Theatre History 1.4

Henry Medwall wrote the earliest known secular play in English. What was it called?

Fulgens and Lucrece

He wrote plays that were essentially propaganda on behalf of religious reformers, such as the quasi-historical, quasi-allegorical King Johan.

John Bale

What was the most important technical element of English staging?

Costumes. They were often lavish and expensive.

Shakespeare is associated with which acting company?

The Chamberlain's Men (and, after 1603, The King's Men)

Who was the leading actor in Shakespeare's troupe?

Richard Burbage

This designer traveled to Italy and returned with ideas about the proscenium arch. He worked on Masques with Ben Jonson.

Inigo Jones

In his lifetime, was Shakespeare considered the greatest playwright?

No. People didn't start saying that until the 1760s or so.

When did people begin to think someone other than Shakespeare wrote the plays attributed to him?

Not until the 1760s

When was Edward de Vere first proposed as the author of Shakespeare's plays?

The 20th century.

Characteristics of Shakespeare's work

Early point of attack; multiple (often borrowed) plots; poetic imagery and philosophical speeches; on-stage violence and spectacle

The primary source for information about the operation of Elizabethan theatres is...?

Henslowe's "Diary." Also - the de Witt drawing is the only surviving contemporary image of an English playhouse, and the Peacham drawing informs much of our ideas about costuming.

He wrote court masques and corrective comedies like Volpone

Ben Jonson

He wrote primarily for a company of boy players. His work featured a particular style of prose called Euphuism, and his plays (like Gallathea) often feature magical elements and many female roles.

John Lyly

He wrote the Seneca-inspired Spanish Tragedy, launching the genre of Revenge Tragedy

Thomas Kyd

This playwright was murdered under questionable circumstances in 1593 and was probably a spy

Christopher Marlowe

She wrote The Tragedy of Miriam

Elizabeth Cary

This playwright was a frequent collaborator with Shakespeare and one of his successors as principal writer with The King's Men

John Fletcher

He wrote The Duchess of Malfi, one of his tragedies in which virtuous people are destroyed by a corrupt world

John Webster

His A Game at Chess ran for nine consecutive performances, the longest known run of a play during the English Renaissance

Thomas Middleton

The two venues Shakespeare's company performed in were...?

The Globe and BLackfriars