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Jan 1, 1555
England returns to Roman Catholocism
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Feb 1, 1558
Elizabeth I forbids writing of religious drama
Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the British throne in 1558 and outlawed the performance of religious dramas that same year. -
Mar 1, 1564
William Shakespeare’s birth
Shakespeare is widely considered the greatest playwright ever to write in English. He was one of the few playwrights to excel in both tragedy and comedy. Williams’s plays show a masterful understanding of the range and depth of human nature -
Apr 1, 1576
First permanent London theatre opens
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Thomas Kyd
Thomas Kyd a renowned English playwright. He began writing plays in the 1580s and is known for having created the Elizabethan dramatic genre of the revenge tragedy. -
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was the most important English dramatist prior to Shakespeare. He was the first English playwright to succeed with blank verse, unrhymed iambic pentameter. -
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is among Shakespeare’s most famous works. It is a tale of two star-crossed lovers whose fates are tragically intertwined. -
Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson is a poet and playwright who was a controversial figure. He was imprisoned for his satirical writings. -
The Globe Theatre
The Globe theatre was built in London in 1599. It was the venue for the first performances of many of Shakespeare’s plays. -
Masques, court dramas
Masques were expensive court dramas with huge casts, gorgeous costumes, beautiful scenery, music, and elaborate stagecraft. Masques were popular with the English court in the early 1600s. -
Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Hamlet is one of the most famous plays in English literature. It was a milestone in the dramatic works of its author, William Shakespeare. -
Theatres closed in England
As a result of the Puritan Revolution and a civil war in England, the new Puritan parliament viewed theatres as “places of sin” and ordered them closed to “appease and avert the wrath of God.” -
London theatres reopened
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English actresses play female roles