Elizabethan Drama
Revision
Audience/Actor Relationship
• The main action took place on the main stage and,
because it was surrounded on three sides by the
audience, the thrust stage made for an intimacy we do
not get today on the conventional stage with a
proscenium arch.
• The actors had to play to the audience all three sides.
Shakespeare's writing is indicative of this e.g Macbeth
- ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow and tomorrow.” Juliet ‘Romeo,
Romeo, Romeo’
• Soliloquies could appear to be spoken confidentially to
the audience eg. Macbeth ‘Is this a dagger I see
before me…”and 'asides' were less artificial than they
often are today.
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Lighting
The outdoor theatre performances always took place in the light as
there was no electricity in those times. The theatres were open air
and light would come in through the roof.
Shakespeare therefore had to establish different times of day and
night by the words of the play. For example, "The iron tongue of
midnight hath told twelve" from A Midsummer Night 's Dream or
"The moon shines bright" from A Merchant of Venice,
Duration of Time is also effectively conveyed through the words of
the play and we are frequently urged through a considerable period
of time in a matter of minutes by constant time references. Take for
instance, the murder of Duncan in Macbeth Act II, scene i; it begins
with a discussion between Banquo and Fleance:
B. How goes the night, boy?
F. The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.
B. And she goes down at Twelve.
F. I take't 'tis later, sir.
The scene then progresses through, "the king's a-bed" . . . "Good
repose", to the knocking on the door and Macduff and Lennox
greeting Macbeth with "Good-morrow, noble sir!"
Use of Space
• The ceiling of the stage would be painted with
celestial images to represent heaven.
• The curtained recess at the back would be used,
for instance, for the Capulets' tomb in Romeo and
Juliet or for Desdemona's bedroom (Othello)
• The balcony, for Juliet's bedroom.
• The area below the stage represented hell. A
trapdoor to the space below the stage would be
an entrance for the witches (Macbeth) or Ophelia's
grave (Hamlet).
Properties
• There was no scenery or scene painting as
such, and the imagery in the speeches was
used to help create a picture in the
audiences mind.
• However plenty of stage properties, such as
swords were utilized.
Sound
• There were realistic noises off, sometimes from
the 'heavens' - for example, in the storm in King
Lear. Lear's words: "Blow, winds, and crack
your cheeks! rage! blow!" would be
accompanied by appropriate noises of thunder
from above; in other plays, the sounds of battle
would be heard from behind the stage and from
under the stage would come such sounds as
the music 'Under the earth' in Antony and
Cleopatra or the Ghost in Hamlet saying
"Swear!"
Costume and Make-Up
• Costumes were elaborate and lavish (hand me downs from
rich patrons) but it appears that there was little attempt to
present historical or cultural accuracy.
• As soon as a character walked on the stage the fabric and
colour of his clothing would indicate the role of the
character he was playing - Elizabethan Nobles and Upper
classes wore clothing made of velvets, furs, silks, lace,
cottons and taffeta.
• Young boys were hired to act in the female roles.
Elizabethan Women's clothing was elaborate and was
constructed with many layers of clothing. It would have
taken some considerable time, and the help of a dresser, to
dress in the costume of a female. Wigs, or periwigs as they
were called, were readily available as they were in fashion
at the time so this was not a costume problem. However,
the make up used by Elizabethan women was! It was lead
based and highly poisonous! The young boy actors were
therefore very unhealthy, had unpleasant facial skin
diseases and a high proportion actually died of poisoning.