The Elizabethan theatre was the most important cultural phenomenon in Renaissance England
celebrating England and her Kings and queens. It was seen by great nobles, middle class citizens,
craftsmen, labourers and peasants, each social class. The actors were in close contact with the audience with a continous exchange between actors and spectators. Actors were considered vagabonds, so they put themselves under the protection of a nobleman or even of the king or queen. Players often performed at Court or for noble households. All female roles were acted by young boys dressed as girls or women.
We can divide Shakespeare's plays according to their genres.
HISTORY PLAYS
History plays have as their subject events in English history.
The reason for the popularity and success of these plays is
that they contain some of Shakespeare’s most powerful dramatic figures.
Shakespeare wrote ten history plays. The interesting thing is that eight
of them tell an unbroken story of the English monarchy, from the deposition of
Richard II to the deposition of Richard III which inaugurates Tudor rule, with the
accession of Henry VII in 1485.
We can say that his history plays are huge frescoes of the struggle for power, love and property set
against a detailed historical background, presenting a struggle for power which carries away both
winners and losers.
TRAGEDIES
Tragedy was supposed to follow certain rules: the constant presence of death and unhappy endings,the respect of theatrical unities: time, space and action (a play should not
exceed the time of one day, should take place in one place only, and its action shouldbe continuous). The unities, however, were mostly disregarded by Shakespeare who preferred instead a mixed use of time, place and action.
Shakespeare's tragedies followed the pattern of the‘revenge tragedy’ (Hamlet wants to kill his uncle, who has killed his father). Shakespeare’s first creative innovation came with Romeo and Juliet, around 1594-95:it was the first tragedy to be totally centred on love, it's the model for all modern love stories.
Shakespeare adds a psychological insight. His Hamlet and Othello are considered the first modern tragic heroes: they portray the doubts, indecisions and frailties typical of modern man.
COMEDIES
Shakespeare’s comedies are much more than just comical and entertaining.
In the years 1592-1600, he explored the themes of love and friendship with a refined use of the love conventions of the day. They show Shakespeare’s familiarity with the habits and speech of the nobles, servants, artisans, peasants, and the middle class: |
they give us a vivid picture of Elizabethan society in all its classes.
The comedies written at the turn of the century took on a deeper and sometimes
darker tone. The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, are different from the comedies of his early years. Laughter is often mixed
with sorrow, they are balanced between comedy and tragedy, only their happy endings technically make them comedies. For this reason, they are often referred to as dark comedies.
Shakespeare’s final comic phase is characterized by a return to the romantic drama in a
completely new spirit. The ‘romantic’ comedies or romances, as they are now generally
called - Pericles, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest — show us a Shakespeare finally
reconciled to human nature.