Elizabethan Literature and Theater: Sonnets, Prose, and Drama

Elizabethan Literature and Theater

Poetry: Sonnets

Shakespeare's sonnets, written in the mid-1590s, utilize the Elizabethan form instead of the earlier popular Petrarchan form. These poems explore themes of love, time, and power, much like his plays.

• Volta: A rhetorical shift or turn in a sonnet.
• Tetralogy: A series of four related dramas, operas, or novels.
• Encomium: A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.
• Blazon: A poetic mode using metaphor, simile, and hyperbole to describe a lover's body.
• Allegory: A story, poem, or picture with a hidden meaning, often moral or political.
• Picaresque: A type of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of a roguish protagonist.

Prose: Sir Francis Bacon

Sir Francis Bacon refined the essay form in English, drawing inspiration from Montaigne's French model. His essays, such as Of Revenge, explore fundamental issues of the era, often using witty provocation to spark discussion. Of Revenge examines the concept of revenge, a frequent theme in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy (1592), a prominent revenge tragedy predating Shakespeare's Hamlet (1600), personifies Revenge as a Chorus, a visible force driving characters and action. While The Spanish Tragedy uses revenge as a motif for passion and bloodshed, Hamlet uses it as a starting point for a new kind of hero. Like Hamlet, Bacon embodied the era's spirit of endless questioning and perpetual renovation. He believed the pursuit of knowledge, regardless of politics or religion, was beneficial to both individuals and society.

Elizabethan Theater

Elizabethan theater often took place outdoors, with performances sometimes moving between locations by wagon. In contrast, "interludes" (dramatic verse) were performed for the elite in private houses. Later in Elizabeth's reign, these two audiences merged, creating a mix of classes, professions, and trades. Fixed theaters were established in London, some open-air like the Globe, and others enclosed like Blackfriars. Performances were held during the day, without artificial lighting or a stage curtain, and used minimal props despite actors wearing elaborate costumes. Scene changes were seamless, with action flowing continuously. The platform stage extended into the audience, who stood on three sides, fostering intimacy between actors and viewers. Initially, plays were performed by amateurs, often from craft guilds. Towards the end of the 16th century, professional acting companies emerged, often under the patronage of wealthy or influential individuals. These patrons encouraged playwrights to create drama emphasizing ensemble acting rather than static set pieces associated with classical tradition. Boys played female roles, contributing to the development of individual performers.