Question

Discuss the achievement of the English drama during the Elizabethan period with focus on Ben Johnson and William Shakespeare

Answer 1

Explanation:

Elizabethan tragedy dealt with heroic themes, usually centering on a great personality who is destroyed by his own passion and ambition. The comedies often satirized the fops and gallants of society.

SOURCES

FURTHER READING

MOVEMENT ORIGIN

c. 1558

From the Elizabethan Age come some of the most highly respected plays in Western drama. Although it is generally agreed that the period began at the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in 1558, the ending date is not as definite. Some consider the age to have ended at the queen's death in 1603, whereas others place the end of Elizabethan Drama at the closing of the theaters in 1642. Elizabeth I was a powerful, resolute monarch who returned England to Protestantism, quelled a great deal of internal turmoil, and unified the nation. She was also a avid supporter of the arts which sparked a surge of activity in the theater. During her reign, some playwrights were able to make a comfortable living by receiving royal patronage. There was a great deal of theatrical activity at Court, and many public theaters were also built on the outskirts of London. Theater was a popular pastime, and people of all walks of life attended. Although women were not allowed onstage, they did attend performances and often made up a substantial part of the audience. The theater also drew many unsavory characters, including pickpockets, cutpurses, and prostitutes. Because of the perceived bad influence of the theaters, the Puritans were vocally opposed to them and succeeded in shutting them down in 1642. Some of the most important playwrights come from the Elizabethan era, including William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Christopher Marlowe. These playwrights wrote plays that were patterned on numerous previous sources, including Greek tragedy, Seneca's plays, Attic drama, English miracle plays, morality plays, and interludes. Elizabethan tragedy dealt with heroic themes, usually centering on a great personality who is destroyed by his own passion and ambition. The comedies often satirized the fops and gallants of society.

Answer 2

Answer:

The English theatre scene flourished during the Elizabethan era, spawning some of the greatest playwrights in history.

Explanation:

• Shakespeare's playwriting abilities were widely acknowledged. One of the wealthiest playwrights of his time, he also enjoyed a comfortable existence.
• The three main streams of literature, verse, poetry, and drama, were brought together by Shakespeare. He contributed his eloquence and variety to the Old English versification, allowing for the highest expressions and language elasticity to be achieved.

• The Isle of Dogs was Ben Jonson's first play, written with Thomas Nashe in 1597. Because of this, Jonson spent a brief period of time in prison for his actions.
• Since of his role in this play, which was the first example of a new comic form known as "the comedy of humour," he became famous.
• King James, I adored Jonson, and he commissioned him to write over thirty masques for the court. As poet laureate, he was appointed by King James I of England in 1616.

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