-
1559
Elizabeth I Banned Religious Plays
Elizabeth I became queen in 1558, but then the next year she decided to ban all types of religious plays. The textbook states, "These decrees, in effect, sounded the death knell for the public performance of religious drama" (Brockett, 104). For a play to be preformed, they had to get it approved first. They had to let someone read the play, then they are to get a signed form stating that the play could be preformed. These people had to have a license before they could even put on a play. -
1576
The Curtain Theatre is Built
In 1576, the Curtain Theatre was built. It was built in Shoreditch, England and was known as the birthplace of modern theatre. "According to an account from a Swiss theatregoer, it cost one penny to stand in the yard, two pennies to sit in the galleries, three pennies to sit in the galleries with a cushion, and six pennies for a seat in a box" (TheStage, 2022). Many famous plays were preformed here including Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare even starred in a play himself. -
The Spanish Tragedy Was Published
The Spanish Tragedy was written and published by Thomas Kyd. It was sometimes even named after the protagonist in the play (Britannica, 2022). Thomas wanted this play to be a revenge tragedy. The company that produced this play preformed in sixteen times and the play was one of the most popular plays during its time. -
Theatre Close Due To Plague
In the year 1593, the theatre's in England had to close down due to a major plague outbreak. These theatre's remained dark for a long time. William Shakespeare could no longer preform his plays so instead he focused on other works. "With no demand for new plays, the 1592-94 plague led Shakespeare to turn to poetry, and he is thought to have written narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece during this time" (Rose Theatre, 2020). -
The Theatre's Re-Open
Finally in 1594, the theatre's are finally able to reopen and play writes and performers can go back to their jobs. During this time though, quite a few events unfold. On August 15, 1594, Thomas Kid dies because he was tortured for many reasons of treason. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare has his first recorded performances of "Titus Andronicus" and "The Taming of the Shrew" (O'Conner, 2012). -
Shakespeare Became An Owner of the Globe Theatre
In 1599, William Shakespeare became a part owner of the Globe Theatre. This means that he was involved in a lot of the theatre's aspects and even became wealthier than most of his fellow colleagues. "Basically round with an exterior diameter of approximately ninety-nine feet, the Globe had three levels of roofed galleries, each about twelve feet six inches deep" (Brockett, 106). The stage went to about the middle of the yard and could be viewed by three sides. -
Shakespeare Wrote Hamlet
Between the years of 1600 and 1601, William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. "The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed" (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, 2022). Hamlet is very well-known. -
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night Opens
William Shakespeare wrote a play called Twelfth Night and the first night it opened was in 1602. The very first line of the play is, "If music be the play of love, play on" (SparkNotes, 2022). This line was said by the character Orsino and it explains how love has consumed him. He wants to hear more music because he does not want to fall in love or even think about love. -
The First Publishing of Plays
Before 1616, no one ever considered publishing their plays that they wrote. Plays were in constant demand in England because everyone loved coming to see them. William Shakespeare and a few of his colleagues, did not consider their works to be forms of literature. They always thought of their plays as popular entertainment (Brockett, 106). In 1616, Ben Jonson was the first person to collect and publish his plays because they started to get the status of a literary work. -
No Females in Play Until 1661
No females were involved in plays until 1661. Normally when the plays called for females roles, they would be preformed by men. Sometimes the plays even called for two to three girls and still would only be played by men. This was because the plays had large amounts of characters, so they had to double-cast the roles. There were so many plays preformed in a day that multiple people had to be responsible for a large amount of roles (Brockett, 109).