The Renaissance Theater
and
“Macbeth”
Ms. Eckman
Elements of Literature, Sixth Course. Literature of Britain. New York: Holt,
Rinehart, and Winston. 2000. 282-288
The history of the theater….
• Where did drama come from?
….from church ceremonies such as Morality Plays,
Miracle Plays and Mystery plays
• Dramas are based on the 5 cycles of human
life (according to 13th & 14th century worker’s
guilds):
1. Creation by God
2. Fall to Satan
3. Life in the Old Testament
4. Redemption by Christ
5. Final Judgement
The Beginning of Medieval Drama
 The English had been writing and performing plays centuries before the Renaissance.
 Medieval drama likely evolved from church ceremonies.
 1300-1400s: Drama moved out of the churches and into the marketplaces of towns.
 Workers’ Guild: A trade union combined with a club. Example: Carpenter Guild. Each trade
had its own guild.
 Guilds cooperated in staging cycles of plays that dramatized stories from the bible.
 Miracle and Mystery plays taught people stories from the bible and of the saints.
 Morality plays taught people how to live good lives.
 Guilds built large wheeled carts on which they would perform their plays throughout sections
of the town.
 The guilds used elaborate costumes, props, and effects to gain attention and make the plays
as lifelike as possible.
 Gradually, the plays became less religious and more comedic.
Representation of a Mystery Play by
David Jee
History continued….
• The first public theater was built in 1576
by Richard and James Burbage. It was
called “Theater” (no really- just
“Theater”)
• In 1599, the Theater was torn town and
its wood was used to build the Globe
theater.
Introducing….The Globe Theater!
• The Globe is the most famous of the public
theaters because the company that
Shakespeare belonged to owned it.
• The Globe Theater burned down in 1613.
• Though scholars are not certain what the Globe
looked like, stage directions from Shakespeare’s
plays and historical documents have provided
enough evidence for a modern reconstruction of
the Globe theater.
The Globe Theater
•Wooden structure three stories
high
•Held 3,000 people
•Inner yard open to the sky
•The stage jutted halfway out
into the theatre allowing for the
audience to be in much closer
contact with the actors.
•The stage had trap doors in the
walls and ceiling
•Scenery was kept to a
minimum.
•Actors wore elaborate and
expensive costumes.
The Globe Theater Today: Techniques used in
the reconstruction of the theater were
painstakingly accurate.
Photo by Tom Green
•Music and lyrics were
specifically written for every play.
Who attended the globe???
The Audiences at the Globe theater had to use their imaginations
because…
– The limited scenery and lighting techniques.
– There were no actresses, so boys played female characters.
– Instead of seeing a scene, audiences often heard it described in the
play.
•
Who attended plays at the Globe theater?
1. Groundlings: The youth and poor could afford to watch the plays from
the floor for one penny.
•Groundlings were often “sardined” on the theater floor and were
characteristically boisterous and rowdy.
•“Groundlings were grimy, snaggle-toothed creatures who stood on the
ground without seats, eating & picking pockets.” -from USA Today
2. Upper class and Patrons: Paid more money to sit in the upper stories of
the theatre and have a better view of the stage.
3. Nobility and Very Wealthy: The most expensive seats were chairs set
along the side of the stage.
So why did so many people go to The Globe?
• They loved to be entertained!
• They liked to be close to the stage
because then they could see every
nuance of the actor’s face/performance
• Loved to see witches & devils going to hell
OR Gods & angels going to heaven
Music & Costumes
• Very important
• The more elaborate
the better!
• Used rich fabrics &
fake jewels
• Were beautiful- set
fashion trends
• All the music & songs
were written for
EACH play
Where else did acting guilds perform???
1. In Great Halls of castles & Manor
houses: but they needed to bring a
portable stage because they didn’t have
any (was primarily used for things like
“Bear baiting”)
2. Indoor theaters around London
William Shakespeare
1564 - 1616
• Married Anne Hathaway when he was 18.
•
Two daughters and one son; his son died at age 11.
• By 1592, Shakespeare was involved in London’s theaters as both an
actor and writer.
• His wealth and popularity prospered by 1596 and Shakespeare
moved up in social rank.
• Member and shareholder of the theatre company who owned the
Globe.
• Six of his plays given command performances by Queen Elizabeth I.
Shakespeare:
Complete Man of the Theater
• Shakespeare created his plays specifically for his own
acting company and stage at The Globe Theater:
• had to provide good parts in every play for the main
performers in the company.
• limited number of female characters because there
were no female actresses during the time; boys often
played the female characters.
• wrote lyrics for the music because audiences
expected singing in every play.
• Arranged scenes carefully so that actors could have
multiple roles in a play; there were a limited number of
actors in a company!
Introducing……
“Macbeth”
Your Cast of Characters:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
King Duncan: King of Scotland
Malcolm: son to Duncan, named to be King
Donalbain: other son to Duncan
Macbeth: Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor
and future king of Scotland
Banquo: Macbeth’s best friend
Fleance: Banquo’s son
Lady Macbeth: wife to Macbeth
The 3 Weird Sisters/Witches: predict the future
Hecate: Queen of the witches
Macduff: former friend of Macbeth;loyal to Malcolm
Minor Characters:
• Ross: a nobleman, tells Macduff that his family is
dead
• Lennox: a nobleman
• Angus: a nobleman (with a fun name!)
• Menteith & Caithness: noblemen
• Siward & Young Siward: an English
general’ loyal to Malcolm and his son
• Apparitions: 3 of them, predict Macbeth’s future
Background…..
• The setting is in Scotland and England
• Shakespeare based this play on historical fact:
The Gunpowder Act of 1605
• The Elizabethan audience considered this play a
“thriller” even though we know it as a tragedy.
• This was Shakespeare’s shortest play- he hoped
that his patron, King James, would come and
watch the play.
• The play is about real people and real emotions:
greed, ambition, power and desire!
What is a TRAGEDY?
“….a kind of play in which human actions
have inevitable consequences, in which
the character’s bad deeds, errors,
mistakes and crimes are never forgiven or
rectified. “ (Elements of Literature 300)
“….in a tragedy an ill judged-action will
remorselessly lead to a catastrophe….(to)
death or multiple deaths.” (300)
The Prophecies…..
The 3 weird sisters (witches) give Macbeth
and Banquo 3 prophesies:
1. Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor
2. Macbeth will be King
3. Banquo won’t be king but his sons will
be Kings
…Then………
The Apparitions…..
1.
The Head wearing a Helmet: said Macbeth should beware of
Macduff
2. The Bloody Child: said that no one born of woman could harm
Macbeth
3. The Crowned Child holding a tree branch: said that nothing would
happen to Macbeth until the Great Birnam Woods moved to
Dunsinane Hill
4. The ghost of Banquo followed by 8 Kings: still predicted that
Banquo’s sons will be King (this really upset Macbeth!!)- the last
king held a cup that showed more kings
The Themes:
• The corrupting power of AMBITION!
- Macbeth’s ambition
- Lady Macbeth’s ambition
• The relationship between Cruelty &
Masculinity
-Lady Macbeth
Motifs and Symbols:
• Hallucinations: reminder of guilt; the
unconscious mind
• Violence: even though most of the deaths occur
offstage, you see the brutality/after effects (i.e
the severed heads, bloody child)
• Prophecies: self-fulfilling vs. destiny or fate
• Blood: symbolizes guilt
• Weather: storms, thunder & lightening are all
present when unnatural things occur (murder
and moral corruption)