The Basic Features of Elizabethan Drama

When we talk about Drama we are talking about literary genre just like
poetry&fiction, but this genre has specific characterizations that make it
different from poetry&fiction
The first feature is about the
1- Economic of profession
Profession= job, work, skill, talent.
Which talent we are talking about? The talent of writing plays. As if being
a dramatist is a job itself that has its own economies
Economics= techniques, rules, basics, fundamentals
Economics means that it has its own techniques

What are these techniques in dramatic writing?

•characterization
•setting (time+place)
•plot (events)
•dialogue (the core had in dramatic writing)

99% of the play is a dialogue, however, there is 1% is narrative

sentences come between the parentheses, whether, in the beginning,
middle, or the last of the scene, for example, (the character gets on the
stage) or (the character is falling down) is called
‫االشارات الركحيه‬/ •stage direction (its objective is to organize the
movements on the stage)

In addition to these techniques, what is specific in drama or fiction or

poetry, in general? the figurative language used that guarantees the
literariness of the literary work.
‫ادبية النص االدبي‬
If U&I make a dialogue, is it consider a play? No, Not any dialogue is a
play.
What is amazing during the Elizabethan age is the language used is not
formal English, but the Old English which is not easily understood by the
reader. So, reading old English necessitates knowledge of the use of
that language even if u are English. Because, who used the Old English
is the highly intellectual ppl, indeed, they were able to read & to write
using old English. However, the common ppl don’t have an excess to
this type.
2- The protagonist of Elizabethan Drama should have specific
images. Like serotypes.
1- prince (has to be upper class’s ppl)
2- young
3- scholar (not enough to be a prince, u might be a prince but not
scholar vice versa)
4- handsome (this feature is not obligatory)
5- rich
This protagonist, despite enjoying all these advantages, he is 6- tragic
character. 7-fighter (fighting problems and troubles) And more important
than that is that his fate is a tragedy, therefore 8-Death.

This character does he represent only himself? No

With reference to Elizabethan drama and Shakespearean writing, the
protagonist is representing global Man = Mankind. So, what he is
suffering, all men all over the world whether males or females genders
are suffering.

As in Realism, from British literature

“The one yet many” = what he is living other ppl are living, more than
that, the themes that he is treating are universal themes, such as, the
idea of adultery, freedom, power, and authority they are all universal
themes. The theme he is treating is universal, so we are talking about
universal issues,

We said the protagonist is a prince, scholar, and rich, so do u think

drama at that time was written for everyone? No, for a specific class
3- social class
In fact, if we think of Elizabethan age as a social pyramid, it’s gonna be
like this

* ‫تخيلوه هرمي‬
On the top of the top the upper class who are, mainly, on the throne+ the
aristocracies.
During that time, they were called aristocracies, but after 19C they
become called bourgeoisies. The differences between aristocratic and
bourgeoisie are that bourgeoisies have the capital and factories,
whereas, aristocrats are the ppl who own lands and money. In addition
to that, they inherit the title, even if they have no lands. However,
anyone could be a bourgeoisie, even if ur family is from a working-class.

In the level of power:- the majority= the working-class, but they

have no power.
If we turn the hierarchy upside down

At the level of power, it exists in the upper class more than what we can
find in the working class + middle class.
This distinction between the powers make two places for
exhibitions:-

1- The court 2-Play houses

For the upper class For Working&Middle class
Because, in their writing they were using the old English what makes the
understanding of the play differ. However, who goes to the playhouses
won’t be able to understand the objective behind the content . You have
to be highly educated to understand it, so the majority go for the sake of
entertainment. But, when it comes to the court, you find the intellectual
ppl and the rich ppl.

They understand the objective of the writer, and therefore we find the
Social Segregation which is obvious not only in the distribution of the
classes in the social pyramid, but also, in the places of the
performances of the play.
 4-costumes
Why clothes are important?
1-clothes are cultural because they reflect the cultural aspects of that
time.

The features of the Clothes that it has to be bright & expensive, why?
The queen was a fan of fashion. But, only the lead character wears
bright and expensive clothes. Because of the Catholicism. The bright
and expensive is to say that “we disagree with the catholic believes who
are smilier to the puritans (black in clothes&heart), so when they
wearing a bright and expensive is to express that “I’m out of ur
manipulation” and “I’m living my age”. Therefore, the clothes are signs
1- to emphasize the Protestant agenda.
2- social segregations of that age.

The majority of the dramatists were men and no women were writers
and few women were acting. The lack of the female characters is
meaningful has an objective. The inequality between the two genders
called
5-sexism
Sexism is sexual segregation between men and women.
During the Elizabethan age through the drama+distribution of the
characters+that most of the actions are given to the men more than the
women, we are talking about patriarchal society:- ‫مجتمع رجولي‬. In which
power is given to men over women
patriarchal society#matriarchal society
matriarchal society in which the power is given to the women over men.
The one who was rolling at that time is queen Elizabeth (woman), so
how come the dramatists dare to talk about sexism?
Maybe, because she is a man.
Maybe, because she in favor of calling her Henry’s daughter, so even
when she is a queen she is associating with the male’s power. It’s as a
psychological complexity and there is this still male power she can’t get
off.
The last feature which is
6-genre
Drama itself is a literary genre. So, under Drama, we have sup-genre
like •historical plays, •dancing plays, and •the ballet
During the Elizabethan age the sup-genre that was highly written is the
historical plays, why?
For the sake of Glorification.

.‫*زي ماكتب التاريخ تعظم بلد او امه او قوة معينه كذلك االدب يعظم عصر او فكرة معينه‬
Historical plays have 2 types
•Comedy
-city comedy is a comedy written to talk about what’s happening in the
city.
Why city but not the countryside or the village? Because the city is
mostly contain the social conflicts. Generally, the villages agree on the
same rules and traditions, so you hardly find the satire. In fact, city
comedy based on satire. However, in the city, there is no rules= a lot of
rules and traditions and conflicts so u find the satire

•Tragedy •
The queen’s favorite sup-genre of tragedy is the •revenge tragedy. It
starts with catastrophe and ends with catastrophe. Because her age
starts with her mother’s death and ends with her death and amid this
period plots of assassinations, killing, and bloody conflicts etc

Revenge (noun) To avenge (verb)