1 English Theatre to 1642 (Early Tudor Drama) Humanist performances flourished at universities such as Cambridge. In 1546 Queen’s College at Cambridge mandated the yearly performance of plays They constructed a removable theatre structure in its main hall which was used until at least 1640 Their stage may have influenced the design of London playhouses In 1561, the Inner Temple (law school) presented what is usually considered the first English Tragedy, Gorboduc or Ferrex and Porrex. It was presented the next year for Queen Elizabeth I at Whitehall It made such a deep impression, it was printed 5 times by 1590 (that’s a lot for those times!) The title page for Gorboduc. Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Gorboduc_TP_1565.jpg/220px-Gorboduc_TP_1565.jpg 1

2 English Theatre to 1642 (Early Tudor Drama) Despite humanist influences, medieval practices and conventions dominated English theatre through the 16th century Traveling entertainers were common and local communities produced a variety of amateur performances Professional actors combined elements of popular entertainment with subjects from many different sources Biblical stories were mixed with foreign and chivalric tales Classical myths were mixed with English historical & comic figures Traveling troupes (like this Italian Commedia dell’Arte troupe) were still quite common. Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Jan_Miel_%E2%80%93_Actors_from_the_Commedia_dell%E2%80%99Arte_on_a_Wagon_in_a_Town_Square.jpg 2

3 English Theatre to 1642 (Early Tudor Drama) During Elizabeth I’s reign, interest at universities and schools expanded beyond classical drama to plays based on English history or recent Italian works By 1600 the influence schools, universities, & Inns of Court had on professional theatre was waning. These organizations played a crucial role in the development of drama by teaching students effective dramatic techniques When school-educated writers began to work for professional troupes, English drama entered an era of greatness The most famous group of men are called the “University Wits” They bridged the gap between the educated and common audiences and built the foundation for Shakespeare! Queen Elizabeth watching a play at Christmas Christmastide, William Sandys Image: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79UWTZJQgWk/VVSv31gA5sI/AAAAAAAAQCQ/eUCFxi_s4-o/s640/ChristmastideWilliamSandys.jpg 3

4 English Theatre to 1642 (The University Wits) Thomas Kyd (1558 – 1594) The Spanish Tragedy – the most popular play of the 16th century All of the important events happen on stage Action moves freely through time and space Includes ghosts, a chorus (one person), soliloquies, confidants, and division into acts Established the vogue for “revenge” tragedy – the most lasting example of which is Shakespeare’s Hamlet John Lyly (1554-1606) Wrote primarily for Boys’ companies catering to aristocratic audiences Most famous works are pastoral comedies that mix classical mythology with English subjects All but one of his plays are written in prose His plays established the tradition followed by Shakespeare with As You Like It Thomas Kyd and John Lyly (maybe). Image 1: http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/thomas-kyd.jpg Image 2: https://i1.wp.com/www.quotationof.com/images/john-lyly-1.jpg 4

5 English Theatre to 1642 (The University Wits) Robert Greene (1560-1592) Also wrote pastoral and romantic comedies, but for adult companies Especially noted for his charming and resourceful heroines Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) The most influential of the group Tambourlaine, Doctor Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and others – all pretty famous His plays focus on the protagonist, whose complex motivations are revealed by an episodic story Doctor Faustus is his most influential work When he was killed, he & Shakespeare had written about the same number of plays, but critics believe Marlowe was better with blank verse. Robert Greene (maybe) and Christopher Marlowe. Image 1: https://politicworm.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/rowe-vandergucht-1709.jpg Image 2: http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/marlowe-corpuschristi.jpg 5