English Literature, Linguistics, History is on Facebook.

To connect with English Literature,

Linguistics, History, join Facebook today.

Join

or
Log In

English Literature, Linguistics, History

June 25, 2015 at 1:39 PM ·

Question:--
Elizabethan age is famous for the growth of English drama and Shakespeare deserves much of its prestige. Do you agree?
Elucidate.
Or,
Write down the contribution of the Elizabethan dramatists to this age.
Or,
Discuss about the Elizabethan age mainly giving an account of the Elizabethan dramatists.
Or,
Write an essay on Elizabethan drama.
A pen picture of Elizabethan dramatists and their respective plays:
The reign of Queen Elizabeth was the golden age in the history of English literature as there was a glorious development in
the literary field specially in drama. In this period, drama achieved its full bloom and it was the most popular, powerful and
spontaneous literary form of Elizabethan age.
Two major streams have tremendously influenced the drama of the age and they are Greek- o Roman tradition and the spirit
of "Renaissance". Actually the new dramatists of this age were strongly affected by the "humanism" of Renaissance and
rediscovery of classical models. And for this reason, Elizabethan drama is also known as "Renaissance drama".
Elizabethan dramatists didn't follow any concrete rule. So it's very much difficult to classify the drama of this age. William
Shakespeare was a giant literary figure of this age. So we can divide the Elizabethan drama with the reference of
Shakespeare.
1) Pre-Shakespearean Drama
2) Shakespearean Drama
3) Post- Shakespearean Drama
1) Pre-Shakespearean Drama :--
The Pre-Shakespearean Dramatists are known as the University Wits because all of them were nearly associated with Oxford
and Cambridge and they did much to found the Elizabethan School of drama. It could perhaps be claimed that they were the
first to associate English drama permanently with literature. This group consists of John Lyly, Robert Greene, George Pelee,
Thomas Nashe, Thomas Lodge, Thomas Kyd and Christopher Marlowe.
John Lyly(1554--1606):--
John Lyly is a University Wits. He was an English writer, a poet, a dramatist, a playwright and a politician. He introduces us
with the elements of romanticism in the Elizabethan drama. He developed a literary style called 'Euphemism' after his success
with "Euphues". Most of his plays were pastoral comedies. He mixed the classical mythology with English subject and wrote in
a refined artificial style. He is mainly famous for his two writings ----
------ "Euphues" (1579)---- a book that bears the embryo of English novel.
------ "The Anatomy of Wit" (1578)
His other best plays are ---
--- "Alexander"
--- "Campaspe and Diogenes" (1584)
--- "Sapho and Phao" (1584)
---- "Gallathea" (1592)
--- "Mother Bombie" (1594)
--- "Endymion"
--- "Midas" (1589)
---- "Love's Metamorphosis" (1601)
---- "The Woman in the Moon" (1597)
Robert Greene(1558--1592):---
Robert Greene is also a University Wits. He is better known for his autobiographical phrase. He was probably encouraged to
write for the slag by Marlowe. He also wrote pastoral and romantic comedies. His best products among his best plays are -----
------- "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" (1589)----- It is an Elizabethan era stage play and a comedy. It's widely regarded as
Greene's best and most significant play. it has received more critical attention than any other of Greene's dramas.
------- "James-IV" (1591)-- Records the Scottish history.
Both the plays are remarkable because of combining love stories and rural adventures with historical incidents.
His other writings are---
------ "A Looking Glass for London and England"--It is an Elizabethan era stage play. It's a joint publication by Thomas Lodge
and Robert Greene. It's recounting the Biblical story of Jonah and the fall of Nineveh.The play is a noteworthy example of the
survival of the Medieval morality play style of drama in the period of English Renaissance theater.
------- "Alphonsys"
------- "King of Aragon"
------- "Orlando Furioso" and
------- "A Grotsworth of Wit" etc.
George Pelee(1558--1598):--
George Pelee is a University Wits. He was also an English translator, poet and dramatist. He represents a great advance
upon the earliest drama. He wrote romantic comedy, chronicle play, allegory and satire. His main plays are-----

-------- "David and Bethsabe" (1599) -- it's a love story.

--------- "Arraignment of Paris" (1584)--it's a pastoral comedy.
--------- "The Old Wives's Tale" (1595)--"The Old Wives' Tale'' was followed by The Love of King David and fair Bethsabe which
is notable as an example of Elizabethan drama drawn entirely from Scriptural sources. It has a political satire.
--------- "The Famous Chronicle of King Edward I" (1593)--- This chronicle history is an advance on the old chronicle plays and
marks a step towards the Shakespearean historical drama.
Thomas Kyd(1557--1595):---
He is one of the most important dramatists among the Pre-Shakespeare ans. He was the Founder of "romantic tragedy". He
completely followed the revenge tradition of Latin dramatist, Seneca and wrote the famous play , "The Spanish Tragedy"
(1585). He borrowed the scenes of horror, murder and frenzy from the Seneca play. His horrific plot, involving murder, frenzy
and sudden death gave his play a great and lasting popularity.
He is a pioneer of melodrama. "Hamlet" is a revenge tragedy play and perhaps, Thomas Kyd himself was the author of a
"Hamlet" , twelve years older than the Shakespeare's master piece.
His other surviving plays are--
----- "The Householder's Philosophy" (1588)
----- "Cornelia" (1594)
----- "Soliman and Perseda"
----- "King Leir"
------ "Arden of Feversham"
------- "The Murder of John Brewen" (1592)
------ And "Edward III"
Thomas Nashe(1567--1601):--
He was famous for his "Summer's Last Will and Testament"-- a satirical masque. He took an active part in the political and
personal questions of the day. His "The Unfortunate Traveller" (1594) or "The Life of Jacke Wilton" a prose tale, is important in
the development of novel.
Christopher Marlowe(1564--1593):--
The most striking personality and the most impressive dramatist before Shakespeare among the University Wits was
Christopher Marlowe. He may be regarded as the true Founder of English drama. He created genuine 'blank verse' and firmly
established it as the most appropriate medium of poetic drama. He founded English romantic tragedy and wrote the first great
English history play. He had been called the Father of English dramatic poetry.
He glorified the matter of drama through his choice of subject. He vitalized the manner and matter of drama through his
characterization. He clarified and gave coherence to the drama. through his verse.
We find the following three characteristics of Marlowe's works---
a) pictorial quality
b) ecstatic quality
c) vitalizing energy.
"Dr. Faustus"(1592), a tragedy by Marlowe, is a mile stone in the history of English drama and it was full of the spirit of
Renaissance. His major tragedies are-----
------ "Tamburlaine the Great"(1587)
------ "The Jew of Malta" (1589)
and ------ "Dr. Faustus" (1592) except the historical play, "Edward II"(1591).
All portray heroes who passionately seek power- the power of rule, power of money and power of knowledge respectively.
Marlowe presented life like character with vigor and fire. He was the morning star of Elizabethan drama and each one of his
tragedy reflects the Renaissance spirit.
2) Shakespearean Drama(1564--1616):--
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) is one of the greatest dramatists of the world and the most dominant
playwright of the Elizabethan age. Ben Jonson, his contemporary, was right when he called him, "the soul of Elizabethan Age"
and also that "he was not of an age but for all times".
Besides, he was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the
world's pre-eminent dramatist.He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon".
He is famous for the objective presentation of his deep knowledge about human psychology. He wrote --plays------------37. Of
the total 37 plays, he wrote 25 plays before the death of Queen Elizabeth the First. And he wrote 12 serious plays in the
Jacobean Age (1603--1625).
He remains the unchallenged champion in the whole field of English literature. He had a prolific pen and he used it in the
direction of Tragedy, Comedy and Historical plays.
Shakespeare's plays can broadly be put under seven groups.
1) The Early Comedies:
In these immature plays, the plots are less original, the characters are less finished and the style lacks the power of the
mature Shakespeare. They are full of wit and word. Plays of this type are----
------ "The Comedy of Errors"
------ "Love’s Labour’s Lost"
------ "The Two Gentlemen of Verona"
2) The English Histories:
These plays show a rapid maturing of Shakespeare's technique.
----- "Henry IV, Part 1"
----- "Henry IV, Part 2"
----- "Henry V"
----- "Richard II"
----- "Richard III",
and ----- "King John" are the plays of this group.
In these historical plays, Shakespeare presents the British history of three hundred years and provides the nice portrait of
English Kings.
3) The Mature Comedies:
Here is the fine flower of Shakespeare's comic genius. The plays are full of vitality, contain many truly comic situation and
reveal great humanity. His mature comedies are --
-------"The Merchant of Venice"
-------"Much Ado About Nothing"
-------"Twelfth Night" and
-------"As You Like it"
4) The Somber Plays:
Through these plays, Shakespeare displays a savage desire to expose the falsity of romance and presents a sordid reality of
life. These plays are---
------"All’s Well That Ends Well"
------"Measure for Measure" and
-----"Trolius and Cressida"
5) The great Tragedies:
Shakespeare's great tragedies are----
---------"Hamlet"
---------"King Lear"
---------"Macbeth" and
---------"Othello"
These are the climax of his art. In intensity of emotion, depth of psychological insight and power of style, they stand supreme.
6) The Roman plays:
These are based on North's translation of Plutarch's lives. The plays of this group are ----
---------- "Antony and Cleopatra"
---------- "Coriolanus"
---------- "Julius Caesar"
7) The Last Plays:
A mellowed maturity is the chief feature of this group. Shakespeare's last plays are---
----------- "Cymbeline"
----------- "The Tempest"
----------- "The Winter’s Tale"
3) Post- Shakespearean Drama:--
The death of Shakespeare declined the dramatic style as there was an another great figure to fill the royal seat of
Shakespeare. Among the Post- Shakespearean dramatists, Ben John and John Webster are the most prominent dramatists.
Ben Jonson(1573--1637):--
Ben Jonson was an English playwright, poet and literary critic of the seventeenth century. He popularized the comedy of
humours. he is generally regarded as the second most important English dramatist, after William Shakespeare, during the
reign of James I.
He did so many different things in the literary world of the early 17th century. His works are in strong contrast with that of
Shakespeare and of the Post- Shakespearean dramatists. He followed the classical writers or the best critics. He followed the
unity of time, place and action as well as characterization.
In England, he was the Father of so called "Comedy of Humours". He is a neo-classicist though he wrote in the time when
romanticism was the main mode of expression. He is called a neo-classicist because he followed the classical rules of drama.
Three of his best known satirical comedies are---
---------- "Volpone"(1605)
---------- "The Alchemist"(1610)
---------- "The Silent Woman"(1609) etc.
His early comedies are-------
---------- "Every Man in His Humour"(1599)
---------- "Every Man Out of His Humour" etc.
Two of his historical tragedies are------
---------- " Sejanus his Fall"
---------- and "Catiline his Conspiracy"
John Webster(1580--1625):--
He is regarded as the greatest post-Shakespearean and an English Jacobean dramatist. He is the most striking follower of the
Seneca revenge tradition. He is mainly famous for his two tragedies----
--------- "The White Devil"(1612)
---------- and "The Duchess of Malfi"(1614)
Both the plays are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage.
George Chapman( 1559 – 1634):--
He was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was also a classical scholar. His works shows the influence of Stoicism.
He is identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's sonnets by William Minto. He is also identified as an participator of the
Metaphysical Poets of the 17th century. He is well known for his translations of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", and the
Homeric Batrachomyomachia.
His comedies are------
------ "The Blind Beggar of Alexandria" (1596)
------ "An Humorous Day's Mirth" (1597)
------ "All Fools" (1605)
------ "Monsieur D'Olive" (1605)
------ "The Gentleman Usher" (1606)
------- "May Day" (1611)
------- and "The Widow's Tears" (1612).
His plays mainly show a willingness to experiment with dramatic form: "An Humorous Day's Mirth" was one of the first plays to
be written in the style of "humours comedy" which Ben Jonson later used in "Every Man in his Humour and Every Man Out of
his Humour".
His tragedies and other plays are----
--------- "Bussy D'Ambois" (1607)
--------- "The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron"(1608),
---------- "The Revenge of Bussy D'Ambois"(1613)
---------- and "The Tragedy of Chabot, Admiral of France" (1639).
Thomas Middleton(1580-1627):--
He was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success
both comedy and tragedy. He still remains one of the most notable and distinctive of Jacobean dramatists.
His best-known plays are the tragedies. They are----
--------- "The Changeling" (written with William Rowley)
--------- "Women Beware Women" and
--------- "A Chaste Maid in Cheap side"
Finally we can say that in the Elizabethan age, drama raises the highest peak of its development. And it is the model of
modern playwright. The world famous dramatists like Shakespeare, Marlowe, Ben Johnson have glorified this age and their
contribution is remembered by all classes of people of all ages.
 Pages Liked by Page

Knowledge every Muslim should know

16K likes this
This page Accept a muslim people we are welcome you to the coming new page for islam...

Islamic Research Foundation

6.7M likes this
Islamic Research Foundation's Official fan page.It is managed & maintained by the Islamic Research...

Recent Post by Page

English Literature, Linguistics, History

June 3 at 9:22 AM ·

The piety of Aeneas:

After the conquest of Troy and the first phase of plunder, the Greeks, out of piety, allowed every free-born Trojan citizen to
remove one thing he valued most. There-upon Aeneas carried his household gods with him. Touched by his piety, the Greeks
allowed him to take the thing that he next valued most. Aeneas now removed his old, decrepit father from the burning city.
This filial piety further moved the conqueror who, thereafter, permitted him to remove all his possessions.

English Literature, Linguistics, History shared a post.

May 22 at 3:01 PM ·
TIMESHIGHEREDUCATION.COM
Priyamvada Gopal: on the front line of Britain’s imperial past
The literature expert on online abuse, decolonising the curriculum and Cambridge’s role in the slave trade

Meer Mushfique Mahmood

May 22 at 12:26 PM ·

"Since she is both Asian and a woman, she is often subjected to savage abuse when speaking out about politics, race and
education. Yet the worst, she told Times Higher Education, comes when she has a go at privileged, white and male “cult
figures” such as Canadian academic Jordan Peterson. “Their followers set off mob attacks, which they then accuse others
of doing to them,” she said. “I got parallel abuse criticising Hindu nationalism in India. Systematic trolling armies are
unleashed,” hurling rape as well as death threats, said Dr Gopal."

Share