Difference Between Modern Theatre And Elizabethan Theatre

Shakespeare is well known for using stage managers to shape audience understanding or responses. As a playwright during the English Renaissance period, Shakespeare draws on literature models from two cultures Greek and medieval English plays. One example of Shakespeare’s use of these models is evident by examining the stage manager character type in Greek, English Medieval, and English Renaissance literary periods. Shakespeare appears to use the commentary quality of Greek chorus and the medieval English use of a single stage manager character to produce more sophisticated stage managers that integrate smoothly into plays but still shape audience understanding or response.

Elizabeth’s personal love for the arts helped the artistic life to become more fashionable and attractive for the wealthy members of the court and by their support and money, the arts could now blossom. This support allowed the arts to flourish as it did. However, Elizabeth didn’t support the artistic life only because of her love for it, it was the perfect way to lead propaganda and keeping the people calm. Theatres was also used as a tool for teach people norms and rules of the society, and that even to the illiterate in the country. She also knew that the people of England were desperate for some entertainment after years of wars, disease and poverty.

As theatre began shifting away from the political sphere in the Elizabethan period and focused more on comedic and tragic genres, playwrights were able to feature more intimate and domestic issues in their spectacles, but still regarded courtly settings as the appropriate setting

For decades people found theatre one of the most enjoyable form of entertainment all across the world. With every play comes a cost. A value which somebody's story is told. Obviously it can be comic drama or despairing,. Each second of these plays are genuinely delightful and exceptional. Where the performing artists show a totally distinctive side of characters to the group of onlookers where they demonstrate to them something new and pleasurable. And behind the theatre and its plays is one person who keeps it all in check and that is the director. The director is like the heart of a person. You don’t see the heart but you know if it’s doing its job correctly

One of the ways in which theater in Europe has changed between the medieval period has primarily during progressive times and no longer required events of religious influence. For example, medieval plays took a secular approach and introduced French music from Adam de la Halle (Carlson 2014: 13). Throughout the time between the medieval period and the 20th century, changes in European theater varied from additions to performance spaces to the actual content of the plays. During the 16th century, tragedy and comedy plays were kept separate but also incorporated ideas from both genres into stories such as the works of William Shakespeare (Carlson 2014: 17). The 17th-century theater in Europe continued to be influenced by French culture into the 18th century when the focus of plays was shifted to the French drame (Carlson 2014: 19-21). These early periods of theater built the foundation for how theater would be interpreted and influenced in the times later to come.

During the 1500s, one woman prevailed in a society dominated by males. Queen Elizabeth I of England served for forty-four stable and prosperous years. She claimed the throne in 1558 and reigned until her death in 1603. Because of her strong leadership, this time period was known as England’s Golden Age or Elizabethan Era. Queen Elizabeth’s accomplishments were possible because of her educational background, Protestant upbringing, and unmarried status.

Due to her greatly influential decisions, “the latter half of the sixteenth century in England was known as the Elizabethan Age” as quoted from A1. During her reign, she improved many of the government functions by adding trusted advisors, and made strict decisions that helped the workforce run more efficiently. William Cecil was one of Elizabeth’s closest advisors due to

Theatre has been a prevalent form of entertainment for centuries. As time has progressed, the meaning behind theater has shifted to adapt with society appropriately. Different genres of theater have been emerging all throughout history and continue to emerge even today. There are so many different genres of theatre that any individual can relate to it. One can easily recall the major genres of theatre: drama, comedy, musicals. However, it is the sub-divisions within these major genres that evoke unique performances and experiences.

For instance, after our visit to the Ford’s Theater I came to realize the former division of theater by social strata is obsolete. During Shakespeare’s era theatre companies were awarded status and privilege based on patronage from wealthy landholders or the royal family. In contrast, today, we are not subject to theater because our socioeconomic status. Theater seats are no longer exclusively reserved for the bourgeois or monarchs. Access to intellectual performances is no longer off-limits. Time brings change; similar to the more accessible theater for subordinate social caste, change in the subjects and topics is only a natural consequence. In Rome, the well-regulated and pervasive castes of roman society showed obvious in the arts and most notably in theater. While, theater for the intellectual was reserved for those in the higher classes, the partitioning between the patricians and plebeians brought about different styles and

In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.

It first faced difficulty getting built, for the first landlord had a severe dislike towards plays. Then, it had competition with surrounding theatres, which plagiarized works to attract audiences, but luckily, the theatre had its set of unique special effects that attracted audiences. The playhouse was then later burned down and rebuilt, only for Puritans to demolish the theatre in the end. Prior to this research of the Globe Theatre, I only knew of it as a famous and popular stage theatre that William Shakespeare helped fund to build, but I had not recognized nor known of the difficulties it had throughout its existence. Despite all the troubles that the playhouse faced, the theatre eventually made itself known as the grandest and most loved theatre in the Elizabethan era, and its innovative ideas have helped shape modern special effects and live theatre action. To me, the Globe Theatre was a successful business that had succeeded in capturing its customers despite competition and impediments, and it was able to outshine other playhouses to gain audiences because it had its own set of unique special effects that made it a prominent theatre. Each time it was closed or taken town, the theatre would be rebuilt again, and audiences would flock through the entrance once more, all the way until its final closure. Knowledge of the theatre has taught me that despite the many obstacles and conflicts in the way of one’s goal, one can succeed so long as they persist, just like how the playhouse continued to stand and eventually made its name as “the” theatre of its

Drama changed literature and theater into what it is today. I. History of Elizabethan Theater a. forming of theater 1. medieval church 2. mystery and morality b. actors 1. rogues and thieves 2. acting guilds II. Influences and people a. commanding actors 1. Shakespeare 2. Burbage b. other 1. wars of the roses (other historical influences) 2. laws restricting theater III. The theaters a. prices 1. seating 2. stage b. the theater and the globe 1. locations and characteristics 2. Burbage and other accomplishment Elizabethan Drama During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England underwent a dramatic change in priorities. The importance of art and literature became highly prevalent. The impact of the Elizabethan drama and

“In roughly built playhouses and cobblestone inn yards, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s.” (Yancey, 8). At that time, an opportunity combined to produce literature achievement never before witnessed in the history of drama and theater. The renaissance, helped spark this movement by inspiring scientific and artistic creativity throughout the land. Models began writing dramas that portrayed life in both realistic and imaginative ways. This created work later captured the attention of the world that changed the English drama. The many aspects of Elizabethan theater helped to shape the acting and theater world forever.

The history of theatre in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries is one of the increasing commercialization of the art, accompanied by technological innovations, the introduction of serious critical review, expansion of the subject matters portrayed to include ordinary people, and an emphasis on more natural forms of acting. Theatre, which had been dominated by the church for centuries, and then by the tastes of monarchs for more than 200 years, became accessible to merchants, industrialists, and the less privileged and then the masses.

The theater gained popularity based on the plays they would have showing. In most cases the plays would consist of humor, tragedy, or histories. Shakespeare was one of the most popular playwrights at this time, and many of his plays were performed in the Elizabethan theater. Among him were some other famous play writers,