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Theater in Elizabethan times
Theater in Elizabethan times
Theme of Love by William Shakespeare
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Recommended: Theater in Elizabethan times
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
I have been studying Romeo and Juliet in class and I have watched a
production on television. Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet for an
audience used to sixteenth century stage conventions, we must
appreciate that these conventions are very different from our own. The
Elizabethan theatre was very distinctive, when a play was performed
thousands of people would pack inside the theatre, the rich would be
able to pay for seats in the stand sheltered from the wind and rain,
while the poor had to stand and brave the elements as the theatre had
no roof.
One advantage of standing was that you would have been very near the
stage and almost feel as if you were part of the performance.
The original theatre was made out of wood and eventually it was
destroyed by fire, nowadays a replica of the theatre has been built
and it is the only wooden building in London, it is called The Globe.
In Elizabethan days the words were as important as the acting and many
people went to listen rather than watch plays. Shakespeare was aware
of this and used words to create images, to describe his characters
and to express feelings to the audience.
The plays were held during the day, as there were no lights to perform
under at night. Shakespeare's words would transport his audience to
other lands and imaginary places away from the dreary lives that most
people had at that time.
Shakespeare wrote in iambic rhythm which is based on ten syllables to
a line, this poetry does not normally rhyme it is called blank verse.
The use of this rhythm in presenting the play is similar to modern day
rap.
As we can see the production is quite different, but I shall show that
the actual subject matter of Shakespeare's play is still very relevant
to us today and these themes still surround us.
Romeo and Juliet is a love story and we are first introduced to their
characters by the other characters, we are told Romeo is dreamy and
Romeo and Juliet is a play about two lovers who have to risk their lives in order to demonstrate their love and will to stay together, regardless the feud between their families. By the end, the death of Romeo and Juliet finally bring the reconciliation to these two families. It is fate that the two most shall-not meet people fall in love and it love that eventually won against hatred. Since then, there have been many different versions of Romeo and Juliet, whether it was for film, stage, musicals. These different recontextualised adaptions change the original play by many ways, some modernise the language, environment, props as well as changing the original characteristics of some characters. Out of all the different adaptions of Romeo and Juliet, two stood out the most. One was the Romeo and Juliet (1996) and directed by Baz Luhrmann and the other one was Romeo and Juliet Broadway (2013) play version,
In the early years of the Globe Theatre, before central heating was introduced, the audience would have to bring their coats and scarves in the winter, as this particular theatre is open-roofed. This meant that the cold, biting air was let into the room. After years of these cold nights, the performances were moved to the indoor playhouses in the winter. Directors tried to prevent this as much as possible however, so they tried to fit in as many plays during the summer seasons as they could. Whilst the construction of the New Globe Theatre was taking place, central heating was installed. Therefore, future audiences were able to enjoy every Shakespearean performance, even during the winter. The Old Globe Theatre also had limited artificial lighting, which was changed later on, and it was produced with materials with huge fire risks such as wood and only had one entrance/exit. Audience members also have to bring umbrellas or hats to suit the weather, as there is no roof to protect them from the rain or sun.
William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In the age of Rome and Juliet’s creation, many values of society were. different from those we observe in modern day life. Women did not have equal rights, fathers had a lot more authority over their children and arranged marriages were still practiced.
wither in their pride/ Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.” From
“He who falls in love meets a worse fate than he who falls from a
such a love can arise out of hatred and then triumph over it in death,
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would
His love for Rosaline is great but yet she can not say the same and
“Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health, still-waking sleep, that is not what this is” (Shakespeare 1.1. 179-180). A string of contradictions explain the love story of Romeo and Juliet, a contradiction. Some critics consider this story a tragedy because Shakespeare once wrote; “the fault is not in our stars but in ourselves”. While others say it does not follow the standard Aristotelian form of tragedy (Krims 1). Romeo and Juliet can not be a tragedy because no flaw causes them to fall, the lovers, could not have controlled fate, and family and friends assisted them to their deaths.
First of all, the themes of Romeo and Juliet such as love and hate are essentially the same in all its facets and colours whether it is in the 1500’s or the present time. The play is still accepted universally because people can closely relate to themes such as love and hate, and life and death, and these themes are the basis of the play. For example, there is the i...
The opening scene of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will be the scene that I choose to analysis. Elements of plots that could be found in the first scene are exposition, point of attack, discovery and foreshadowing. Each one of these elements will be used to help analysis the scene and make it clear as to what is going on in the mind of Shakespeare.
Romeo and Juliet is a romantic love story about a young lad named Romeo who has fallen in love with Lady Juliet, but is unable to marry her because of a long-lasting family feud. The play ends in the death of both these characters and the reunion of the friendship between the families. Romeo is in love with Juliet, and this is a true, passionate love (unlike the love Paris has for her or the love Romeo had for Rosaline) that nothing can overcome, not even the hatred between their two families that is the reason for the death of their two children. Throughout the play, Shakespeare thoroughly explores the themes of both true love and false love and hatred. Without either of these themes, the play would loose its romantic touch and probably would not be as famous as it is today.
The Globe Theatre was where Shakespeare had most of his plays performed. It had many decorations to make it look appealing and to try and to make it seem expensive and luxurious. The Globe Theatre was built in just 6 months between 1597 and 1598 just outside central London. The Thames River separated it from St Paul’s cathedral. The Globe was made in a round circular shape. This meant that at least one actor would have their back to the audience, however, this would not have mattered because the audience came mainly to hear the play – not to see it. When you were buying a seat for the theatre, the most expensive seats would not be the ones with the best view, they would be the closest ones in order to hear better. Also, these seats would be facing towards the audience, which means that everyone would see them, meaning fame. The Globe would usually be packed with decorations and ornaments. These would have nothing to do with the play, it was used to make the theatre look more attractive/expensive. Lots of people would come to see the plays. They would do this because Shakespeare’s plays were not published at that time so the public would want to see it...
Actors were expected to memorize hundreds of lines at a time. While one play could be performing, actors would be practicing lines for their next show. Play writers also began to make roles for the actors in the theatrical pieces. The theaters that actors performed in were roofless so that the sun could be used as lighting. Theatrical shows were held in the afternoon because it provided the best amount of light for the show. When the people gathered into the theater, the different classes of people were separated by where they could afford to sit and watch the show. The lower classmen were situated on the bare earth where it was dirty and smelly because it was never cleaned. The owners’ of the theaters found it less expensive if they did not keep high maintenance of their establishments. Higher classmen sat under a roof and for a penny more, they could buy cushions for their seats.
William Shakespeare has provided some of the most brilliant plays to ever be performed on the stage. He is also the author of numerous sonnets and poems, but he is best known for his plays such as Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet. In this essay I would like to discuss the play and movie, "Romeo and Juliet", and also the movie, Shakespeare in Love.