The English Renaissance is considered the most brilliant period in the history of theater.
It included the legendary works of Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare,
and Ben Jonson. These playwrights even influenced today’s drama practices.
Plays had two major genres: comedy and tragedy. Tragedy was a highly elite genre, where only the best of the best could be called “tragedy”, let alone played on the stage. Comedy didn't mean funny like today. Instead, it meant a play with a happy ending and often included some kind of irony. The actors playing the parts had a full-time job, unlike medieval actors who were only amateur, untrained hobbyists. Only males could have professional acting careers, and females were portrayed by adolescent actors. The acting methods were quite the spectacle to the on-looking audience. Expressions were exaggerated and gestures were operatic and flamboyant. Costumes were reused but extravagant. The first public theatre was constructed in 1576, followed by eight more in the London region. The most famous is the “Globe”, Shakespeare’s theatre in 1599. In the mid-1600’s, the rising Puritan movement became hostile towards the art of theatre, believing it to be sinful. In 1642, the staging of plays was banned from London theatres. After eighteen years, it was once again allowed, bringing in new genres and distinctive character and stylisation. |