THE GREATEST OF THE ENGLISH DRAMATIST
THE RISE OF ENGLISH DRAMA
A cultural movement known as the Renaissance swept through the European continent in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, eventually making its way into England. Responding to this movement, Queen Elizabeth I supported education, science and the arts. Her support helped to generate a tremendous amount of literary activity. Influenced by classical works of ancient Greece and Rome, writers explored new literary forms and created some of the finest works the country has ever produced. The most significant developments of the period came in the areas of poetry and drama.
THE ELIZABETHAN THEATRE . During the reign of E lizabeth I (1558-1603), English drama came into full bloom. Playwrights turned away from religious subjects and began writing more complex and sophisticated plays. Drawing upon the classical models of ancient Greece and Rome, writers reintroduced tragedies – plays in which disasters befall a hero or a heroine- and comedies –originally,plays in which a humorous situation leads to a happy resolution. Playwrights also began using rich language, filled with vivid imagery. Written in carefully crafted verse, the dramas of this period dealt with complex charactes and themes, frequently offering important insights about nature.
Before the reign of Elizabeth I, theatre companies travelled about the country putting on plays wherever they could find an audience, often performing in the open courtyards of inns. Spectators watched from the ground or from the inn windows. The system persisted for years, but inns as theatres had a number of disadvantages. A permanent building solely for the production of plays was needed.
ENGLAND’S FIRST PLAYHOUSE. When William Shakespeare was twelve years old, an actor named James Burbage built London’s first theatre,called The Theatre. An act of parliament in 1572 required acting companies to operate under the patronage of a respectable person or organization. BURBAGE’S acting company enjoyed the patronage of the Earl of Leicester, but Burbage financed the new theatre himself. His theatre proved a success, and its design set the pattern for the theatres that followed, including the famous Globe Theatre.
THE GLOBE is a famous theatre built in 1599 on the bank of the Thames, London, in which Shakespeare’s greatest plays were first performed. It was burnt down in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and remained in use until 1644 when it was demolished to make space for new houses. In 1986 permission was given to the American film actor and director, Sam Wanamaker, to build an exact copy of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre on its original site.
The Globe theatre (1599 ) was an octagonal structure with an unroofed yard in the centre where the ‘groundlings’ stood.Groundlings were those people of the audience who paid a mere penny to attend. The groundlings were closer to the stage than were people of the gallery audience,but they had a less satisfactory view.
Three tiers of seats, the galleries, rose around the perimeter of the yard and were protected by a thatched roof. Theatre-goers in the galleries looked down on a wooden stage, raised a few feet off the ground.
At the back of the main stage were two doors that led to a dresssing room and were used for most of the actor’s entrances and exits. Built into the main stage were one or more trapdoors leading to an area below the stage.Actors playing ghosts or witches would appear and disappear through the trapdoors. Above the stage was a small building known as ‘the heavens’ where the stage crew could produce thunder and other sound effects.
Although the Globe was not a large theatre, it could accommodate more than two thousand spectators, about eight hundred of whom stood in the yard. Performances were given in the afternoon, the stage being lit by daylight. Costumes were colourful and often expensive, but the sets were simple and the scenery was hardly used at all. The companies strove for special effects, however, such as birds and goddesses descending from the roof by means of ropes and pulleys.
Women’s roles in the plays were acted by men or, more commonly, by boys. Partly because of the absence of scenery to change and the absence of a curtain across the main stage, the plays proceeded at a brisk pace. Actors spoke their lines more rapidly than they do today. A good voice and excellent diction were imperative, and Elizabethan audience spoke of ‘hearing’ plays rather thanv ’seeing’ them.The plays had to have dramatic power to hold a popular and sometimes unruly audience. Shakespeare’s plays certainly had that power as they still do today.
Ex.7 Answer the questions from Ex.4
Ex.8 Are these statements true or false? Begin your answers with “ Yes, it’s true; I guess,...;
I don’t think it’s true; I ‘m afraid it’s wrong.”
1. During the reign of Henry VIII, English drama came into full bloom.
2. During the Renaissance English writers, influenced by classical works of ancient
Greece, explored new literary forms and created some finest works.
3. Before the reign of Elizabeth I, theatre companies traveled only abroad putting on plays
by foreign playwrights.
4. William Shakespeare built London’s first theatre.
5. The Globe is famous throughout Britain as a first ‘public house’.
6. Sam Wanamaker was the very American film actor and producer, to build an exact copy of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre on its original site.
7. Women’s roles in first theatres were acted especially by boys.
8. The fee to get to theatre was rather high, so only the nobles could attend the performances.
Ex. 9 a) Make up a plan of the text.
b) Make a list of peculiarities the first regular English theatres possessed. Compare them
with the theatre of our time. How are they different?
UNIT 4
Ex.1 Read the text about William Shakespeare. Find out the reasons for his unique fame.
THE GREATEST OF THE ENGLISH DRAMATIST
„Soul of the age!The applause!Delight! The wonder of our stage!”Ben Jonson
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is generally regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist of English literature. He wrote 37 plays which continue to be read widely and produced frequently throughout the world.
Few of his plots were original, and yet every word he wrote seemed fresh. He had worked as an actor; he knew about the theatre and its audiences. He was, above all things, a great entertainer. His genius was for producing dramatic effects.
Shakespeare was a master at creating a certain atmosphere of a play,its general mood or feeling. It could be melancholy or cheeful, lively or frightening, tragic or mystical. The power and beauty of his language and the choice of words and details, helped to build the prevailing mood in each play. (The Comedy of Errors; Love’s Labour’s Lost; Henry the Sixth Part I; Henry the Sixth Part II; Henry the Sixth Part III; Richard III; Titus Andronicus; The Taming of the Shrew; The Two Gentlemen of Verona )
Shakespeare’s genius lay in his power of understanding human nature which is the same today, tomorrow, and forever. He was able to reveal life in its full richness and movement. He studied the looks, the words, the actions of the men and women he met, and his plays reflected them as in a mirror. He had an intuition for gathering every ‘unconsidered trifle’, and every weighty matter, that could profit his art. All human life, with its passions and delights, conflicts and pleasures, victories and defeats, was in his plays. He showed the world of men in its complexity and variety. (Romeo and Juliet; Richard II; A Midsummer Night’s Dreams; King John; The Merchant of Venice; Henry IV Part I; Henry IV Part II; Much Ado About Noting; Henry V )
His plays have the same powerful impact on audience today as they did when they were first staged. They possess some special merit for every generation. In the last century he was valued above all for his characters. In wartime, it was Shakespeare the patriot that fired the minds of struggling Englishmen: „This England never did , nor never shall, die at the proud foot of a conqueror.”( Jilius Caeser; As You Like It; Twelfth Night; Hamlet; The Merry Wives of Winsor; Troilus and Cressida; All’s Well That Ends Well; Othello; Measure for Measure)
There is no writer who has touched the depth and height of character as Shakespeare did. There is a great joy in moving through a Shakespeare play, living through the emotions of the characters while reading a play or watching it. One experiences in one’s own being the troubles, tragedies, absurdities of the creatures created by the Great Imaginer. (King Lear; Macbeth; Antony and Cleopatra; Timon of Athens; Coriolanus; Pericles; Cymbeline; The Winter’s Tale; The Tempest; Henry VIII)
Ex.3 a) Read these quotations from Shakespeare and comment on them:
„We know what we are, but we know not, what we may be.”Hamlet
„ When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.”Hamlet
„ Men of few words are the best men.”King Henry V
„ What’s done can’t be undone.” Macbeth
„It’s a wise father that knows his own child.”The Merchant of Venice
„I wish you all the joy that you can wish.”The Merchant of Venice
„ What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo and Juliet
„ Better a witty fool than a follish wit.” Twelfth Night
b) How do these quotations apply to life ? Are they relevant to today? Are there simular
sayings in your own language?
Ex.4 How much did you learn?
1. What did the fist English playhouse look like? How many people could see
the performance at a time? How were performances arranged ?
3. In what does the genius of W. Shakespeare lie? What special merits for every generation does Shakespeare possess?
4. Shakespeare was a great Imaginer and a great Entertainer. How is it revealed in his plays ?
5. Some quotations from Shakespeare have become universally known. Which of them do you like?
6. „Hamlet” and „Romeo and Juliet” are undoubtedly the most popular plays of W. Sakespeare. What makes them really immortal?
UNIT V
ENGLISH THEATRES
Talking of theatres and plays, London must be the world’s capital of drama and shows. We might say that British drama is concentrated in the capital. Around the West End there are about forty theatres, many of which have a fascinating history.
Some of the London playhouses are not run as commercial concerns, but function through grants provided by the Arts Council of Great Britain, which has also helped the building of the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park for the summer performances of Shakespeare’s plays. One of the most popular theatres outside London is also connected with Shakespeare, the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre of Stradford-on-Avon where only Shakespearean plays are performed.
Not all theatres put on traditional plays, some also provide variety shows, ‘revues’, ‘avant-garde’productions and ‘underground’ or ‘fringe’ forms of entertainment.
One of the theatres which produced ‘avant-garde’ drama has become famous for staging the plays of great modern playwrights such as Osborne, Wesker, Beckett and Pinter ; its name is the Royal Court Theatre, in Sloane Square. Before coming to London, a play may be staged, for short periods, in provincial theatres. Then if a play or a musical, has been successful, it may transfer to one of the largest playhouses on Broadway.
Concerts are also very popular in Britain and London has several concert halls the most famous of them being the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the Coliseum, Sadler’s Wels and also the Royal Festival Hall give performances of opera and Ballet all the year round.
For modern music, concerts are held regular at Hammersmith, Odeon, King’s Cross Cinema, and even at Wembley Stadium.
The provincial theatres are served by productions touring either before or after London presentation. At one time the touring theatre was the mainstay of the provincial theatre, taking Shakespeare and the latest West End successes to the provinces, but the number has dropped considerably.
Ex. 2 Read this information about some most distinguished theatres in London and be read to discuss it:
THE THEATRE ROYAL / DRURY LANE is a London theatre famous for its musicals. It is London’s oldest theatre , founded in 1663. David Garrick, a great English actor of the 18th century, made his first appearance here. The theatre is named after Drury Lane, a street that runs behind it.
THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE / COVENT GARDEN is one of the most famous Opera houses in the world. It is situated near the former site of the Covent Garden Market in central London. The first theatre here opened in 1732 and staged plays as well as concerts. Twice it was destroyed in 1808 and again in 1856. The present building was opened in1858 and is now the home of the Royal Opera (founded in 1946 ) and Royal Ballet ( founded in 1931 ) companies. It is the leading theatre of opera and ballet in London.One of the Opera House’s finest moments came in 1892 when the first British performance of Wagner’s „Ring” was conducted here by Gustav Mahler. In 1999 the Royal Opera House reopened after a $214 million redevelopment and expansion programme. Since it reopered the Royal Opera House has been open to the public throughout the day (except when performances are in progress), with its many restaurants and bars, and often hosting free lunchtime recitals.The theatre presents spectacular productions with international stars. The repertoire is classical. Seats are expensive, the top price for opera is £100 and for ballet- £37 . The seating capacity is 2000 spectators.
THE NATIONAL THEATRE (NT) is staging both classical and modern plays. Wlthin the NT are three theatres under one roof ( the Oliver, the Lyttleton and the Cottesloe ), each with its own style and character. The largest of the auditoriums, the Oliver Theatre, is named in honour of Laurence Oliver (1907-1991) who is regarded as one of the finest stage and film actors of his generation, as well as being a prominent theatre manager and producer. The NT company has about 100 actors performing a repertoire of 7 or 8 plays each season.
THE BARBICAN THEATRE ( up to 1,166 seats ) is the London home of the Royal Shakespeare Company ( RSC ). It is one of Britain’s most important theatre companies working in the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre at Stradford-on –Avon and called the Shakespeare Memorial Company until 1982. It is now based both in Stradford and in London, with its London home at the Babrican from 1982.The Barbican Centre was opened in 1982. During World War II a historical part in the City of London was devastated by bombing. After the war it was decided to establish the area for residents, together with arts facilities in this place. Now it is known as the Barbican Centre, the largest complex of its kind in Western Europe. It provides London with a wealth of facilities for artistic events. At its opening the Lord Mayor of London described it as ‘The City’s Gift to the Nation.’ It contains: the Barbican Hall, three Cinemas, an Art Gallery, a public library, the Barbican Theatre, a studeo Theatre called the Pit.
LONDON COLISEUM , the largest theatre in London , is also one of the most flamboyant. The grand building was designed by Frank Matcham in 1904 and crowned by a huge gilded globe. Its Edwardian interior features gilded cherubs and heavy scarlet curtains. The Coliseum was the first theatre in London to have a revolving stage and the first theatre in Europe to be fitted with lifts. Originally a variety house, the Coliseum became a cinema for a short period in 1961-68, but now it is home to the English National Opera. Its productions, all sung in English, are often more challenging than those at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The Coliseum is also cheaper and less pretentious than the Royal Opera House. During the Christmas and summer seasons the National Opera hands over the theatre to the major dance companies including the Bolshoi and English National Ballet.
THE ROSE THEATRE. The 16th century Rose Theatre was the first of four playhouses to be built at Bankside. Shakespeare’s company, which was based at the nearby Globe Theatre, also played here. In 1989 the remains of the Rose Theatre were discovered during excavations for new office buildings. Some two-thirds of the original site were uncovered but these would have been built over if it was not for the work of a group of actors, scholars and theatre-lovers who campaigned tirelessly to save the theatre. A light and sound exhibition, with a video narrated by Sir Ian Mckellan, now raises public awareness of the Rose Theatre. With further funding the Rose Theatre Trust aims to fully excavate the site and make it open to all.
THE ALMEIDA. Originally formed by actor-directors Ian McDiarmid and Jonathan Kent, this fringe theatre has acquired a good reputation over the last 15 years. The Almeida has a steady output of highbrow drama, attracting such big names as Kevin Spacey and Cate Blanchett. Different productions are staged every six or seven weeks. The theatre often produces its own plays but also reworks classical pieces. The venue and a number of works performed here have transferred to the West End.
THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE. The establishment-sounding Royal Court Theatre, with its noble brick and stone Italian Renaissance frontage stares out on trendy Sloane Square and the King’s Road, Chelsea- a surprising locality in which to find the most radical of all of the great theatres of London, and one that changed the face of British drama in the late 1950s.
The Royal Court was closed (except for a short period as a cinema) between the 1932 and 1952. It then marked time for a few years before the historic arrival of the English Stage Company in 1956, which has always invited controversy. The English Stage Company was formed to ‘stage and encourage new writing’ under the artistic direction of George Devine. Devine presented a multitude of works by British writers in the nine years he was at the Court. His achievement was extraordinary. After his death in 1966, the tradition was admirably continued by his successors , Gaskill, Burge and Stafford-Clark. Among the many notable productions presented over the years have been Osborne’s, Wesker’s, Arden’s, Hampton’s, William’s and Caryl Churchill’s plays. Modern foreign greats have not been neglected either, and Brecht, Beckett, Genet, Ionesco and Sartre have been well presented.
Originally a three-tier theatre with a 642-seat capacity, its interior was reconstructed in 1952, closing off the old gallery and reducing the seating to 401. Further redecorations in 1980 enlarged it somewhat. In 1971, a rehearsal room became the 80-seat experimental Theatre Upstaires. Today, the Court’s rather unimpressive auditorium, whose sight-lines could be improved, is the strangely antique setting for modern drama that generally preaches change
Ex.3 Study the map of London’s Theatreland and give answers:
1. What opportunities for theatre-goers do you think numerous West End theatres offer?
2. What are some of the advantages of choosing from so many theatres?
3. What are the most popular theatres? What are they remarkable for and what kinds of plays do they stage ?
4. Choose one of the theatres to your liking and get ready to speak about it in class.
Ex.4 Discuss the answers to these questions with your groupmates:
1. What are the most distinguished theatres in your city?
2. What are they remarkable for?
Ex.5 Find information about the history of the Gomel Regional Drama Theatre and present
it in class.
UNIT VI
Ex.1 Read the following information about booking seats for London’s theatres and get ready to answer some questions: