Elizabethan Drama Revision

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Elizabethan DramaRevision
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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 meand '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!"

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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).

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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.

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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!"

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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.

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