage. Theater was crowded with people from all social classes. It shape was round and open with different floors and an arena similar to a bullring. The main acting area was the main forward-jutting platform marked proscenium, half surrounded by the arena where people stood to see the play. There was the auditorium sits protected by a roof, ment for wealthy people. A flag signaled a performance while it was played. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE He was born in 1564. He married Anne Hathaway very young and went to London to become an actor. He came from a wealthy family. Shakespeare received a great education, he went to the Stratford upon Avon grammar school. He is living in London and in a important social scale. In those times an artist needed a patron, a support, in his case he was The earl of Southampton. PERIODS OF SHAKESPEARE WRITING: - The first phase of literary Shakespeare’s outputs was Titus Andronicus, an extremely violent play related with the same historical character. Also stand out comedies historical pieces and his poems. - Most of his comedies belong to the second phase. But also some historical pieces and one of the most well-known tragedies of the Elizabethan era: Romeo and Juliet. - Then come the dark period where the entire very well known tragedies belong, not so many comedies. To this period belong tragedies with lot of historical characters such as Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra… and Hamlet. This last one not completely historical but a mixture between real event and fantasy. - Finally the last phase where Shakespeare doesn’t write comedies as they are known, they are very sorrow plays but with happy endings. In this age Shakespeare was not as merry as in his beginning and also was more mature and an older man. In this period he only writes an historical piece, Henry the VIII. HAMLET Hamlet arrives to Danmark to his father’s funeral but also occurs the wedding of his uncle Claudius and his mother Gertrud. His father’s ghost visit tells him he has been murdered by the new king. This revelation devastates Hamlet. He has to accomplish a mission. He has to revenge his murder.

Hamlet character is closely related with doubt. He become disappointed with his mother and becomes disappointed with all women and a misogynist. In order to find the truth, revenge in those times was the real justice. He discovers how Cludious is shocked about how Hamlet knows the truth. Is a very special personal kind of tragically revenge. There is a delay in Hamlet, from the drama point the delay is completely necessary. The delay shows the psychological state of mind of Hamlet and also a way of showing the social situation. Play charge with lot of elements, it makes Hamlet different from the hero of the revenge tragedy. Hamlet is an individual, completely apart from everyone for what he says. What Hamlet says is a powerful poetical text which at the same time shows Shakespeare’s psychological insight and philosophical person. There is an enormous intensity in Hamlet word that bear a great Darkness cause he is suffering from melancholy. The main reason of his misogyny is his mother. He kills Polonious by mistake but he doesn’t regret it. He is dramatically alone, solitary with his own doubts, his hesitations. This all come because he has lost Communications with those who loved him. The revenge Revenge in those times was in many cases the way in which somebody makes justice. It was the proper thing to do. Revenge, an action which brings many tragic consequences, but in many cases necessary. It is so rich in indications in psychological sight. Hamlet is far more as a tragedy of revenge. There are many elements that there are no in any other revenge. The revenge’s delay in Hamlet He starts hesitating; regarding the apparitions. That delays his revenge. Hamlet delay is a mixed with a dramatic, social, poetical devices. Hamlet as a hero of the revenge tragedy An original way Shakespeare deals with the revenge. Hamlet different from the hero of the revenge tragedy. Hamlet is totally individualized apart from the rest of the heroes because of what he does but because of what he says, the word. What Hamlet says is a powerful poetical text, he has an enormous psychological insight and philosophical person. Shakespeare is not only a poet when he wrote poetry. Hamlet was written to be stayed. In the poetry which appears through the play we can see intensity, beauty. These words that Hamlet utters showed darkness because he’s suffering from melancholy. Misogyny He has been letting down by his mother. Ophelia is a renaissance young woman. Polonius is his father. She’s many steps bellow Hamlet.

Polonius asks her not to show herself very familiar to Hamlet, to remain more or less distant from Hamlet affection. So Hamlet takes that in a wrong way. Hamlet has become skeptical about everything. Nor love, nor women. Hamlet as a victim Victim of the circumstances, he victimizes others: 1- He is very tough with his mother. She suffers a lot. 2- He victimizes Ophelia being aggressive. She loses her life because of Hamlet. Claudius, king of Denmark Claudius can be hypocrite. He detests Hamlet. Hamlet is the legitimate heir to the throne. Claudius wants to get rid of him so he orders to kill him. Hamlet madness Hamlet’s feigned madness has much to do with this union Claudius-Hamlet. Hamlet is totally pessimistic and ascetic about the world. On the one hand Hamlet is a man of reflection, philosopher, with scruples, though. Hamlet’s loneliness Hamlet is dramatically alone, a solitary figure. He has lost the company: love, mother, and father. POETRY SIR THOMAS WYATT He was a courtier of Henry VIII, it was a risky thing because one day you could be rich and powerful and the day after be imprisoned and decapitated. Translated Petrarch’s sonnets into English; started writing sonnets. None of his sonnets was published while he was alive. In 1557 Tottel’s Miscellany was published, it is an anthology of the poetical works f English poetry. “Songs and sonnets” was the name of his work in the book. The main theme is love, unrequited love so the most part of poems are melancholic; the poet appears as a person who suffers for not being loved for the woman he loves. He wrote satires about the hypocrisies, ambitions and deceits of the court and of the courtiers. He wanted to ask Clement VVII to annul the marriage of Henry VIII so that he could marry Ann Boleyn, who supposedly had had and affair with Wyatt. SHAKESPEARE SONNETS Some people say Shakespeare’s works were written by him and other say that Marlowe and Shakespeare were the same person. For political reasons he couldn’t sign his works because he was a member of the court. The final couplet, called Shakespirian sonnet, where he gives a conclusion summarizing all the poem. The two main subjects of Shakespeare’s sonnets are love and dead, they are associated with the time, it has also an important presence, the ravages of time. In Shakespeare, love is stronger than dead and time; we are always beautiful because of the power of love. Sonnets are addressed to the “dark lady”, we don’t know who is her, another source of inspiration is a young man who is thought to be Earl of Southampton, he were the most important patron Shakespeare had . In many of his comedies there is a pessimistic point of view, extreme jealously, with the human

nature. SPENSER (1552-1599) He was a member of the court of Elizabeth. In 1579 was published The Shepcherel´s calendar, it´s a great example of pastoral literature, he also wrote a book of sonnets called Amoretti. Epithalamion is a platonic celebration of beauty published in 1596. The faerie Queen is a long composition formed by 6 books, the first 3 books published in 1590, and the others in 1596, directed to Queen Elizabeth. He invented a type of verse: the spenserian stanza, a rhythmical stanza consists in 8 lines of 10 syllables plus 1 more line with 12 syllables. SIDNEY (1554-1586) He was a courtier and soldier, and he was one of the most important figure during the Renaissance, he also was a member of the parliament. His literary activities were more more peaceful than the political ones. In Astrophel and Stella, he introduced several variations, perhaps the most original variations, he was very experimental; which includes 108 sonnets and 11 songs, he want to open a philosophical point of view. He wrote a long composition of pastoral literature called The Countess of Pembroke´s Arcadia, it´s made of 5 books, it was a influence for others authors (Shakespeare for example), there ir a lot of violence involves in this composition. The Defense of poetry. He wrote his work in order to defend himself but it´s more than this, it´s a literary and a philosophical critique. Sydney shows that poetry was superior to philosophy and history and it was the best known genre. TEMA...