Development of Drama and its prominent
Writers in The Elizabethan Age
Introduction
The Elizabethan
age is also known as the age of William Shakespeare. Because, he was the
dominant figure of the Elizabethan age in literary terms, it is called the
period of Renaissance. The term ‘Renaissance’ means rebirth or revival of Greek
and Italian culture, literature, art, learning etc. it was an age of drama
therefore, it is necessary to discuss the development of drama in Elizabethan
age
Let’s have a look
on the growth of drama in the Elizabethan age in detail
Development of
drama
The drama had a
religious origin in Greece. Then it started to rise in England. The object of
the first play was to emphasize moral lesson by showing the reward of the good
and the punishment of the evil doer. In England the religious plays where more
famous, and started to perform on the stage in the sixteenth century. The theme
of the drama was religious, that’s why the existence of miracle and mystery
plays can be observed
Let’s elaborate these
plays in detail.
Miracle plays:
A Miracle play is basically
a religious play. They deal with the lives of saints and the miracles performed
by them. The life and martyrdom of a saint formed the central theme of a
Miracle play. The name Miracle was used indiscriminately for all plays having
their origin in the Bible. For four centuries after this first recorded play
the miracles increased steadily in number and popularity in England. Miracles
were acted on the continent earlier than this. The Normans undoubtedly brought
the religious plays with them, but it is probable that they began in England
before the conquest.
Mystery
plays:
The Mystery plays basically deal with the themes
taken from the Bible. They present in chronological order major events from the
Creation and Fall of a Man through Nativity, Crucifixion on, Resurrection of
Christ to the last Judgement.Mystery play represent scenes from the life of
Christ or stories from the old testament of Bible, which associated the coming
of Messiah. In England, The Mystery was used to distinguish a certain class of
plays.
Morality Plays:
Morality plays are
allegorical plays. They present on the stage personified virtues and vices.
Everyman is presented as hero, Satan, personified as vice, God or Christ as
virtue, and death as the reward of sin. The moral of the drama is shown by the
increasing prevalence of the morality plays. The characters of these plays were
allegorical personages-Life, Death, repentance, Goodness, Love, Greed, and
other virtues and vices. The moralities may be regarded as the dramatic
counterpart of the once-popular allegorical poetry exemplified by the Romance
of the Rose”. Most of the old moralities are of unknown date and origin. Two
famous authors were there like John Skelton, who wrote” Magnificence” and Sir
David Lindsay. These both are the writers of high quality.
Interludes Plays:
The Interludes were
generally short entertainment inserted within a longer play or amidst some
other festivities or festivals. Their primary function was to entertain the
audience by humor or even by farce. The Interludes originated undoubtedly, in a
sense of humor, and to John Heywood, who raised the Interlude to the distinct
dramatic form known as comedy.
Apart from that, the
artistic period plays a vital role to raise the English drama. It is a
different from the earlier plays like Miracles and Mysteries. Because it
represents human life as it is. In English Literature,” Ralph Royster
doyster”,the first English comedy, which was written by Nicholas Udall in
1550.The first comedy “Ralph Royster Doyster” is a first wholly comedy is a
full of fun and coarse humours,and is wonderfully true to the life it
represents. To raise the growth of drama, first tragedy can also be
found,”Gorboduc”, which was written in collaboration by Thomas Sackville and
Thomas Norton. It was written in 1561, but performed on the stage in the year
of 1562.
Due to classical
influence, the growth of English drama can be observed. This influence started
to develop from the Mystery and Miracle plays.
So, let’s discuss major
dramatists of this Age in detail.
Shakespeare
Ben Jonson
Marlowe
John Lyly
George Peele
Robert Greene
Thomas kyd
Thomas Nashe
Thomas Lodge
Beaumont
Fletcher.etc
1) William Shakespeare:
Known as one of the most
shining stars of the Elizabethan Age, and prominent figure among English
Dramatists. He was born on 26th April, 1564.As It was customary
to baptize the children on the third day after birth, so 23rd April
is considered as the real birth date of Shakespeare. In 1582, Shakespeare was
married to Anne Hathway.Around 1587, he left his town and family and went to
London to try his luck as an actor, but unfortunately he couldn’t be an
actor.So, he started to write Dramas in four periods.
First Period is a period
of early experimentation. It is marked by youthfulness and exuberance of
imagination, by using rhymed couplets with his blank verse. This is a period
from 1590 to 1595.
Some of his plays are
Henry sixth
Richard second
King John
Comedy of Errors
Love’s Labor’s Lost
Two Gentleman of Verona
The Second period is
considered between 1595 to 1600.A period of rapid growth and development. In
this period we may observe artistic work. In this period we can see the better
plots and a marked increase in knowledge of human nature in his plays.
Some of his dramas are
as given below
Romeo and Juliet
Midsummer night’s dream
Merchant of Venice
Henry fourth
As You Like it
Much a do about nothing
Mercy wives of Windsor
The third period of his
life was a period of gloom and depression, from 1600 to 1607.In this period we
may find full maturity of his powers. Some of his great production can be
noticed in this period like four great tragedies as given below
Hamlet
Othello
Macbeth
King Lear
Julius Caesar
Twelfth Night
Taming of the shrew
Antony and Cleopatra
The Fourth period is a
period of restored serenity, of calm after storm, which marked the last years
of his artistic work, For Example
Coriolanus
Cymbeline
Winter’s Tale
The Tempest
2) Ben Jonson:
In Elizabethan times,
Ben Jonson was given more respect than Shakespeare. Because his plays were more
popular than of Shakespeare’s plays. Ben Jonson was born at Westminster in
1573.he married when he was only twelve years old. His Father was an educated gentleman.
His father died before Jonson’s Birth. And then he educated from the Cambridge
University. For twenty five years, he was the literary dictator of London. He
was influenced more by French.
Some of his plays are
Every man in his humor
Every man out of his
humor
Volpone
The Alchemist
The Silent woman
The Devil as an Ass
The masque of Beauty
“Every man in his
Humor”, is a first comedy, which was written by Ben Jonson. The main object of
this comedy was to ridicule the humors of the city.here, by this pay, Jonson
gives to his leading character some prominent humours, and exaggerates
it.”Volpone”, is the third play of Ben Jonson, which gives us a merciless
analysis of a man governed by an overwhelming love of money for its own sake.
It possesses some powerful humors in it.”The Alchemist” is a study of
gullibility and of quackery. This is an almost perfect specimen of the best
English drama. It has a more effective element of humors, which contains some
remarkable passages and it is the most readable of Jonson’s plays. He wrote
only comedy, during his life time, and “The Silent woman” is one of them, which
has a well-built plots and characteristics of a humorous play. It offers an
excellent opportunity for the actors. In this comedy, full of life, abounding
in fun and unexpected situations. The chief and major character is Morose, and
the story of him can be found in this play.
3) Christopher Marlowe:
Christopher Marlowe was
born on 1564, in Canterbury, only a few months before Shakespeare. He was the
son of a poor shoemaker. He took education education from the Cambridge
University. Marlowe was more famous as well as most outstanding figures among
Elizabethan dramatists and University Wits. Marlowe was the model for
Shakespeare. Therefore one scholar comments about him
“Had there been no Marlowe
There would have been no
Shakespeare
Shakespeare learnt from
Marlowe at least two major dramatic technique like
Theory of Tragedy
Blank Verse
Some of his plays are as
under
Edward second
Doctor Faustus
The Jew of Malta
Tamburlaine the great
The massacre of Parish
Dido queen of carthage
The first of this
is”Tamburlaine”, the story of timur the tartar. Timur begins as a shepherd
chief, who first rebels then triumphs over the Persian king. It is an Epic
rather than a Drama. It doesn’t contain 12 books, but it has some elements of
Epic.”Edward second”, his last tragedy, which studies a weaknesses of King
Edward and his misery. It is by far the best of Marlow’s plays in style and
dramatic construction.”Doctor faustus”, the best of all his tragedies. In a
Dr.Faustus there is a story of a man named Faustus, who longs for infinite
knowledge. Due to learn magic he sells himself to the devil on condition that
he shall have twenty four years of absolute power and also knowledge.”The Jew
of malta”, a study of the lust for the wealth. The first part of the pay is
well-constucted, but the last part of the play is of melodramatic horrors.
john Lyly:
He was the leader of the
University Wits and selected the themes from the classical literature. He was
given much honor of this comedies like
Alexander
Campaspe and Diogenes
Sapho and Phao
Endimion
The man on the moon
Love is the principal
theme of his dramas. We can see courtly life and behavior This way this
allegory upon political life. About him one critic comments
“John Lyly was the master of prose style in English
Comedy, who was essentially a court dramatist, and
Added to drama the feminine qualities of delicacy, grace, Charm”
George peele:
He was born on 1558 in London, and become a
member of university wits he wrote many plays but unfortunately only few
of them are popular like
Edward first
The old wives
The love of king David
Arraignment of Paris
We can observe the
varieties in the dramas of George Peele like “A pastoral”,” mask in his
arrangement”,” king David” a satirical drama the last one is his most memorable
play
Robert Greene:
He travelled widely over Europe and liked
Italian author he was scholar of both Oxford and Cambridge University. He
developed a regular plot expressing deep human feelings .Green was most
noticeable romantic writer and disciple of john Lyly
His Plays are
The Comical
history of allophones king of Aragon
A looking glass for
London and England
The history of Orlando
Furioso
The history of
James fourth
“James Fourth” is not a
chronicle play just a story of a king “Friar Bacon” is a sort of Idyllic
romance. his contribution to the development of regular well constructed
English drama commendable
Thomas lodge:
He belonged to the university wit’s
group who was not most remarkable but some of his plays are more famous like
The wounds of civil war
A looking glass for
London and England.
“The wounds of Civil war”
has some week scene of thrills and horrors the second one was written in
collaboration with Greene
Thomas Nashe:
Thomas Nashe was basically a pamphleteer and
story writer. After writing this, he started to write English drama. He was the
creator of the new genre in English prose. He defended the classical tradition
of drama.
Few of them are
Dido queen of Carthage and
summer last will and testament
The unfortunate traveler
etc.
Thomas Kyd:
Thomas Kyd was born in
London, in 1558,who was a very important member of the group called University
Wits.His contribution is remarkable for both intrinsically and historically.
One critic states about
him
“He
was the first Dramatist to discover the bearing
Of episode and of dramatic movement upon the character,
And
the first to give the audience a hint of the development
That follows from his interaction”
Thomas Kyd was first English Dramatist who wrote
dramatically. His importance in the group of University Wits is next to
Marlowe.
His remarkable are plays
such as
Spanish Tragedy
Geronimo
Apology for Actors
The Tragedy of Solyman
and Perseda
John Webster:
He belonged among major dramatists of the
Elizabethan Age. His extraordinary powers of expression rank him with
Shakespeare.
Some of the popular
dramas of Webster are
The White Devil
The Duchess of Malfi
The Devil’s law case
His talent seems to have
been largely devoted to the blood and thunder play.Therefore, he ranks among
the greatest masters of the Elizabethan Tragedy.
Francis Beaumont:
Beaumont was born in
warwickshire, who was the brother of Sir John Beaumont. He came to London from
Oxford to study law, but soon gave it up to write for the stage. The work of
Beaumont is so closely associated or interwoven that, though Fletcher outlived Beaumont
by nine years, but later on Fletcher wrote alone. Still many persons class them
together. And only scholars’ attempt to separate their works. So as to give
each writer’s work. They both came from noble and cultured families and were
university trained. Beaumont lived 32 years, but some of his works are very
remarkably written in collaboration with Fletcher. But here, it is necessary to
separate their work.
His plays are
A King and No King
The Night of the Burning
Pestle
12 John Fletcher:
John Fletcher was one of
the sons of the bishop of London, who took education at Cambridge University.
In his work, we may observe the influence of his high social position and his
Cambridge Education.
Philaster
The Maid’s tragedy
To Sum Up:
A few words more, we can
say that the dramatists like Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Webster, John Lyly,
Marlowe etc.writers of a very high quality. They all tried their level best to
raise the position of Drama. That’s why the drama of Elizabethan Age occupies a
unique place in the world of Literature.
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