Concetti Chiave
- The evolution of drama saw its peak during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, driven by the theater's social success.
- Drama transitioned from religious origins in the Catholic Mass to secular forms in streets, leading to professional performances.
- The rise of theater companies marked the shift to professional actors, moving away from amateur church and guild performances.
- Despite the professionalization, women were excluded from acting roles, contributing instead to costume preparation.
- The 1572 Vagabond Act challenged traveling players, who then depended on aristocratic patronage to sustain their art.
What is the evolution of drama?
The spectacular rise of Drama as the most popular literary form in the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods dependedn largely upon the social success of the theatre.
From the earliest period of English literature, through the Middle Ages and into the Early Tudor period, popular drama had developed gradually from an elaboration of the Catholic Mass, out of the church and into the streets, where the pageant was pulled around the town or village, into a secular and popular form of entertainment. As plays became less religious and more secular, professional dramatic companies, which took over from the traditional Guilds were estabilished to perform them.
The birth of theater companies
With the birth of the dramatic company, or group of travelling players, the idea of the professional actor developed.
Instead of numbers of the clergy or the general public reading parts, the dramatic company acted the parts in a more skilled and professional way.
Women still did not take part in the acting, but would work in the preparation of customes .
These companies toured the country with a selection of plays, fabliaux, interludes and farces, shopping at local inns or country houses to perform.
According to the Vagabond Act of 1572, travelling players and dramatic companies were outlawed and classed as vagabonds.
As a result, they relied heaviky on aristocratic patron age in order to continue their profession.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did drama evolve during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods?
- How did the Vagabond Act of 1572 affect traveling players and dramatic companies?
Drama evolved from religious performances linked to the Catholic Mass into a secular form of entertainment, becoming the most popular literary form during the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods due to the social success of the theatre.
The Vagabond Act of 1572 outlawed traveling players and dramatic companies, classifying them as vagabonds, which forced them to rely heavily on aristocratic patronage to continue their profession.
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