Queen Elizabeths effect on theatre

If you order your custom term paper from our custom writing service you will receive a perfectly written assignment on Queen Elizabeths effect on theatre. What we need from you is to provide us with your detailed paper instructions for our experienced writers to follow all of your specific writing requirements. Specify your order details, state the exact number of pages required and our custom writing professionals will deliver the best quality Queen Elizabeths effect on theatre paper right on time. Our staff of freelance writers includes over 120 experts proficient in Queen Elizabeths effect on theatre, therefore you can rest assured that your assignment will be handled by only top rated specialists. Order your Queen Elizabeths effect on theatre paper at affordable prices with cheap essay writing service! Queen Elizabeth came to be known as one of the greatest rulers of the English empire. Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a more efficient government was created. The church was unified, the English empire was expanded, and language, literature, and theater flourished to a greatness that would be impossible for almost any other period of English history, or any other European empire, for that matter, to match. Although there was a great rise in literature,it was theater that catapulted to greatness during Elizabeths reign. Out of Elizabeths era came Elizabethan theater. Elizabethan theater has such a variety of topics, that would make it virtually impossible to talk about in ten pages. The focal point of this paper will be on Queen Elizabeths contributions to theater as well as her favor to Children of Pauls, or Pauls Boys (a Boy Company) and the Queens Men and Lord Chamberlains Men (two Adult Companies). Prior to Elizabeths reign, those members of the Tutor family enjoyed entertainment consisting mainly of court tournaments. Within these court tournaments bear baiting was the most popular event. Although Elizabeth found this hugely diverting, theater was her entertainment of choice, for Elizabeth found such cruel spectacles...an unattractive feature of the age (Somerset 67). However, regardless of her opinion, countrymen saw nothing wrong with bear baiting, and continued the event. Even though Elizabeth was a great lover of theater, that does not mean that theater, was not put down routinely. The Puritans found Elizabeths interest in theater to be utterly reprehensible, actors to be a contemptible breed, and the theaters that they performed in nothing more than brothels (Somerset 68). But throughout Elizabeths forty-five year reign, she protected and uplifted the adult and boy companies, when enemies from the clergy and sometimes the council sought to put them down (Clunes 7). To the Queens interest, some six to ten plays were given every winter at court and she saw many others when in progress throughout the country or while attending weddings or banquets in London.(Clunes 7) Within time, Elizabeth was awarding more performances in court. That is one of the ways Elizabeth helped the theater arts to florish. The more performances that were given, the more theater became popular, and the more the people of England wanted to see it. The Companies During the Elizabethan Era many things emerged. Amongst them was the creation of Adult Companies. Approximately twenty-four Adult Companies were developed. (The Count Intruders, The Earl of Leicesters men, Lord Richs Men, Lord Abergavennys Men, The Earl of Sussexs Men, Sir Robert Lanes Men, The Earl of Lincolns (Lord Clintons) Men, The Earl of Warwicks Men, The Earl of Oxfords Men, The Earl of Essexs Men, Lord Vauxs Men Lord Berkeleys Men, the Earl of Arundels Men, The earl of Hertfords Men, Mr. Evelyns Men, The Earl of Derbys Men (Lord Stranges) Men, The Earl of Pembrokes Men, The Lord Admirals (Lord Howards, Earl of Nottinghams), Prince Henrys, and Elector Palatines Men, The Lord Chamberlains Men (Lord Hunsdons) and Kings Men, The Earl of Wostersters and Queen Annes Men, The Duke of Lennoxs Men, The Duke of Yorks (Prince Charless) Men, and The Lady Elizabeths Men) But even before Adult companies, there were approximately eleven Boy companies. ( Children of Pauls, Children of the Chapel and the Queens Revels, Children of Windsor, Children of the Kings Revels, Children of Bristol, Westminister School, Eton College, Merchant Taylors School, The Earl of Leicesters Boys, The Earl of Oxfords Boys, Mr. Stanleys Boys) These two umbrella catagories would be the main source of theatrical entertainment. When Elizabeth took the throne, boy companies were very much in existance. The boy companies had a very recognized place in the theatrical world, since the middle ages (Hillebrand ). Watching the boy companies perform became her favored pastime during the first ten years of her reign. The majority of performances awarded by the queen were given by the boy companies; between 1558 and 1576 the queen awarded seventy-eight performances. Out of those seventy-eight performances forty-six went to boy companies and only went to adult companies. Out of those forty-six performances, twenty-one of those were given by Elizabeths favored boy company, the Children of Pauls. This was all do to the great leadership of Sebastian Westcott. Sebastian was made master of the song school in 1560 (Chambers 1). Little is known of his earlier life, but throughout his tenure as director of Pauls Boys, they were to perform no less than twenty-seven times at court between 1560 and 158. The boys performances, though enjoyed by the queen, would come under great scrutiny from Puritan preachers. In a pamphlet attacking a specific boys, group the writer unknown stated plays will never be suppressed while her majestys unfledged minions flaunt it in silks and satins... These pretty upstart youths profane the Lords day by the Lascivious withering of their tender limbs and gorgeous decking of their apparel in feigning bawdy fables gathered from idolatrous heathen poets (Pg 68 Somerset). These were sentiments shared by many Puritans but that was not to stop many of the court appearances. The Pauls Boys would go on to perform such pieces as The Bugbears (a translation from the Greek of Euripides, by Lady Lumley), Error, Titus and Gisippus, The Marriage of Mind and Measure, Scipio Africanus, and Cupid and Psyche. Westcott Died in 158, which would start the downfall of the Pauls Boys. They would change masters three more times and give less and less performances at court. The next septennial period, 158-0, would witness the extinction, for a decade or more, of the boy companies. It is stated that the ultimate success of the professional organizations may largely have been due to their employment of such university witts as Marlowe, Peele, Greene, Lodge and Nashe.(Chambers 5) The adult Companies were no better liked than the Boy Companies. In many instances Elizabeth was called upon to intervene with royal rule. For example in 1574, Elizabeth was annoyed to hear that the city fathers had turned down a request from the Leicesters Men that they might be permitted to perform in recognized places in London (Somerset 68). Without much reservation, she overturned the city fathers decision and issued the Leicesters Men a license allowing them to use, exercise and occupy the art and faculty of playing...stage plays...as well for the recreation of our loving subjects, as well as for our solace and pleasure (Somerset 6). This was not the only instance where royal intervention took place. Another illustration of the queens backing of theatrical events took place in 158. A scaffold had collapsed in one of the tournament games, causing eight deaths. The city authorities then used this as an excuse to close all playhouses in the interest of public safety (Somerset 6). This would start a formation of Adult companies by the queen and wealthy nobleman. Ater being taken in by wealthy nobleman and the queen, adult companies were assured protection from puritan city authorities. During the period of the 1580s, the Queens Men would become the most famous of all Adult companies. Not only were they wearing her livery, the twelve hand-picked actors were considered to be the best in the profession (Chambers 10). They were sworn in as her servants and were able to commence in doing what they did best, entertaining the queen and her court. The Queens Men was the main attraction at court. During the Queens Mens theatrical life, they would tour throughout England; no group drew a larger crowd than the Queens men. They would travel to places like Canterbury, Cinque Ports, Southampton, the Welsh boarder, and the Yorkshire hills in Airedale (McMillin MacLean ). They would also go on to perform many plays including The Famous Victories of Henry the Fifth, Phillyda and Corin, Felix and Philiomena, King Leire, Selimus, The True Tragedy of Richard III, Peeles Old Wives Tale, and many more. (Chambers 114) But what made the company a favorite besides the point that it was the Queens company, was actor Richard Tarlton. Richard Tarlton was considered to be a comic genius (Somerset 6) Through Tarltons acting, the Queens Men would be even more popular. He pleased everyone; it is said that just his appearance would send the audience into uncontrollable laughter (Somerset 70). But he pleased no one more than the queen, (McMillin and MacLean xiii). Tarlton was not considered a dramatic actor; his talents ran more to jigs and themes (Chambers vol. II 10). When Richard Tarlton died in 1588, the Queens Men began an irreversible decline. Their fall was unforeseen. In 150-1 they gave four Court plays to two by their rivals; in 151- they gave one, and their rivals six (Chambers vol. II 6). The Queens Men were reduced to forming a coalition with the lord Sussexs men (Chambers vol. II 6). After the decline of The Queens Men, it was the Chamberlains Men who were favored more than any other Adult performing company at Queen Elizabeths Court; It is The Chamberlains Men who made the English history play count in the 150s (McMillin and MacLean xiv). It is rather complicated to try and explain the history of the Chamberlains Men. Henry Carey was the first Lord Hunsdon and patron of Hunsdons men, and The Hunsdons Men existed from 1564 to 1567. Henry Carey then accepted office as Lord Chamberlain in 1585, and took under his patronage The Lord Chamberlains Men. After the Death of their first patron, his son George Carey, the nd Hunsdon took on the job as patron and again changed the name to Hunsdons Men. When the office of Chamberlain was offered to him, George again changed the name back to Lord Chamberlains Men. The Chamberlains Men were housed in the theater known as the Newington Butts and for a short time at the Cross Keys Inn. They later relocated to The Theater and when The Theater was dismantled , the troupe was rehoused in the Globe Theater. The Chamberlains Men were not only housed in The Globe, but the principle men of the troupe, Richard and Cuthberg Burbage, Pope, Phillips, Heminges, Kempe, and Shakespeare, designed and built it, paid for the leased land that the theater sat upon, and ran the theater. It was said that from a dramatists and actors viewpoint...oustandingly the most attractive playhouse in London (Thomson 18). They would go on to perform shows written by Ben Jonson, Thomas Dekker, and shows written together by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. The group put on such plays as Othello, Henry V, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, King Lear, Measure for Measure, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Anthony & Cleopatra, The Fair Maid of Bristow and many, many more. Though they performed plays by other playwrights, it was Shakespeare who was their principle playwright. Though we may have lost many documents from the period of Elizabeth, or may not have found all documentaion, we mantained enough to see, if not immensely, a little bit of the profound effect Queen Elizabeth had on the arts. If Elizabeth had not meddled in the affairs of the arts Elizabethan Theater may not have had such a lasting affect on following generations. She not only stood up for and protected professional acting troupes, she influenced and helped popularize the backing of Adult companies by pulling in wealthy citizens and convencing them to take on Adult companies in their name, offering them protection and finacial backing. Through her help and the support of her council we can enjoy Elizabethan theater and theater in general for years to come.

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