1. The Renaissance in Britain

2. Historical Background
The Tudor Years
Henry VII ( ) restored people’s faith in the monarchy
Henry VIII ( ) established the Church of England
Elisabeth I ( ) encouraged the exploration of and the trade with other continents  the creation of the British Empire by destroying the Spanish Armada in 1588.

3. Social Background
The population grew steadily as food was in adequate supply.
The wool and cloth industry developed and therefore millions of people moved from the country to the city.
London’s population grew rapidly and as a result, the living conditions deteriorated due to lack of public sanitation.
The Poor Law (1601) was adopted to improve the life of the future generations. Parishes had to provide schools , hospitals and childcare for orphans, as well as houses of correction.

4. Literary Background Humanism
The revival of the interest in the classical culture
The focus of attention is MAN
Thomas Moore’s “Utopia”
Under the reign of Elisabeth I, the Renaissance flourished as both the court and the middle classes dedicated a lot of time to art and literature
The Italian literature has greatly influenced the English Literary Renaissance

5. Poetry
From the Petrarchan Sonnet (Earl of Surrey and Sir Thomas Wyatt)
To the Elisabethan Sonnet (Sir Philip Sydney, Edmund Spencer and William Shakespeare)

6. Drama
Humanism revived the interest in the classical drama and in the plays of Plautus, Terence and Seneca’s tragedies.

7. Why Drama?
The theatre applied to all social classes, from the sovereign to the lowest class
Plays could be understood by the illiterate
A strong theatre-going tradition in England
Theatre patronized by the Court and the Aristocracy
The language of drama is less artificial than poetry
The prosperity of the Elizabethan period meant that people had both the time and the money to go to the theatre.

8. The Theatres
Until the building of permanent playhouses, plays were performed in inns, on a platform raised in the yard
Playhouses were at first built outside the city walls because they were considered to be centres of corruption
The structure of the Elizabethan theatre:
The outer stage was a rectangular platform where the main action of the play took place
The inner stage stood behind the outer stage and was concealed by a curtain
Below the floors, there was a large cellar called hell

9. The Globe Theatre
1599

10. A cut-away of the Rose
The Rose Theatre

11. The Swan Theatre
Today

12. The spiritual world (GOD)
The Principle of Order
The spiritual world (GOD) 
the moon MAN the sun
animals
Much of the Elizabethan drama is concerned with the hierarchical order of the universe and what may occur if it is broken
The Elizabethan heroes are full of passion and doubts and therefore they constantly question the world that surrounds them

13. The Actors Descendants of the Medieval street performers
They worked in companies patronised by noblemen whose name the company took (The Earl of Leicester’s Men, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men)
As acting was considered immoral, no women were allowed in companies
Female parts were played by young boys

14. Shakespeare in Love

15. The Globe Theatre

16. William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, probably on April 23rd
He attended Stratford grammar school, but he did not go on to study at university
At the age of 19 he went to London where he did a series of jobs, but he eventually became an actor and by 1592 he became a well-known dramatist
In 1595 he joined an important company of actors called The Lord Chamberlain’s Men and performed at court
His improved his financial standing allowed him to invest in the building of the Globe Theatre
He retired to his hometown in 1611 where he died in 1616.

17. Works
Shakespeare wrote 37 plays in a period of twenty years, from 1591 to 1611 and 154 Sonnets
He used many sources for his plays: the classical Greek and Latin writings of Plutarch and Plautus, the Italian works of Matteo Bandello and Giraldo Cinzio and the English historian Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (1577)

18. The Four Periods The First Period (1590-1595)
Chronicle plays dealing with the history of England (Richard III, Henry VI)
Comedies (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew)
Tragedies (Titus Andronicus and Romeo and Juliet)

19. A Midsummer Night’s Dream

20. Romeo and Juliet

21. The Second Period ( )
Shakespeare focused on chronicle plays and comedies and it is generally agreed that it is during these years that he wrote his best comedies.
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado About Nothing
As You Like It
Twelfth Night

22. The Merchant of Venice (the movie)

23. The Third Period (1600-1608) Shakespeare wrote his great tragedies:
Hamlet
King Lear
Othello
Macbeth

24. Lawrence Olivier as Hamlet in the classic cemetery scene

25. Othello

26. The witches scene from MACBETH

27. The Fourth Period (1609-1612) A return to a happier state of mind
The Tempest is set in the ideal world of an enchanted island where an atmosphere of magic, music, romance and harmony prevails.

28. Thank you!
Made by Simona Dicu