Elizabethan Theater
Introduction
A lot can be learned about people, their values, and their culture by examining their arts and entertainment. Theater, for example, is a mirror of the people and society from which it springs. Through the ages, it has been used as a form of worship, an educational tool, a force for political and social change, a form of personal expression, and a source of entertainment. The Renaissance gave birth to a new kind of tragic hero and the beginning of modern drama. What does the theater of this time reveal about the Elizabethan people? What does your entertainment say about you?
Guiding Question
How does theater change and evolve to reflect the people who create it?
Questions
1. Why is
the time period from the middle 1500's to the mid 1600's known as the
Elizabethan times?
2. What was city life like in
3. What was the status and
role of women in Elizabethan society?
4. Describe the physical
characteristics of the typical Elizabethan theater.
5. Name three popular theaters
in
6. Who attended plays?
Describe the typical audience.
7. What was the charge for
admission?
8. What was the purpose for
the flag on top of the theaters?
9. What is a groundling (also
known as the penny public)?
10. What was the status of
actors in Elizabethan times?
11. What were the costumes
like? How much did they cost?
12. How did the theater and
playwright compensate for the fact that there were no programs?
13. What is a history play?
Name two sources authors used in writing these plays.
14. What is a soliloquy, and
how did its use help the audience understand the characters?
15. What is comic relief and
how is it used?
16. During Elizabethan times,
comedies and tragedies were both popular. What are their differences?
17. What are the
characteristics of the typical Shakespearean tragic hero? What is the Tragic
Flaw?
18. How many plays and how
many sonnets did Shakespeare write?
19. What is the controversy
surrounding the authorship of Shakespeare's plays?
20. Name three other famous
playwrights of the Elizabethan era.
Internet Resources
Elizabethan Times
1500's to the mid 1600's
City Life
Women
Typical
Theater
Popular Theater
London Theaters
Audience
Admission
Flag
Penny Public
Actors
Costumes
Programs
Soliloquy
Tragic
Hero
Shakespeare's Writing
Controversy
Authorship
Playwrights
Soliloquy
Comic
relief
Tragedies
ACTIVITIES:
1.
Imagine yourself as a newspaper correspondent sent to document the opening of
the Globe Theater in
2. Choose an ordinary citizen in Elizabethan times, and create a "day in
the life" journal.
3. Imagine that you are in charge of ordering costumes for the Globe Theater.
Make an illustration of a typical outfit worn by a nobleman or lady during the
Elizabethan times. Label each part.
4. You're the owner of the Globe Theater and you need to hire a caretaker.
Write a detailed job description including hours, duties, responsibilities, and
compensation.
5. As an actor in the Elizabethan theater, keep a diary of your daily activities
during one of your performances.
6. Choose three popular plays during the Elizabethan times, and create a poster
or playbill for each.
Rosemary Jacobs,
Teacher, and Molly Klett, AP student,
collaborated to develop this web hunt.