Elizabethan Theatre and the Life of William Shakespeare

Early theatre performances

Initially the performances were staged on movable platforms often in town squares or in yards. The first permanent theatre was erected in 1576 by James Burbage. This was called simply the theatre and stood in Shoreditch, just outside the city of London.
Permanent theatre were usually circular or polygonal and unroofed. The richer people were sat, the poorer ones stood. The actors performed on a stage called apron or thrust stage. The theatre was unroofed but the apron was half covered by a roof. the most famous theatre of time was globe theatre built in London 1599.

There were 2 companies: lord chamberlain’s men who changed the name in “the king’s men and admiral’s men

The comedy was inspired by Plautus and Terence, the tragedy by Seneca

Elizabethan theatre experience

Elizabethans go to hear not to see plays because in the theatre was set on emotion and not on action.

There was no scenary and few props

Plays were performed with a rich language

Woman couldn’t act and in their place there was boys in female dresses.

SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare is the most famous writer in the world, about his life we know little.

He was born 23 April in Stratford. His father was a glove maker and his mother came from a rich family. He was probably educated at the local grammar school. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. He went to London while his family continued to live in Stratford, and in 1592 he was already a well-known playwright, he started to write his famous sonnets probably when the plague (pleg) closed London theatres (1592-1594). After the plague, Shakespeare became a leading member of the theatre company, the lord chamberain’s men (with whom he worked for the rest of his career as actor, playwright and administrator).

As a poet he wrote a collection of 154 sonnets and two long poems. As a playwright, he wrote 37 plays.