AT THE GLOBE THEATER (Part--I)

Globe Theater

View of the stage

 

Musical Instruments at Exhibition Hall

Props (swords & Daggers) at Exhibition Hall

                                                           

                         
   The present Globe Theater located in the Bankside is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater constructed by the famous American actor and Director, Sam Wanamaker in 1990s. This theater was completed in 1997. The original site of Shakespeare's Globe Theater was about two hundred meters from the existing theater and is occupied by the heritage-listed Georgian buildings and Southwark Bridge Road. The spot is marked by a plaque and information panel. The design of the present theater is based on that of the early 17th century playhouses and is modelled on the earliest known designs of an English playhouse.

  At first we bought tickets to see the Globe Exhibition set up just below the present Globe Theater, wherein many exhibits of  the Elizabethan age are displayed along  with detailed information about Shakespeare's plays, stage devices, actor's costumes and accessories used by them. We saw a model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and a chart showing the poet's dramatic career and other important historical events. One can hear the dramatic speeches of various Shakespearean characters by touching the computer screen. An audio guide is also available to help you know about the exhibits. But it needs more than three hours to learn about all these things.

Dressed figures at Exhibition Hall

Dress showcased at Exhibition Hall

Hazel nuts and other items

Chart Showing the dramas of Shakespeare

 





  Many visitors prefer to watch the objects directly and move on see their next place of visit that is the Globe Theater. One is attracted by the heavy and decorative royal dresses of the Elizabethan characters like Cleopatra and other queens. The male characters wore doublets and broad ruffs or collars around their necks. The musical instruments used in Elizabethan theaters such as  the tabor, the lutes, the violins, the flutes and the drums are displayed along with swords, daggers and other props in glass show cases.Heaps of hazel nuts are kept in bowls showing the eating habits of the spectators who used to munch nuts while watching the play. A number of whistles are seen which might have been used by spectators to show off their response to the performances of the actors on the stage. We saw  the earthen pots that had been used to collect pennies as fee from the spectators of those times. We also saw the surviving signboard of "Boar's Head Tavern"

Hercules hanging at Lecture Hall

Atlas hanging

Adonis Hanging

                                                                                                    

                                                
   After spending nearly one hour at the Globe Exhibition we went down the steps to see a practical demonstration lecture on Elizabethan costumes. The hall is decorated with various banners known as Newzealand Hangings. To add classical touch and to attract the attention of the audience various banners depicting characters like Hercules, Atlas and Adonis were displayed during Shakespeare's time. Following the same tradition characters like Hercules, Atlas,and Venus and Adonis are seen on these modern hangings made in Newzealand between January,1990 and April,1991.  These hangings made of finest wool were created by five hundred embroiders under the supervision of the theatrical designer, Raymond Boyce of Newzealand. These hangings were unveiled by the Globe's Patron,Prince Philip in June, 1997.

Queen Elizabeth (1533--1603)

King James I (1566--1625)

 




                                                                              
           

    We watched the elaborate Elizabethan way of dressing consisting of so many items as the speakers explained how class and status distinction in dress code were meticulously observed by people during those times. Everybody used to cover their bodies with four or five layers of clothing giving out a bulging appearance.The innermost clothing was made of linen so that it can be changed frequently. Ladies used to wear smock or shift linen covered by corset or a close fitting bodice stiffened with reeds or whalebone. A cone-shaped skirt stiffened with ropes was worn on the kirtle or under-gown. It is tied down to the corset at the sides to keep it secure without slipping down. A shirt with a high neck and puffed sleeves was worn securely tied under arms. A gown wide-spread like a fan and stiffened with whalebone and ropes was  worn . A cloak was used to safeguard them from rain. Ladies used to wear knee-high stockings made of wool, silk or yarn according to their status.

    Men used to wear a shirt covered by a waist coat and a jacket. They wore breeches or upper hose covering from waist to knee.On it they wore upper or nether hose with a girdle on which they hung their dagger and purse. They used to pad their bellies to give a bulging appearance which was considered a sign of high status. The rich and royal people used clothes made of fine wool, silk and velvet with bright colors like purple, red, gold and blue. The lower class or common people were permitted to use clothes made of linen, coarse wool or sheepskin with sober colors like brown, green, yellow,beige and orange.

  After the demonstration class we were asked to attend the guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe. An elderly gentleman with a booming voice hurriedly led us up into the open air theater re-constructed by the famous American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker. This Theater was opened in 1997 with the performance of  Henry V. Just beside the Globe there is an indoor sister theater built in Jacobean style commemorating Sir Wanamaker called Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where stage shows are organized. It was opened in 2014 with staging of the play "The Duchess of Malfi". No artificial light is used. Only daylight through openings in shutters or candlelights served for giving illumination during performance of plays.
                       
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   9th September, 2015                                                                                 Somaseshu Gutala

ON OUR WAY TO THE " GLOBE "

Maiden Lane (Park Street)

Clink Street

     

           

        The nearest railway station to Shakespeare's Globe Theater is the London Bridge or the Southwark. It is just a   fifteen-minute walk from these two stations. As we passed through the Park Street (earlier called as Maiden Lane ) we could recapture the atmosphere of the Elizabethan times to some extent , of course modified by modern facilities and comforts. The lane was narrow flanked by pubs, restaurants and shops. The path was a  cobbled road with old constructions bearing testimony to the fact that once it was a notorious and squalid place where brothels, bear-baiting pits, taverns and gambling dens flourished. The playhouses or theaters were given permission only to set up in this locality outside London in Southwark borough as acting was looked down as not a worthy profession. The audience also consisted of many low class people who drank, abused and loved ribald jokes. The rich aristocratic people asked players to act in their own private halls.

The Anchor

Interior View

                                

      As we passed by, we saw "The Anchor" the oldest surviving inn of Elizabethan times where people flock even now to relish the ale and enjoy refreshments. It had a long history of nearly eight hundred years. During Shakespeare's time many actors from the Globe, the Swan and the Rose theaters used to frequent this inn. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, this inn was re-built in 1676 and later in 1770 and in 19th century.

    There used to be many inns and taverns in this lane during Elizabethan times. Many of these inns were owned by Philip Henslowe, the theatrical manager of Shakespeare's Globe. Of  course today most of them are nowhere to be seen. They had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London or demolished to give space for later construction of buildings or roads by the riverside.

George Inn

Boar's Head Tavern Sign

  

                 

The Mitre Tavern

                                                                                

    Shakespeare in one of his plays ("Twelfth Night " Act III, Scene III ) referred to the "Elephant Inn " as the best place to lodge. (" In the south suburbs at the Elephant is best to lodge " ). The Boar's Head Tavern on Eastcheap was established in Southwark before 1537. It was re-built and existed till 1831 when it was demolished. But we can see the signboard of this inn (the meeting place of many famous playwrights of Elizabethan times) in the exhibition hall of today's Shakespeare's  Globe. The site of the original inn is now a part of the approach road to London Bridge in Canon Street.

   Before the advent of theaters plays were staged in the courtyards of inns by touring actors. In the courtyards of "The Bull Inn" and "The White Hart Inn" (Shakespeare's reference in  Henry VI)
many plays were staged between 1576 and 1594. "The George Inn" built in 1542h  on Borough High Street near the White Hart Inn was frequented by Shakespeare and his fellow-actors. It was destroyed in fire in 1576 but was later re-built. With galleried hall and cobbled courtyard it still functions as a stage for actors to enact their plays at this inn. Only the southern part of the inn remains intact and is protected by the National Trust.

  

The White Hart Inn

George Inn

   In the courtyard of "The Cross key Inn" located in Grace Church Street, actors used to stage their plays between 1576 and 1594. Shakespeare's acting troupe of Chamberlain's Men used the Cross key Inn Theatre on a regular basis.

Cross Keys Inn

Sign of Cross Keys at the original location

          
          












  "The Mermaid Tavern" located at the junction of Friday Street and Bread Street in East Cheap end deserves special mention as it was frequented by many Elizabethan poets and scholars like Ben Jonson, Francis Beaumont, John Donne, John Fletcher and Richard Carew. A group of these people called "Fraternity of the Sirenical Gentlemen" or "The Friday Club" (a drinking club) used to visit this tavern on the first Friday of every month and engaged themselves in witty conversation or in discussing on various literary topics and contemporary events.Shakespeare, though not a member of this club, might have visited this tavern occasionally to meet and converse with his poet-friends and fellow-dramatists. Ben Jonson and Beaumont mentioned about this tavern in their poems "Inviting a Friend to Supper" (by Ben Jonson) and "Letter to Ben Jonson" (by Francis Beaumont). This famous tavern was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.


   Ben Jonson and his group also  used to visit "The Mitre Tavern" located nearby which had been in existence even before 1475, but was later destroyed in the Great Fire of London . That site was now occupied by buildings and offices.

View of inside prison

Clink Prison Museum

                                                                       

 Apart from these inns and taverns most of which had been razed down by mishaps of time, one can see a replica of the "Clinker's Prison" on the original site as one passes by this South Bank Street leading to Shakespeare's Globe. This was one of the oldest prisons in England which existed right since 1144 up to 1780. It was located within the premises of Winchester's Palace, the home of the bishops of Winchester from 1140 to 1626. This prison was first used to house religious prisoners before being burnt at stake or hanged. Later it became a debtors' prison and was used to keep thieves, harlots, heretics and other criminals. The inmates were tortured and were not given food by the warden. They had to beg food from the passers-by. The prison was located below the level of Thames and a sewer with squalid surroundings.  In the Clink Museum one can see the examples of crime and instruments of torture used at that time. The word "clink" is derived from the Middle English word "clinken" which means 'a Lock". 

The Ruined Winchester Palace

The Rose Window on western gable

                 





 
  





 Another strange fact is that the Bishop of Winchester, being the sole proprietor of the most of the land in Bankside, gave licences to brothels in the area in 1611. So the local prostitutes in that area were nicknamed as "Winchester Geese." The Winchester Palace and the original prison were destroyed in the fire of 1814 and only the rose window of the palace remains as a historic reminder of those notorious times. 

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                                                                                                                 Somaseshu Gutala
 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THEATERS IN ELIZABETHAN AGE

The Swan Theater in 1596

The Curtain Theater in 1577

            








 The first playhouse in London was "The Red Lion" built in 1567 by John Brayne who converted the Red Lion  inn in Stepney  (located outside the city into a theater). But it survived only for a few months. Many more playhouses were built between 1570s and 1620s. In 1576 Brayne and James Burbage (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) built "The Theater" at Shoreditch. James Burbage himself was an actor associated with the "Earl of Leister's Men" and acted in "The Theater" during the first two years of its establishment. The "Newington Butts Theater" was built in the 1577.

 After this five more theaters were built to meet the growing demand of the people who showed keen interest in watching plays. No remains of the "Theater" remain now. The site is marked by a plaque at 88-86, Curtain Road. "The Swan Theater" in Southwark was built between 1594 and 1596. It was the fourth in the series of the large playhouses in London after James Burbage's "Theater", Henry Lanman's "The Curtain" (1577) and Philip Henslowe's "The Rose"  (1587-1588). Francis Langley built "The Swan" on the west end of the Bank Side in 1595-96. It was the finest and largest of the London theaters. In 1597 in "Swan", the acting company "Pembroke's Men" staged the infamous play "The Isle of Dogs" written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson. Both were imprisoned along with the actor Gabriel Spenser. The playhouse was temporarily closed. In 1632 it was finally closed down.

 In 1613 Philip Henslowe built the new "Hope Theater" modelled after "Swan Theater" rather than his own theater "The Rose" as it appeared out of style in comparison. Shakespeare's company, " Lord Chamberlain's Men " played at "The Theater", "The Curtain" and "The Globe". They also played at the Court for Queen Elizabeth I and later for James I. They toured and acted in the courtyards of inns like "The Bull Inn", "The White Hart Inn" and "The Cross Keys Inn", especially between 1576 and 1594. After 1609 during winter time they played at the "Black Friars" indoor theater. Shakespeare's earliest plays were staged at "The Rose" theater.

        

Black Friars in 1596

                          



The "Black Friars" theater located in Ludgate Hill on the northern banks of the Thames was built by James Burbage in 1596 on the grounds of a former monastery. After his death in 1597 it was bequeathed to his two sons, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage. As it was located in the area where wealthy and respectable people lived, there was stiff opposition from people against adult actors staging plays. So Richard Burbage leased it Henry Evans who used child actors "The Children of the Chapel" (a commercial enterprise) to present plays to entertain royal and aristocratic people between 1600 and 1608. Even before the establishment of this theater, some parts of the monastery were used for acting by boys between 1576 and 1584.

 Soon after James I ascended the throne in 1603, he supported "The Chamberlain's Men" who called themselves as "King's Men". They took on lease the "Black Friars" from Richard and Cuthbert Burbage for a period of 21 years, with each member of the group a seventh share. Shakespeare was also one of its members. He also bought a house a short walk away from the "Black Friars" in Ireland Yard in 1613. After making some renovations, from 1609 onward, "The King's Men" were allowed to perform for a select audience. They performed at "Black Friars" for seven months during winter and continued to act at "The Globe" during summer season. "The Black Friars" was an indoor theater with an area of 69x49 ft. with two or three galleries and had stage boxes or balconies adjacent to the stage balcony. It had a seating capacity of about seven hundred people. But it was equipped with better stage devices, lighting arrangement, and best musicians. The plays of   many famous Jacobean dramatists such as Ben Jonson, John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. were performed at Black Friars. During the civil war in 1642 the Puritans closed the Black Friars Theater. Ultimately it was demolished on 6th August in 1655.The site is still commemorated by the playhouse yard close to the Apothecaries Hall.

William Shakespeare (1564--1616)

Ben Jonson (1572--1637)

        

                           



          



 
 "The Globe Theater" was built by Shakespeare's company "Lord Chamberlain's Men" in 1599 on the land owned by Thomas Brend inherited by his son Nicholas Brend and later by his grandson Matthew Brend.
The Globe Theater was owned by actors who were also share holders. Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert owned 25% of shares each. Shakespeare, John Hemminges, Augustine Philips and Thomas Pope owned a single share or 12.5% each. Shakespeare's share gradually diminished from 1/8 to 1/14 or roughly to 7% during  the course of his career.

"The Globe Theater" was built using the timber of an earlier playhouse "The Theater" built by James Burbage, (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) in Shoreditch in 1576. After the expiry of the lease the timber and other materials were dismantled and shifted to the new site from Shoreditch to build this theater in1599 with the intention of competing with "The Rose Theater" established by the "Admiral's Men" on  the Bankside in Southwark. The original Globe Theater was a three-story building shaped like a circular polygon with twenty sides. At the base of the stage there is a pit or open space with rushes strewn on the earthen floor. A large layer of nutshells was pressed into the dirt so as to form a new surface layer. Nearly one thousand stood in the pit to watch the play. A rectangular stage platform (apron stage) was thrust into the middle of the open air yard. The stage was 43 feet in width and 27 feet in depth and was five feet above ground. There was a trap-door on the stage for performers to enter from the cellar area. There were three rows of gallery seats to accommodate nearly two thousand spectators. There were two or three doors on the main stage with a curtained inner stage and a balcony above it. This balcony above the stage was flanked by two other balconies meant for the wealthy people to be seen (nowadays called box) .  The doors led the way to a tiring room   behind (backstage area) where the actors dressed and awaited their entrances. The ceiling under the roof was called "The Heavens" painted with clouds to look like the sky. A trap door in the sky enabled the actors to descend on to the stage using some form of harness and ropes.


   

The Globe Theater in 1599

The Hercules Hanging at the Globe Theater

       

















 The motto of the Globe Theater was "Totus Mundus agit histrionem" that means "The whole world is a playhouse." John Hemminges, who compiled Shakespeare's first folio became the theater's manager.The first play in the new theater was Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" on 21st September, 1599. Shakespeare's lost play "Cardenio" was staged in 1612 and Henry VIII in 1613. To announce the performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", a flag with Hercules carrying a globe on his shoulders was displayed in the new theater. During the performance of "Henry VIII" on 29th June, 1613, due to the misfiring of a theatrical cannon the wooden beams and thatched roof caught fire. None was hurt. A man's burning breeches were put out with a bottle of ale. "The Globe" was re-built in June,1614. In 1642 the Globe Theater was closed during the Puritan rule. In 1644 it was pulled down to make room for building tenements.

Sam Wanamaker (1919--1993)

        

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014

        








 The newly constructed Globe Theater that we see now is nearly 750 feet away from the original site. The style of construction of Sam Wanamaker's Playhouse (indoor theater) at Shakespeare's Globe we see now, is similar to the layout of the  Black Friars Theater. "Sam Wanamaker Playhouse" was designed by the famous architect, Jon Greenfield in collaboration with Allies and Morrison. Nearly 7.5 million pounds were spent to construct this theater, which was opened in 2014. This construction serves as a glowing tribute to Sam Wanamaker (the eminent American Actor and Director) who made great efforts in doing research and spent a major part of his wealth  in construction of the present day Globe Theater. All of us are very much indebted to his most valuable and noble work of sacrifice and earnest dedication in re-construction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. 
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  29th August, 2015                                                                                     Somaseshu Gutala

EVOLUTION OF THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (PART--II)

Gammer Gurton's Needle

Ralph Roister Doister

  












    The first comedy in English was "Ralph Roister Doister" by Nicholas Udall (1504--1556), Head master of Eton and later of Westminster School. This play was based on Plautus' comedy "Comedy Miles Gloriosus" written in Latin. This play was written in rhymed verse using stock characters (stereotyped characters that recur often in plays) like the foolish braggart and the mischievous servant (Matthew Merrygreek) who finds delight in fooling his master. In this comedy the stock characters of Greek and Roman comedies are blended with the those of English morality plays. This comedy deals with the theme of a love-sick braggart (Ralph Roister) wooing a dame (Constance) who was betrothed to another suitor (Good Luck). At the end Ralph  was beaten and driven away by Constance and her maids. This play was staged by school boys in 1553.

 The next play "Gammer Gurton's Needle" written by William Stevenson in 1562 deals with the life of English peasants. In this Terentian comedy the plot centers round the loss of a needle belonging to the lady named Gamer Gurton. It was eventually found when her servant Hodge was slapped on the buttocks by the trickster figure Diccon , who found it stuck in the breeches of Hodge. It is almost like a farce with crude jokes of country life.

Thomas Sackville

The tragedy of Gorboduc

                                    
                                   












 The first tragedy in English was "Gorboduc" by two lawyers,Thomas Sackville (1536--1608) and Norton (1536--1608) in 1561. The influence of the Roman tragedies of Seneca is seen in this play, though they took the story from the early annals of Britain, Geoffrey Monmouth's "History of the Kings of Britain". This is the first play written in blank verse which set the trend for other dramatists to follow in later times.  Gorboduc abdicates his throne in favour of his sons, Ferrex and Porrex. Ferrex, the elder, was killed by his younger brother, Porrex. Porrex in turn was killed by the mother, Videna, in vengeance. The subjects rise in rebellion and killed both the king and the queen. This led to civil war and usurpation.The usurper was also killed leaving the throne vacant.Thus the line of Brutus became extinct with the death of Gorboduc. Through this play the dramatists tried to suggest the turmoil and anarchy caused to a kingdom without a successor and also to advise indirectly that the virgin queen should get married to continue her dynastic rule in the interest of the kingdom.

  In fifteenth century the English teachers, in order to create interest in Latin, encouraged the boys to enact the plays they had read. All of Seneca's plays written in Latin were translated into English between 1559 and 1581. The early English drama followed the classical Greek and Roman dramas as its model. It borrowed most of the plots from classical books like Plutarch's " Parallel Lives" (translated by Thomas North in 1579) and Richard Holinshed's "Chronicles"(1587) and plays written by Latin writers like Plautus, Terence and Seneca. The classical dramas followed rules very strictly allowing no scope for freedom or modification of rules. They followed the rule of three unities: the unity of Place, Time and Action. The action  in the play should be shown only at one place in the duration of a single day and the plot should be a single one to sustain the dramatic effect on audience focused without any distraction . So there is no change or growth in characters as all action happens in a single day. As the plot is a single one, there is no scope to add humor and fun . The tragedy continues till the end as a tragedy without any comic relief. As per the rule of decorum and decency, no scenes of violence and bloodshed should be shown on the stage. Hence there is little scope for action on the stage. Every incident is reported by a messenger or described by chorus, a group of singers on the stage.

The Swan Theater (1595)

The Rose Theater (1592)

     







                         

  During the time of  Elizabeth I and James I the Elizabethan drama flourished with the advent of many great dramatists like John Lily, Robert Greene, Thomas Kyd, John Webster, Thomas Dekker, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher etc. Many theaters were set up as people showed more interest in watching the plays. This period may be called the Golden Period of the English Drama. Two types of drama existed side by side ; the classical drama strictly following the Greek and Roman plays. The native English drama or Romantic type, which became more popular as it appealed more to the audience by its natural resemblance to day-to-day life and by its free mixing of various elements and experimental ways. It flouted the rule of Three Unities, mixed tragic and comic elements and introduced much fun and humor in the plays to attract audience. It showed much action on the stage and used scenery, mechanical devices and sound effects to make plays seem more realistic and attractive and to suit the strong emotional temper of the audience. The native English drama did not follow the rigid rules of the classical drama.


 In 1559 Elizabeth I prohibited all plays that were not licensed by the Crown to curb the propaganda against the crown and the immoral and unhealthy elements in the plays. To regulate the mushrooming of theaters in London and check unsocial and notorious elements, Elizabeth I banned all drama companies that were not bound to a patron in 1572. Thus only genuine and honest drama companies like "Leicester's Men" and "Lord Admiral's Men" remained. In 1574 Elizabeth I placed her Master of Revels in charge of licensing all plays performed in England. The Master of Revels was an officer of  the state who worked for the Lord Chamberlain, the officer of the royal household. Many theaters came into existence to meet the growing demand of viewers who flocked to watch the plays. "The Theater" by James Burbage was set up in 1576; the "Curtain" by James Burbage in 1577 ; "The Rose" by Philip Henslowe  in 1587 ; "The Swan" by Francis Langley    in 1595 ; "The Globe" by "Lord Chamberlain's Men" in 1599 and "Fortune" by Henslowe and Edward Alleyn  in 1600. In most of these theaters the actors themselves were partners or share holders. The Elizabethan dramatists borrowed plots from the famous classical plays and books or revised some of the old plays by introducing some changes and introducing some new characters to suit the tastes of their contemporary audience. Often two or three dramatists worked together to produce these plays. As the church was very rigid and opposed the performance of dramas, the female characters in the plays were enacted by young boys till the Restoration Time in 1660.
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 Apart from these public theaters private theaters were built in the former monasteries and church grounds to entertain the select audience belonging to higher and respectable sections of the society. Young boys of Chapel Royal and St.Paul's Cathedral Choir Schools in London acted in these private theaters, but the fee was rather high.

  Thus the Elizabethan Drama which flourished during sixteenth and seventeenth centuries found a unique place in literature by its own innovative approach and by assimilating  some features of the classical drama .

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    24th August, 2015                                                                                   Somaseshu Gutala

  References:1) Plautus: (254 B.C.--184 B.C.)-A Roman writer of many comedies of which only twenty
                                                                        plays survived.
                   2) Terence : (195 B.C.--159 B.C.) A popular Roman Writer of comedies. He wrote six
                                                                         comedies.
                   3) Seneca : (4 B.C.-- 65 B.C) Born in Corodoba (in modern Spain). Worked as Tutor
                                      to young Nero. He wrote eight tragedies.His plays though based on Greek                                       models are noted for their rhetorical style and violent scenes filled with horror
                                      He introduced soliloquies and asides in his dramas.

  

         
                 


   

 

EVOLUTION OF THE ELIZABETHAN DRAMA (PART--I)

    

                















  During Middle Ages (from 5th to 14th century) the church authorities are strictly opposed to staging of plays as they thought that dramas would have a demoralizing influence and corrupt the religious values of the society. But ironically the origin of staging plays started from the church and church compounds only. During festive occasions to capture the attention of common people and to inculcate the religious principles, scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the lives of saints were enacted by priests and their assistants. As more people came to watch these shows, the they shifted their location to church yards to enact these Biblical scenes. These plays dealing with life of Christ or episodes from the Old Testament are called Mystery Plays and the plays about the lives of saints are termed as the Miracle Plays. The earliest Miracle Play in England was "Ludus de Sancta Katharina" performed in Dunstable in 1110. Who wrote the original play was not known. The first version was prepared by Geoffrey of St.Albans, a French teacher of Dunstable. The chief actors spoke in Latin or French while the minor and comic actors used English.

  Gradually from 1300 A.D. on wards, the merchant or trade guilds took over this responsibility and staged all these religious plays in a collection or series called cycles on festive occasions. These cycles of plays were enacted on movable theaters with two-story  platforms set on wheels or pageant wagons. The lower story was used a dressing room and the upper story as a stage. A trapdoor was there for actors to come up to the stage from the lower story. The figure of a dragon's head was placed on the side of the stage to represent the hell into which evil and vicious characters were pushed into, to show the ultimate punishment given to them by God. These mobile stage platforms moved from one city square to another square in succession giving an opportunity for people to see all the plays one after another. The authorship and the date of composition of these miracle and mystery plays is not known. Most of these cycles have been lost. Only a few plays have remained. The Coventry Cycle has forty-two plays, the Wakefield Cycle has thirty plays, the Chesterfield Cycle has twenty-five plays and the York Cycle, adjudged as the best, has forty-eight plays. Most of these cycles started with the theme of Creation and ended with the Last Judgement. To entertain the audience comic characters like Noah's wife, and the Devil were introduced. Most of these plays dealt with Biblical themes and there was no scope for change or alteration in theme and characters.


  The emergence of Morality Plays gave some scope in adding variety and change to plot and characters. These plays are based on allegorical representation of various qualities like Love, Greed, Virtue and Vice, Seven Deadly Sins  and states of existence like Life and Death. The triumph of virtue over vice is the main theme of these Morality Plays. More humor and crude jokes were introduced in these plays through the characters of Devil, Vice and others. Like Miracle Plays, no date or authorship of these plays is known. "Every Man", "Pride of Life" and "Castle of Perseverance" are some of the well-known Morality Plays. John Skelton ( 1463-1529)  wrote plays like "Magnificence" and "Necromancer". He was the court poet to Henry VII in 1494 and also served as Tutor to young prince Henry VIII for seven years. Apart from Morality Plays he also wrote many satirical poems and elegies. Sir David Lindsay, the poet of Scotch Reformation, satirized the abuses of the church and the state in his Morality Plays by introducing characters disguised as allegories. Thus the purpose of drama gradually shifted from emphasis on ideal Christian values to correction of abuses and shaping of social values. But in Morality plays also the characters representing certain qualities remained as they are without any growth or development in course of the play. So they appear same in all plays without any change, which will not create much interest to spectators.

               

(1463--1529)

John Heywood  (1497--1580)

                                                 











   Interludes started as short dramatic scenes performed at banquets or social gatherings to entertain the guests. Later they were introduced in Miracle and Morality plays to add fun and humor after a solemn or serious theme. Thus they are not an integral part of the original plays. John Heywood (1497-1580), a famous Chorister of the Chapel Royal in the court of Henry VIII  raised the level of interlude to a distinct dramatic form called Comedy. He was a popular poet in the court of the Catholic queen Mary. He wrote the interludes for the royal court between 1520 and 1540 such as "The Four P's" and "The Play of the Weather", "The Play of Love" and "Wytty and Wytless". He was a musician, poet, singer and an epigrammist (Collector and writer of proverbs). His style is witty and satirical with a moral message. He was the first writer to turn the abstract characters of the Morality Plays into real, day-to-day living persons. His interludes serve as a link between the Morality Plays and the modern drama. As a staunch follower of Catholic faith he could not stay in England and had to flee to Mechlen in Belgium when Queen Elizabeth I made the act of Uniformity in 1564 against Catholics. Incidentally he was the grandfather to John Donne, the famous metaphysical poet and preacher of the seventeenth century.

  The early English Playwrights mixed both prose and crude verse (called doggerel) in their plays but without any literary quality.The artistic period of drama began when the play was written not to represent a moral but to represent human life as it is. The influence of Greek and Latin writers during the Renaissance period (from 14th to 16th century) promoted the development of the English drama further. The invention of printing press, the establishment of educational institutions, the growing number of literate people and the peaceful political conditions along with interaction with foreign traders and representatives brought about a noticeable change and  improvement in the quality of the English drama. Many playhouses or theaters were established on the outskirts of the London city. The religious authorities and higher political powers did not approve of the performance of plays within the city as they thought that it would lead to lawlessness and spoil the general discipline and moral values of the society.

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                      16th August, 2015                                                             Somaseshu Gutala
                   

    Note : Dear Readers,  Before  describing my visit to Shakespeare's famous theater "Globe" on the bankside in Southwark region, I thought it would be proper to give some details about the evolution of the Elizabethan Drama (1562 to 1642) which has earned world-wide acclaim as many great dramatists of that age contributed a lot to make the drama a living voice of those times and portrayed the general human nature from different angles so that they are plays of not one age but of all ages.