The World of Arts:

The arrival of Shakespeare

Gwen HERAT

The English were enthusiastic about their theatre and embraced it with passion though they knew not how to get about doing theatre properly except for little excerpts that took place in the church such as the passion play or the nativity of Jesus Christ. Yet, this was an outlet to the intellectual scholars who were still unable to put down in writing their literature genius relating to the theatre.

However, drama and theatre become the pleasures of the elite. As players were from the middle class, they too became a part and parcel of the development of the English theatre. It came to a point when the writer found his pocket empty. The chance of filling it was the stage. So, the intellectual and the non-intellectual had to put themselves together to make money because however appealing the theatre appeared, no upper-class man would act in a play. No woman dared and female roles were filled by boys.

Spectacular works

Over the centuries, reputed writers made their impressions in the scene of drama and literature but nothing as spectacular as the works of William Shakespeare. Rich were the manifestations of English literature of the Renaissance on the advent of Shakespeare on which foundation the direct and original expressions of natural genius were dramatic.

This had set the stage for writing with direct impact on drama. The fascination of which were seized by writers before the arrival of Shakespeare. The atmosphere was excellent for drama but with each writer doing his own thing. The first notable one was Spencer who had his eyes on the court and its Lords and Ladies.

Shakespeare was to follow this trend later when he was dazzled by the amorous friendship with the young Earl of Southampton. Venus and Adonis was the result in which he arrogantly quoted two lines from Ovid. 'Let the mob admire what is vile, to me may fair Apollo serve cups filled with water from Castalia.' (This was an incident that made me ponder and later convinced me of his gay sexuality).

Classical gentry

The writers were not the pure and classical English gentry or from its background. Italy featured in most of their work but the immediate breed of English genius remained untouched. They also owed their allegiance to foreign writers who influenced them but were their rivals even in theatre.

Yet, Spencer wrote nine plays that were all comedies but not with success. Around this time, Sydney too produced one court masque to prove the importance of the century. It was a puzzle to find a principle and applicable clarification to thousands of plays. A careful examination left no certainty that such a theory existed. However, inevitable changes were perceived by those scholars who desired so. Many exceptions were made towards cautious generalization.

Concrete progress

Therefore, nothing concrete other than progress and the decline of the blank verse that enjoyed distinction remained intact.

On the other hand the progress of the theatre was taking shape and moving forward. It became possible to supersede the slight scene of the back stage was basically erected behind the front curtain.

This had become multifarious, large and complicated but on this signature, the naked stage where the actors' presence had a double importance as creativity became a landmark. The costumes were rich the stage was poor and bare, almost naked. Attention was directly concentrated on their personalities, character and acting ability.

Their declamation in particular, emphasised the numerous monologues as well as the multiple tirades on the actors of the era. Their art were carried to high pitches. At about this time English actors had gained a reputation that reached the Continent and were invited on long tours. The drama started spreading at Stratford-Upon-Avon at high speed.

A little boy was born unaware he was going to reap the riches of all these and the change the course of English and drama.

Theatre passion

The passion for the theatre that attracted money, gave way to speculation. It resulted in two major theatres springing up that later would draw Shakespeare to their fold. The Globe and the Rose were built in 1597. One was used in summer while the other in winter. The later was a covered theatre for performing artist. They were managed and directed by the Barbages, the famous father and son who were famous actors at the time.

Around this time, it was Sydney who had penetrated to perceive law by which the English playwrights were unconsciously governed, they were the historians who followed events step by step in the establishment of the liberal truth. John Lyly too had an impact when his plays provided models of refinement.

Marlowe period

Christopher Marlowe considered the greatest of them all, had written Tamerlaine in two parts that astonished and marvelled the public followed by the Spanish Tragedy. They bore the imprints of traditional morality. He dared to claim admiration for the most blood-thirsty of men and was sort of a demigod in his lifetime.

Marlowe had a powerful vocabulary which he used to all advantage. He began his career with a superb contempt for the popular rhymesters. This provoked many who were helpless when in truth he was a great poet whose very extravagance were justified because of its expressive nature.

Robert Greene was different. When the success of the Spanish Tragedy and Tamberlaine took the usual purveyors of the popular stage by surprise, Greene was turning all his energies from novel to drama and along with Lodge, wrote in the didactic manner and came up with sort of a miracle play, A Looking Glass for London and England. However, these playwrights' astonishment and anger were attested by the young English juvenile, Thomas Nash who from the age of twenty one, was one of the group of writers from the universities who did the actors great honour by writing for them.

Literary drama

Apart from Nash who viewed the literary drama at their changing points were Jonson and George Chapman among others. They all had their distinct signatures that separated one from the other though Marlowe still dominated all. Greene by his taste for the Romantics and his moments of tenderness which much differently foreshadowed even Shakespeare.

There was Lyly with his wit and Kyd by his tragic atmosphere and of course Marlowe with his lyrical eloquence with which these writers rightfully enjoyed. Any how, these various gifts had yet to be united in one man and one work. Shakespeare were to gather them together and enhance them to the maximum.

Advent of Shakespeare

His plays which amounted to thirty six and related to contemporary drama was the first problem connected with subtle reality that confronted historians of literature.

They discovered the points at which Shakespeare connected with his rivals and dominated them as rightfully and fearlessly with one and all. Nash with his friends, the company of young humanites known as the University Wits who had hardly recovered from Marlowe's triumphs. were faced with a worse and dangerous rival who sprang from a different world. Marlowe the brilliant Master of Arts from Cambridge with all his conquered arrogance was but a pittance. Now, the danger that threatened them was from the world of actors, from the ignoramuses whom they looked down upon with contempt.

William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon had arrived with his brilliant, spectacular histories, tragedies, comedies, sonnets, etc. The new Shakespeare vocabulary found in them changed the course of English language.

The drama took a sizzling new identity.

..................................

<< Artscope Main Page