"All the world's a stage." From the religious rituals of the Middle Ages to the glittering Globe Theatre and the realistic drawing rooms of modern times — the fascinating history of English drama.
English drama did not begin in grand theatres. It began in churches during the Middle Ages (around the 10th century). Priests would act out small scenes from the Bible to teach the congregation (who often could not read).
As these plays became popular, they moved out of the church and into the streets, performed by trade guilds on moving wagons called pageants.
English drama began in churches as religious instruction. It evolved into Mystery plays (Bible stories), Miracle plays (saints' lives), and Morality plays (moral lessons with personified characters).
The Elizabethan era (1558–1603), under Queen Elizabeth I, was a golden age for English drama. It was influenced by the Renaissance, which brought a new interest in classical Greek and Roman drama, humanism, and the individual.
The First Playwrights: Before Shakespeare, there were Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd.
Shakespeare is the undisputed giant of English drama. He wrote 37 plays (Tragedies, Comedies, Histories) and 154 sonnets.
His Genius: His deep understanding of human psychology, his mastery of language, and his ability to blend tragedy and comedy.
The Elizabethan era was the golden age of English drama. Marlowe introduced blank verse. Shakespeare perfected it, writing timeless tragedies, comedies, and histories.
Shakespeare's plays were performed in open-air amphitheatres like The Globe (built in 1599 on the banks of the Thames in London). It was circular, with no roof over the central yard.
The Audience:
The Globe Theatre was a circular, open-air playhouse. It had a main stage, a roof ("the Heavens"), galleries for the rich, and a yard for the poor "groundlings". Women did not act on stage.
After Queen Elizabeth died, King James I (from Scotland) took the throne. The drama of this era became darker, more cynical, and often violent. This is called the Jacobean Drama.
In 1642, the Puritans (led by Oliver Cromwell) closed all the theatres because they thought drama was sinful. When the monarchy was restored in 1660 (King Charles II returned from France), the theatres reopened.
Jacobean drama was dark and violent (revenge tragedies). The Puritans closed theatres in 1642. After 1660, Restoration drama brought back witty "Comedies of Manners" and allowed women to act.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, drama became realistic. Playwrights stopped writing about kings and heroes and started writing about ordinary people and social problems.
Modern drama focuses on realism and social problems (Shaw, Osborne). It moved away from kings and queens to focus on the struggles of ordinary people.
Drama is broadly divided into different genres (types):
Select a genre to see its definition and a famous example.
The main genres of drama are Tragedy (serious, fatal flaw), Comedy (humorous, happy ending), Tragicomedy (mix of both), Farce (absurd physical comedy), Musical (songs and dance), and Theatre of the Absurd (meaninglessness of life).
Important questions from the "Story of English" textbook.
Answer: English drama began in churches during the Middle Ages as a way to teach Bible stories to the congregation. The three main types of medieval plays were: (1) Mystery plays (based on Bible stories), (2) Miracle plays (based on the lives of saints), and (3) Morality plays (allegorical plays teaching a moral lesson, e.g., Everyman).
Answer: William Shakespeare is the greatest playwright of the Elizabethan era. Three of his famous tragedies are: (1) Hamlet, (2) Macbeth, and (3) King Lear (or Othello).
Answer: The Globe Theatre was a circular, open-air playhouse built in London in 1599. It had a main stage with a roof (the "Heavens"), galleries for wealthier patrons, and an open yard for the poor. The groundlings were the poor audience members who paid one penny to stand in the open yard in front of the stage.
Answer: The 'Comedy of Manners' is a type of witty, sophisticated comedy that satirises the behaviour and manners of the upper class. It became popular during the Restoration period (after 1660), when the monarchy was restored and the theatres reopened.
Answer: Elizabethan drama often focused on kings, heroes, and grand historical or tragic events, performed in open-air theatres. Modern drama (from the late 19th century onwards) focuses on realism, the lives of ordinary people, and social problems (like the plays of George Bernard Shaw). It is performed in indoor, proscenium-arch theatres with artificial lighting.