Elizabethan England, Shakespeare, And Theatre

1. Elizabethan England, Shakespeare, And Theatre

2. The Elizabethan Age • 1476 First Printing Press in England • 1558 Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England • 1576 The Theater, England’s first playhouse is built in London • 1587 Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, by order of Elizabeth I • 1588 Spanish Armada defeated by British Navy, allowing more world trade and colonization • 1594 Lord Chamberlain’s Men, Shakespeare’s acting company, is formed

3. …to the Jacobean Era • 1599 The Globe Theater opens • 1603 Bubonic Plague rampages through London; Elizabeth I dies; James I becomes King of England; English conquest of Ireland; Lord Chamberlain’s Men becomes King’s Men • 1605 Repression of Catholics and Puritans • 1609 Johannes Kepler proves planetary orbits are elliptical • 1611 King James Bible published • 1613 The Globe Theater burns down

4. Queen Elizabeth • Became queen of England and Ireland at the age of 25 until her death at the age of 69. (1558-1603) • Her reign of England is commonly known as the “Golden Age” or the English Renaissance • While many men pursued Elizabeth for marriage, she chose to never married (most likely to retain power.)

5. England began to flower, artistically speaking, during Elizabeth’s rule. Many great writers (men such as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare) began publishing their works

6. Life & Times… what did they do for fun? • Composing & performing music • Dancing (especially popular with married couples) • Attending the theatre (popular topics ranged from love, witchcraft, poison, conspiracy history, assassination, revenge and murder. .) • Playing games (dice, chess, checkers, cards) • Outdoor games (such as golf, horse racing, fishing, hunting, fencing, dueling, etc.) • Various festivals (food, costume parties, games, bonfires, and dancing)

7. Love and Marriage…the basics • Boys were able to marry at 14 and girls at 12 – although it was often discouraged at such a young age. • Marriages were a business deal, which involves a contract that includes a dowry (bride’s marriage payment) • Some women were more independent than others. However, every woman was expected to be married and must depend on her male relatives throughout her life

8. Love and Marriage…the rules • You do not marry for love; it is considered foolish. You can learn to love your husband or wife after the wedding. • Children are considered the property of their parents and must give them the proper respect. As a child, you do this… or else. • Wives are considered the property of the husband. The rule is the same as the one listed above.

9. The Plague • The bubonic plague (aka the Black Death) swept through England during the Elizabethan era. • Extremely deadly disease that killed over a third of London’s population alone • The theatres were frequently shut down due to outbreaks of the plague (officials feared the crowded theatres would spread the plague)

10. Medicines – it’s all about the Humours!

11. Feeling Angry?? • For instance – if you had “anger management” issues – it was determined that you were extremely Sanguine (blood…which explains the expression “hot blooded”) To treat this, doctors would often resort to “bleeding” a patient – either through the use of leeches or actually cutting the skin and squeezing the extra “choleric” blood out of the body.

12. Do you have a runny nose? • Well – it’s because you’re simply Phlegmatic (“phlegm” = snot) and you are retaining too much moisture in your body! • Doctors would use the ancient form of “cupping” (which is still used in China!!!) • Small glass jars are heated and then quickly placed on a patient’s back. The heat pulls the skin up into a temporary blister. This is when, it is believed, that the extra moisture of the body is being drawn out. Once the cups are removed, the skin returns to normal (well – a little polka-dotted, but normal…)

13. Herbology – still explored today!

14. Ever heard of St. John’s Wort?? St. John’s Wort is commonly used to treat anxiety This herb was used centuries ago simply because the yellow shade of the flower was associated with Sanguine (yellow bile)

15. Leaky Vessels • Women were considered to NEVER have their humours in balance – and therefore, UNABLE to rule or make decisions because they were considered “Leaky Vessels” • Why? • Think about it…. • Crying • Childbirth • Monthlies • Gossipy

16. The Four Humours

17. What to Wear? What to Wear? • Sumptuary Laws prohibited the use of specific cloth, colors and designs for different socio-economic and feudal levels. • A person below the rank of a knight's eldest son, for example, was not allowed to wear satin, damask or taffeta.

18. The Great Chain of Being • The universe has a set ORDER of importance and function. All are LINKED together, but within a linear link. • To try to jump more than one “rung” on the ladder would upset the ENTIRE balance of the universe.

19. Theater in Shakespeare’s Time • Before the 1570’s, English drama barely existed • Eventually, London became a thriving center of art and performance • Early theater was outdoors, generally an open-roofed three story building with a stage in the center • Very little if any scenery used • Costumes were often contemporary

20. Elizabethan Theatres Open air Three stories Straw Roof Balcony Backstage Access Center Stage Famous theatres of the time: The Theatre (1576), The Curtain (1577), The Rose (1587), The Swan (1587), The Globe (1595), The Fortune (1600), and The Red Bull (1604)

21. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

22. The Globe Theatre Straw Roof Balcony Backstage Access Center Stage Open air Three stories

23. “Opening Acts” • Theatrical productions of that day had the equivalent of the “warm-up band” - Bear-Baiting

24. The Audience of the Globe The audience of The Globe varied widely, from upper-class theatre goers and nobility, to the poor peasants. Wealthier patrons would pay to sit higher up (or even on the stage in the upper balcony!) Low class patrons could only afford to crowd around the ground floor of the stage. They would be packed in for 2-3 hours with no bathrooms (and remember… bathing was not typical for people at this point!). If it rained, they were just out of luck. These people were known as the “Groundlings”

25. Obstacles to Elizabethan Theatre & The Globe • People protested the theatres, complaining that they were sinful places (due to the elaborate costumes, prostitute theatre-goers, and the use of boy actors to play the roles of women (women were not allowed to perform on the stage. )) The first Globe Theatre burned down in 1613, the second was shut down by the theatre- hating Puritans in 1642. The third construction of the Globe began in 1997.

26. The Globe Theatre

27. Theater in Shakespeare’s Time • No women allowed on stage—men played the women’s roles • Patrons were generally uneducated and illiterate—and very loud! • Eating was allowed in the theater—often theater floors were littered with orange peels and peanut shells

28. William Shakespeare the beginnings • Believed to be born April 23, 1564 in Stratford Upon Avon • Baptized April 26, 1564 • Died April 23, 1616 • Believed to have attended Kings New School in Stratford, a free public school

29. William Shakespeare his adulthood • Married at the age of 18 to 26-year-old Anne Hathaway (Anne was pregnant at the time, thus wedding was rushed) • Father to 3 children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith (Hamnet later died at the age of 11) • Accused of “reaching above his rank” by aspiring to write and compete with university-educated men (Shakespeare never attended college)

30. William Shakespeare his career • Composed many poems, including at least 154 sonnets • Wrote at least 40 complete plays (including 2 that have since been lost: Love’s Labour’s Won and Cardenio) • Wrote his plays to be performed by his theatre company: The Chamberlain’s Men • Later had owner’s stake in the new theatre The Globe

31. Dramatic Structure Climax Turning Point Falling Action Rising Action Conclusion/ dénouement Introduction/ exposition

32. Rise of Prestigious Playhouses • Change in English Theatre • Traveling theatre company • Met with resistance because of crowds • James Burbage built England’s 1st playhouse • Failed lease negotiation resulted in The Globe Theatre