Tragedies

Comedies

There were several famous dramatists writing come­dies in those times. Among them Nickolas Udal and John Lyly were the most prominent ones.

Nickolas Udal was a headmaster of Westminster school. He decided to write a humorous story for his boys at school. The comedy was a success, though it was written in rough verse. In 1566 Udal decided to stage another comedy under the title "Gammer Gurton's Needle". The plot centres on Gammer Gurton who was looking for a needle to mend clothes. There are a lot of quarrels, broken heads and jolly drinking songs in the comedy which was acted at Cambridge University. It is also in rough verse.

John Lyly, the author of "Euphues", was not only! a novelist but also a dramatist who wrote a prose comedy "Campaspe". The boy actors played it in front of Queen Elizabeth. They made a lot of fun and a lot of noise while playing the parts of great men. A nice song about Cupid, God of Love, was very popular among the people: "Cupid and my Campaspe played cards for kisses; Cupid paid." Cupid loses one thing after another to Campaspe, and at last he offers his eyes:

At last he set her both his eyes; She won, and Cupid blind did rise. О Love, has she done this to thee? What shall, alas! become of me?

Among those dramatists who wrote tragedies the 1 most outstanding were Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville who together wrote the first real tragedy in

hlniik verse, performed in 1564. Its name was "Gorbo-ilm ". The fact was that Thomas Norton wrote the first Ihree acts. Thomas Sackville wrote the other two. The

'■dies of those times were less popular than the Comedies, because the tragedies were very dull, the itoi у of the play was told, there was little action on the Itage, and the blank verse was too poor. The plot» г i it res round King Gorboduc and his family, but noth­ing is done on the stage except several movements.

In the "Spanish Tragedy" (1592) written by Tho­mas Kyd there is much blood. The plot is tragic and horrible: the ghost of a murdered son appears to the father. Death is the main character of the play.

The name of Christopher Marlowe is worth men-I inning while speaking about Elizabethan Drama.

Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)

Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury on February 26, 1564. His family was rather poor. The father was a shoemaker, and he couldn't afford to send his son to a good pri­vate school. At the age of fourteen Christopher managed to enter the Grammar School. When he was 16 he won a scholarship from Cambridge after the compet­itive examinations.

Christopher came to London in 1587. He wanted to become an acton, but he broke his leg and couldn't take part in the performances. Then Marlowe decided to become a dramatist. His "principal works are: "Doctor Faustus" (1588) where he described the power of Knowledge, "The Jew of Malta" (1589) about the

power of Money and "Edward II" (1593) about the loss of Power.

Christopher Marlowe was the first in England to approach history from a political point of view. That was the reason why the police agents suspected him of being disloyal and murdered him in a fight at a London tavern in 1593.

DOCTOR FAUSTUS

It was first acted in 1588. The play is based on the well-known story about Faustus who sells his soul to the devil, Mephostophilis, in return for entertainment during twenty-four years when the devil has to fulfil all the wishes of Faustus. The last days of that splendid life are horrible for Doctor Faustus. He is afraid of death. The description of his fear is impressive. Mar­lowe manages to reflect Faustus's feelings very vividly.

THE JEW OF MALTA

The play is very violent. The Jews are taxed by the governor of Malta. One of the Jews, Barabas by name, refuses to pay the tax. That's why his house and money are confiscated. He becomes poor. And in revenge, he begins a violent life: he poisons his daughter, Abigail, and makes her lover die. More than that, Barabas helps the Turks to occupy Malta, and they make him the governor of Malta. But the Jew's intentions are brutal, and he decides to kill all the Turkish officers. He invites them to a meal in a big hall, the floor of which is arranged in such a way that it can suddenly fall, and the soldiers are to fall down into a bowl of boiling water. But the Turkish officers make his secret known, and the Jew himself is thrown down into that terrible vessel.

EDWARD II

"Edward П" is considered to be the best Marlowe's lay. It deals with English history. Marlowe approach­es the English history from a political point of view.

Edward II (1284-1327) was the King of England from 1307 until he was murdered by his enemies, including his wife, in 1327. Edward II was nothing like his father Edward I, a very strong leader known;is the "Hammer of the Scots". Edward II gave his attention to his numerous favourites.

Marlowe sets an example for other dramatists in the great Elizabethan Age in two important ways: he uses the powerful blank verse lines to strengthen the drama, and he makes his characters act and think in such a way that the sense of tragedy is heightened.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

The greatest dramatist of the age William Shakespeare was often called "The Great Unknown", or "Our Na­tional Bard". Shakespeare followed the bardic tradition in wishing his sto­ries to be heard rather than read. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on 23th of April, 1564.

The town began as a settlement on the banks of the River Avon in Roman and Saxon times. By King John's reign (1167-1216) Stratford had grown into a market town with merchants and tradesmen. Elizabethan Stratford was an important regional centre.

■ 43

Shakespeare's par­ents came from local farming families. John Shakespeare had mar­ried into money. The Shakespeares lived in Henley Street which is known as the "Birth­place".

John Shakespeare
ас-ted as a wool mer­
chant for local farmers.
The Birthplace _{It was his business At}

the same time he was a prominent member of the town

council and became an olderman in 1568.

The family was not rich yet. They rented a house and ]

some land. There were eight children in the family: four

The room where William Shakespeare was born

girls and four boys. Three of them died young. William was the third child, he was free and open-hearted. He attend­ed a local Grammar School where the priest of the church was also the school­master. There Wil­liam studied for six years, mainly learn­ing Latin. He was

still a boy when he began to set and produce plays. It was

his hobby, and nothing could stop him, nothing could

make him give up his hobby.

' 'hakespeare seems to

been influenced by

Пи countryside around

*6t fat ford. His works are

|mimeated with the idyl-

ln images of birds, flow-

|rs and animals.

Shakespeare monument in Stratford

A short distance from Itratford in the village of Shottery there lived Л i me Hathaway, a (Imighter of a farmer. She was also poor and worked for the mer­chants of Stratford. William was eighteen and Anne was twenty-six. They fell in love with each other and married on November 28, 1582. Shakespeare gave her a ring and a poem. Their living was not rich. They had three children, and William had to work as an assistant at Stratford Grammar School. Soon life in Stratford became intolerable for him, and he decided to try his luck in London.

Shakespeare came to London to enter upon a living as an actor and playwright.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-07