Ch06 The Theatre of the English Renaissance.docx

The Theatre of the English Renaissance Objectives After studying this chapter, the student should be able to: Identify major Elizabethan playwrights. Compare and contrast the public and private theaters. Describe the scenery and costumes in use during the English Renaissance. Describe the organization and practices of acting companies in the English Renaissance. Describe Jacobean and Caroline drama, playwrights, and designers. Lecture Topics What did the Elizabethan theaters look like? How were Elizabethan acting companies organized? Compare and contrast the work of Ben Jonson with William Shakespeare. Discussion Was the Elizabethan Theatre best remembered for its playwrighting, scenic innovations or acting reputation? What are some of the challenges in reconstructing English Renaissance theaters? Why do some scholars think that William Shakespeare may not have been the author of the works generally attributed to him? Describe the audience for the public theaters. Multiple-Choice Please choose the answer that best completes each sentence. 1. The first significant dramatist to emerge in the Elizabethan period, ________________ established blank verse as the medium of dramatic expression. A. William Shakespeare B. Francis Beaumont C. John Fletcher *D. Christopher Marlowe 2. At what theater were Shakespeare's plays produced (before the building burned in 1613)? A. The Rose *B. The Globe C. The Swan D. The Theater 3. The Elizabethan ___________________________functioned much like a Greek skene. *A. tiring house B. pit C. courtyard D. gallery 4. Which of the following is true of private theaters in Elizabethan England? A. They were indoors. B. They were smaller than the public theaters. C. They were more expensive than public theaters. *D. All of the above 5. Which of the following is true of Elizabethan theatrical costumes: *A. Actors usually wore contemporary (Elizabethan) clothes on stage. B. Actors usually dressed for the period/era that the play demanded. C. Elizabethans were extremely concerned with historical accuracy. D. All of the above 6. Actors were provided with ______________________which contained the lines and cues of their parts, rather than full scripts. A. bits B. shares *C. sides D summaries 7. Which of the following can be found in The Spanish Tragedy? A. episodic structure B. ghosts C. soliloquies *D. All of the above 8. ___________________________, a "university wit," was famous for his "mighty line," as seen in his Doctor Faustus. A. William Shakespeare B. Inigo Jones *C. Christopher Marlowe D. Mephistopheles 9. William Shakespeare wrote many of his plays with the leading actor, ____________________, in mind. A. James Burbage *B. Richard Burbage C. Christopher Marlowe D. Edward Alleyn 10. Writing such works as Volpone and The Alchemist, ___________________________ was one of the first writers in England to champion the neoclassical rules. A. John Webster *B. Ben Johnson C. Francis Beaumont D. John Fletcher 11. The ______________________________was an elaborate, professionally staged allegory which was written to praise the monarch. A. shadows play B. trope C. scop *D. masque 12. _________________________brought Italian innovations in scene design to England. *A. Inigo Jones B. Salma Spolita C. Richard Burbage D. John Fletcher 13. The contemporary of Shakespeare's who sought to reform human behavior through the comedies he wrote was: *A. Ben Jonson B. Inigo Jones C. Richard Burbage D. Aristophanes 14. In Elizabethan theaters, the lower class generally stood in the area known as the: A. boxes B. gallery *C. yard D. heavens 15. The famous designer of English masques, who did scenery, costumes and special effects was: A. Elia Kazan B. Richard Burbage C. Ben Jonson *D. Inigo Jones 16. The roof of Elizabethan theaters was called the ______________, and extended out from the tiring house. A. gallery B. yard C. pit *D. heavens 17. The major builder of theaters during the Elizabethan age was: *A. James Burbage B. Richard Burbage C. Christopher Marlowe D. Christopher Wren 18. The most important private theater of the Elizabethan age was: A. The Globe B. The Theater C. The Rose *D. The Second Blackfriars 19. Elizabethan playwrights often wrote in __________________, meaning the verse has five beats to a line, with two syllables a beat and the accent on the second beat. *A. iambic pentameter B. rhymed couplets C. prose D. blank verse 20. Which of the following neoclassical ideals is present in such Shakespearean plays as Hamlet? A. unity of place B. complete separation of comic and tragic elements C. use of a single plot, with no subplots *D. none of the above 21. ______________ was used in Elizabethan plays: characters would describe the settings and verbally indicate what location they inhabited. A. Decorum B. Verisimilitude *C. Spoken décor D. Realism 22. By a decree of Queen Elizabeth, all plays and companies had to be licensed by: A. the Church *B. the master of revels C. the archon D. the Lord Chamberlain 23. Which of the following is true of Elizabethan acting: A. Boys played women’s roles. B. Actors played more than one role. C. Actors/characters spoke in verse. *D. All of the above 24. Shakespeare was a member of the ___________________, for which he wrote most of his plays. A. Lord Admiral’s Men B. Queen’s Men *C. Lord Chamberlain’s Men D. None of the above 25. ________________________, working together, excelled at writing dramas that were a mixture of serious and comic elements. *A. Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher B. Ben Jonson and Inigo Jones C. Richard Burbage and Edward Alleyn D. Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kid True/False Please choose whether the statement is true or false. 26. Dramas were presented in schools during the Early part of the English Renaissance. *True False 27. English copyright law prohibited playwrights from borrowing source material from other works. True *False 28. Shakespeare joined other playwrights in adhering to the neoclassical rules. True *False 29. In order to reconstruct events and practices of importance to theatre history, scholars consult primary sources, which are materials surviving from the period under study. *True False 30. The proscenium arch was a prominent feature of the Globe Theater. True *False 31. Public theaters were built outside of the London city limits due to city leaders’ opposition to theatre. *True False 32. Starting in the Elizabethan theaters, food and drink were no longer allowed in the theater. True *False 33. A flag was flown from the top of the tiring house to announce that a performance was taking place. *True False 34. Private theaters were large, outdoor theaters, which took advantage of natural daylight. True *False 35. The Elizabethans used painted-perspective scenery in the private theaters. True *False Essays 36. Compare and contrast public and private theaters, giving an example of each. How were the audiences different? How did this affect the plays? 37. Discuss one prominent acting company during the Elizabethan era; what were the roles of the various company members and how were they paid?