Concetti Chiave
- The Elizabethan theater was a major cultural phenomenon in Renaissance England, attracting audiences from all social classes.
- Initially banned by the City for being considered immoral, Shakespeare's plays gained popularity, leading to the construction of many famous playhouses.
- The Globe was a notable round-shaped outdoor theater, while the Blackfriars was an indoor venue used during winter.
- Elizabethan playhouses had a unique interactive atmosphere, with audiences able to move around and engage with the performance.
- Theatrical companies were often under the protection of nobility, and men played all roles, including female characters, due to restrictions on women acting.
ELIZABETHAN THEATER
The Importance of Elizabethan Theatre
Theater was the most important cultural phenomenon in Renaissance England and the plays were seen by everybody. At first the companies of actors gave public performances in the courtyards of the London inns but later They were banned by the City because They were considered immoral by the Puritans. But in a few years Shakespeare plays were in great demand and many playhouses were built. The most famous were the Globe, The Rose, the Swan, the Blackfriars, the Theater.
The Structure of Elizabethan Theatres
The Globe was Shakespeare's theater. The Globe was so called because It was round and It was an outdoor theater with a thatched roof, while the Blackfriars was an indoor theater with a roof and It was used in winter.
There were theaters with roofs and without roofs. In summer plays were performed in outdoors theaters (the Globe) while in winter they were performed in indoors theaters (the Blackfriars).
The Elizabethan playhouse was round in shape with the stage in the middle. The area with no seats was occupied by the lower social classes while the area with seats was occupied by the higher social classes.
Interaction Between Actors and Audience
plays were performed in the afternoon and the taking of torches indicated that the scene was taking place at night. The Elizabethan playhouses were round with the stage in the middle, so there was an interaction between the players and the audience who could move around, quarrel, eat and drink. This interaction between the players and the audience accounts for the unique atmosphere of Elizabethan playhouses.
Theatrical Companies and Their Roles
Player were considered vagabonds and their plays weren't worth being performed. For this reason they used to put themselves under the protection of noblemen, kings or queens and they called their companies after their names. Shakespeare belonged to companies known as the Lord Chamberlain's Man, the Earl of Leichester's men, the king's men. Women could not act because they were forbidden to act, so men acted female roles disguised as women.
PURITANS
The Puritans and Their Opposition
They were a group of English Protestants hostile to the official Church of England. They had very strict moral values, They avoided ostentations, ceremonies, music and considered theaters immoral.
Domande da interrogazione
- Why were Elizabethan theaters initially banned by the City of London?
Elizabethan theaters were initially banned by the City of London because the Puritans considered them immoral due to their strict moral values and opposition to ostentations and ceremonies.
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