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English Renaissance Theatre

The Elizabethan era in English history from 1558 to 1603 saw the flourishing of the arts, especially theatre. The first permanent theatres opened in London in the 1570s and 1580s, including the Globe Theatre, and playwrights like Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare produced works that are still popular today. Other arts like music and painting also thrived during this period under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, who presided over a relatively peaceful and prosperous England.

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42 views2 pages

English Renaissance Theatre

The Elizabethan era in English history from 1558 to 1603 saw the flourishing of the arts, especially theatre. The first permanent theatres opened in London in the 1570s and 1580s, including the Globe Theatre, and playwrights like Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare produced works that are still popular today. Other arts like music and painting also thrived during this period under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I, who presided over a relatively peaceful and prosperous England.

Uploaded by

Jiya Ash
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As we know Christopher Marlowe belongs to the Elizabethan age and Marlowe was the foremost

Elizabethan tragedian of his day so, Elizabethan age took place from 1558 to 1603 and is considered
by many historians to be the golden age in English history. During this era England experienced
peace and prosperity while the arts flourished. The time period is named after Queen Elizabeth
1 who ruled England during this time.

English Renaissance Theatre

The Elizabethan Era is perhaps most famous for its theatre and the works of William Shakespeare.
English Renaissance theatre( also known as Elizabethan theatre refers to the theatre of England
between 1562 and 1642. This is the style of the plays of William Shakespeare, Christopher
Marlowe and Ben Jonson.) began with the opening of "The Red Lion" theatre in 1567. Many more
permanent theatres opened in London over the next several years including the Curtain Theatre in
1577 and the famous Globe Theatre in 1599.

The period produced some of the world's great playwrights including Christopher Marlowe and
William Shakespeare. Today Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer of the English language.
Popular genres of theatre included the history play, the tragedy, and the comedy.

Other Arts

Theatre wasn't the only form of art to flourish during the Elizabethan Era. Other arts such as music
and painting were popular during the time. The era produced important composers such as William
Byrd and John Dorland . England also began to produce some of its own talented painters such as
Nicholas Hilliard and Queen Elizabeth's personal artist George Gower.

Clothing and Fashion

Clothing and fashion played an important role among nobles and the wealthy during this period.
There were actually laws that said who could wear what types of clothes. For example, only
members of the royal family could wear clothing trimmed with ermine fur. The nobles wore very
fancy clothes made from silk and velvet. They used bright colours and had large ruffles on their
wrists and collars.

Government

The government in England during this era was complicated and was made up of three different
bodies: the monarch, the Privy Council, and the Parliament.

The monarch was Queen Elizabeth. She was very powerful and determined most of the laws of the
land, but she did have to get approval from Parliament to implement taxes. The Privy Council was
made up of the queen's closest advisors. They would make recommendations and give her advice.
When Elizabeth first became queen there were 50 members of the Privy Council. She reduced this
over time until there were only 11 members by 1597.

Parliament had two groups. One group was called the House of Lords and was made up of nobles
and high ranking church officials such as bishops. The other group was the House of Commons which
was made up of commoners.

Interesting Facts about the Elizabethan Era


 The Royal Exchange, the first stock exchange in England, was established by Thomas
Gresham in 1565.
 Queen Elizabeth was a Protestant and was constantly in danger of being assassinated by
Catholics who wanted to replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots.
 Coaches became a very popular mode of transportation in England with the wealthy and
nobles during this time.
 Queen Elizabeth never married nor had children. She said she was married to her country.
 English poetry flourished including the sonnet. Famous poets included Edmund Spenser and
William Shakespeare.

Reference

https://www.ducksters.com/history/renaissance/elizabethan_era.php

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