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Post-Shakespearean Dramatists
Introduction -
Post Shakespearean drama/Jacobean drama (that is, the drama of the age of James 11603-1625) was a decadent form of the drama of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The Elizabethan age was the golden age of English drama.With the turn of the century the drama in England also took a turn. It does not mean that there were no dramatists left. There certainly was a large number of them, but none of them could come anywhere near Shakespeare.Just as after Chaucer, poetry in England suffered a decline, similarly after Shakespeare had given his best (that is, after the sixteenth century) drama also suffered a decline. With the passage of time it grew more and more decadent, till with Shirley in the
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The blank verse of Beaumont and Fletcher is similarly inclined to a free use of weak and feminine endings. The “mighty line” of Marlowe and terse verse of
Shakespeare in the prime are lost. As the fifteenth century followers of Chaucer failed to retain the charm of their master’s versification, so the later dramatists were quite unable to recapture the vital quality of dramatic blank verse.
7) Poor Characterisation – The post-Shakespearean dramatists had little skill in creating characters.
They could not create new characters. They had certain stock-characters which they represented again and again in their plays. The whore, the lustful king, the adventurous panderer, were their wooden characters and they repeated them with mechanical regularity in their plays.
8) Other Channels of Expression – Dramatic literature suffered a setback due to the growing popularity of poetry and novels as medium of expressing literary thoughts. These two forms of literature proved more fascinating to authors, and instead of diverting their energy to drama which was on its way to decline, they directed their thoughts and ideas to the field of poetry and fiction.
9) Opposition by the Puritans – The Puritan opposition to drama is also responsible for the decline of drama during this age. Since the
No society remains immobile, even if some human beings resist changes. The advances in technology and the emergence of new beliefs allow people to have a broader imagination. Thus, numerous new interpretations of ancient works, whether they are plays, folktales, or poems, permeate around the world. These renditions re-tell the original stories in contexts that adjust to modern world. What was regarded serious in the past becomes mockery nowadays. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest English play writers, has a profound influence upon different societies globally since the fifteenth century, for his plays inspire many contemporary artists to present new scopes reflecting their societies. Considered as one of Shakespeare’s greatest
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
In the grand scheme of things, it seems quite odd that the vast majority of people have decided it is important to perform, study, and read plays written by a man who has been dead for over four hundred years. This of course, refers to William Shakespeare. For many people, the mention of his name brings up a faded memorized line or two from high school, but his impact on the world stretches farther than the perimeters of a classroom. Shakespeare revolutionized the English language to the point where half the time people are blissfully unaware of the fact they are quoting him. Whenever someone says, “What a sorry sight,” or, “I’m tongue tied”, they are not only empirically unoriginal, they are spouting Shakespeare.
Shakespeare is dead. Shakespeare is not relevant in today’s times. It is very boring for students to listen to the material, and only a certain type of personality can appreciate Shakespeare.
These new literary works were very different from the works before them. Now works of literature were expressing womens uniqueness as well as emphasizing partying and independence. These new and intriguing literary works caused a major increase in the popularity of books during the
They started them off easy with Shakespearian sonnets, but by Middle School, the students tackled his lighter material, the comedies. But, by ninth grade, it became time for these young minds to tackle the histories and, most importantly, the tragedies. In fact, their senior year centered on a research paper, while citing MacBeth, King Lear, Hamlet, and Othello, they were to craft their own definition of tragedy for Mr. Naething’s English class. Lawrence Levine’s chapter “William Shakespeare in America” addresses why this private school focused not only its curriculum on Shakespeare but centered it’s advertising literature to prospective parents about that fact. He argues the performance of William Shakespeare’s works, whether rote or adapted, did not belong to any one cultural group or classification in the early to middle nineteenth century. Additionally, no one claimed cultural authority over its presentation, as Shakespearian works were presented equally amongst other entertainment of all varieties. It was neither fine art nor was it middle of the road entertainment, it belonged to the cultural commons. Levine observes, “But it was a Shakespeare presented as part of the culture they enjoyed, a Shakespeare rendered familiar and intimate by virtue of his context.” So, how and why did the works of William
Theatre in Elizabethan times was marvellous entertainment. Plays would be performed almost anywhere, the theatres were new and extremely popular places for people to meet up socialise. All sorts of people went to watch plays, from the poorest people to the richest. The poor people would stand at the front while the richest would sit down and watch from a more comfortable place. During 1592-93, Shakespeare wrote long poems instead of plays as the theatres were closed due to the plague. The people in this time were very religious and wouldn?t
One common argument is that William Shakespeare was not a noble in his time, but rather a commoner. As a result, many “anti-Stratfordians base their argument on the impossibility of “the man from Stratford” writing the plays due to his lack of education, his anonymity and his supposed limited knowledge of the law, the battlefield, and the court” (Wheeler). The knowledge of the life of Shakespeare displayed in many of his biographies are sparse and poorly documented. Simply put, Shakespeare was simply not “important” to his immediate history, so little remains (“Shakespeare 101: A Summary of the Doubts”). As a result, many of the theorized authors of the plays were, in fact, written by well-educated and wealthy
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
Chaucer’s life and writings have made a huge impact on the writings of today’s time. He is often hailed as the father of English poetry. Many writers were influenced by Chaucer, including Shakespeare. “He had an abundance of natural buoyancy which he communicates…On the other hand, he had no gift for tragedy…”1 Chaucer invested most all of his characters with all varieties of human nature . “There are some critics who are not satisfied with {Chaucer’s} poetry unless it exhibits moral values.”2 The Canterbury Tales are incomplete because he probably “…came to realize that the whole scheme was too ambitious.”3 He most likely died before he could finish
William Shakespeare is known to be the “greatest English-speaking writer in history” and an England’s national poet, actor, and an extremely successful playwright. During Shakespeare’s acting career in London, he started writing all about “European geography, culture, and diverse personalities (History.com).” Willm Shakspere or William Shakspeare, as written by him, then went on to write plays. His first three plays were all created around or a little before 1592 and captured the core studied categories; tragedy (Titus Andronicus), comedy (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the Shrew), and history (Henry VI trilogy and Richard III). He wrote plays and sonnets for many theater companies, was one of the main playwrights for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which was renamed the King’s Men when James I was in charge, and formed the Globe theater in 1599 with other partners. Shakespeare’s unique language, themes, verses, format, characters, and plots makes his writing universal to every culture and time period. Shakespeare is still taught in school nowadays due to its’ educational and transitional purposes. Shakespeare continues to influence modern-day life and I believe will for a long time to come.
“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.
William Shakespeare's Relevance Today For as long as formal education has existed in Britain it has been a largely standard assumption that teaching the works of William Shakespeare is relevant and necessary. Perhaps the relevance of his writing is taken for granted, perhaps it is necessary to re-examine the role of Shakespeare for the modern audience. There are indeed many people who question the relevance of this 440 year old playwright to a 21st century audience, taking it even as far as perhaps the greatest heresy of all, questioning the necessity of GCSE pupils learning Shakespeare at all. This “proposed vandalism from the policymakers” (Guardian 09/02/01) is opposed wholesale by supporters
In our lives, we are surrounded by moments of tragedy that drives our will to keep moving forward. Our daily lifestyles are no different from the famous stories that playwrights have written throughout history. Playwrights are masters at combining theatre elements of tragedy, religion, violence, and numerous relative elements that the audience embrace faithfully. Today, Greek and Roman influence is the main topic since they have inspired the famous plays Desire under the Elms and The Glass Menagerie.
That is another reason for the lasting effect of the dramas. A reader would be able to take the play and use its lesson in his or her own life.