4.+Elizabethan+theatre

Team 4:

= 4. Elizabethan theatre =

**4.2. Theatres**
map of London (location) Shakespeare's company erected the storied Globe Theatre circa 1598 in London's Bankside district. It was one of four major theatres in the area. The open-air, octagonal amphitheater rose three stories high with a diameter of approximately 100 feet, holding a seating capacity of up to 3,000 spectators. The rectangular stage platform on which the plays were performed was nearly 43 feet wide and 28 feet deep. The story of the original Globe's construction might be worthy of a Shakespearean play of its own. The Lord Chamberlain's Men had been performing in the Theatre, built by James Burbage in 1576. In 1597, although the company technically owned the Theatre, their lease on the land on which it stood expired. Their landlord, Giles Allen, desired to tear the Theatre down. This led the company to purchase property at Blackfriars in Upper Frater Hall, which they bought for £600 and set about converting for theatrical use. Unfortunately, their aristocratic neighbors complained to the Privy Council about the plans for Blackfriars. Cuthbert Burbage tried to renegotiate the Theatre lease with Giles Allen in autumn of 1598; Allen vowed to put the wood and timber of the building "to better use." Richard and Cuthbert learned of his plans and set in motion a plot of their own. It seems that the company's lease had contained a provision allowing them to dismantle the building themselves. In late December of 1598, Allen left London for the countryside. The Burbage brothers, their chief carpenter, and a party of workmen assembled at the Theatre on the night of December 28. The men stripped the Theatre down to its foundation, moved the materials across the Thames to Bankside, and proceeded to use them in constructing the Globe. The endeavor was not without controversy. A furious Giles Allen later sued Peter Street, the Burbage's carpenter, for £800 in damages. The courts found in favor of the Lord Chamberlain's Men and ordered Allen to desist from any further legal wrangling. The Globe would play host to some of Shakespeare's greatest works over the next decade. In an ironic epilogue, the troupe won the right in 1609 to produce plays at Blackfriars, and subsequently split time between there and the Globe. In 1613, the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground when a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. The company completed a new Globe on the foundations of its predecessor before Shakespeare's death. It continued operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down.
 * __ -THE GLOBE __**

The foundations of the Globe were rediscovered in 1989, workers began construction in 1993 on the new theatre near the site of the original. The latest Globe Theatre was completed in 1996; Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the theatre on June 12, 1997. The Globe is as faithful a reproduction as possible to the Elizabethan model.

When it was erected in 1587 the Rose was only the fifth purpose-built theatre in London, and the first on Bankside.
 * __ -THE ROSE __**

In 1585 this was leased to Philip Henslowe, a shrewd local businessman and property developer, and in 1587 the theatre was built for him by the carpenter John Griggs. Relatively little of its history is recorded until 1592, when Henslowe started to use an account book he had inherited from his brother, and the year in which Henslowe's step –daughter married the well-known actor Edward Alleyn. Alleyn now associated himself with the fortunes of the Rose and would in 1619, after a highly successful career, found the College of God's Gift (now Dulwich College). Many of his and Henslowe's papers survive there, including 'Henslowe's Diary' (his account book). This not only gives details of his expenditure on the theatre building from 1592, but also of the plays subsequently staged there, of the audiences that whey attracted, and even of props and costumes. Together the Dulwich papers constitute a uniquely rich resource for the study of the Elizabethan stage, enabling us to establish the history of the Rose in far greater detail than that of any contemporary playhouse. From them we know that its repertory included Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Jew of Malta and Tamburlaine the Great, Kyd's Spanish Tragedy and Shakespeare's Henry VI part I and Titus Andronicus. The Rose's success soon encouraged other theatres to be built on Bankside: the Swan in 1595 and the Globe in 1599. These rivals swiftly overtook the Rose. It appears to have fallen out of use by 1603 and had certainly been abandoned as a theatre by 1606. Soon it vanished from the map altogether.

By May 1989 archaeologists from the Museum of London had uncovered some two thirds of the theatres ground plan (see photograph). This indicated that the Rose as built in 1587 was a relatively small, slightly irregular many side structure, based on the geometry of a fourteen-sided polygon.

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His life was short and violent. He is mainly Known for his tragedies. Marlowe attended King's School, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in 1584 and his Masters degree three years later. Marlowe may have fought in the wars in the Low Country he settled in London in 1587 and began his career as a playwright, although he may still have been in the employ of the secret service as well. Marlowe soon wrote Tamburlaine, the first notable English play in blank verse.He had the advantage of having his plays presented by the Lord Admiral's company. His most famous plays were Dr. Faustus, The Jew of Malta, and Edward II According to witnesses, there was a quarrel over the bill and Marlowe drew his dagger on another man who, defending himself, drove the dagger back into the young poet's eye, mortally wounding him. **__ BEN JOHNSON __**
 * __ CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE (1564-1593). __**

Born in London in 1573. His family was very poor, so John didn't go to university because they could not pay it. Althought this, the scholar Camden recognized Jonson's exceptional literary gifts and took the young man under his tutelage. It was not university but Camden teach Bem everything about literature.

In 1596, she gave birth to a son whom Jonson called his "best piece of poetry." He was devestated when the young boy was struck down with the plague at the age of seven.Because of that, Jonson plunged himself into the bohemian life of the city, drank alot, acted (badly), It was not until 1598 that he finally emerged from the crowd of unrecognized playwrights with //Every Man in His Humour//. Dedicated to Master Camden, //Every Man in His Humour// is a masterpiece of its kind. Jonson went to prisiont two times: 1,Jonson fell into a quarrel with the actor Gabriel Spencer and, in a duel,Ben killed the man. 2,Jonson collaborated with John Marston and George Chapman on //Eastward Ho!, t//he play makes fun of the Scottish royalty to which the new king, James I, took offense. Chapman and Marston were thrown into prison, and Jonson joined them there voluntarily.

**4.3. Theatre Companies** At that time, the two leading companies where The Lord Chamberlain’s Men and The Admiral’s Men__**.**__

__** - The Lord Chamberlain's Men **__
In this company, Shakespeare worked for most of his career. The theatre company had become one of the two leading companies of the city since 1603. This company was patronized by James the first and it was founded during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The first Baron Hudson, Henry Carey was the patronage of Lord Chamberlain’s Men. But when he died, the patronage came under his son George Carey (1596). The name of the company changed at The King’s Men in 1603. This company did not cause scandals like other companies. The only problem they had with the government was because of the involvement Earl of Essex.

**__ -The Lord Admiral's Men __**
This thetre company was patronized by Charles Howard, 2nd Baron of Effingham. The name of this company was first called Lord Howard’s Men. In 1587, the company had home in The Rose theatre. The Rose and the company were managed by Philip Henslowe an theatrical entrepreneur of Elizabeth. In 1597, the company was known as Nottinham’s Men. In this period, the company had and impressive repertoire ( Faustus, Tambourine... writted by Marlowe) and when the Rose theatre started to lose public because of the Globe theatre, Henslowe and Alleyn build a new theatre calle The Fortune and it was the new home of the Lord Admiral’s Men.

**4.4. Actors**

**__ RICHAR BURBAGE __** Born on july 7, 1568 was an actor and owner of and theater in the elizabethan era, was one of the best actors representing the time and also beloged to the company lord chamberlain's men.He acted i many shakespeare roles and died in 1619. **__ ROBERT GOUFEE __** Began as a boy actor and appereaded with the company know from 1585 as the admiral´s men. In 1619 he was a sharer in the king´s men.It has bean suggested that the boy actor Robert gouffe creater the role of juliet in Romeo and Juliet but there is not evidenc to conect him with robert gouffe. **__ WILLIAM KEMPE __** D o not know the exat date of his birth. sing in to record in 1585 was and inglish actor and dancer. In 1594 along with richar burbage and shakespeare the lor chamberlan man. Acted in the many plays and inthe Romeo and Juliet made pedro,