Elizabethan Era Research Paper

The reason that this era is called the Elizabethan Period is because Queen Elizabeth recognized the importance of the arts and legacy of her nation. She was very fond of the theatre and many playwrights were active during her reign such as Marlowe, Jonson, and Shakespeare. She allowed for the construction of professional theaters which attracted more than 15,000 people per week in London. When Elizabeth died and King James I rose to power in England, he displayed a love of learning and particular theater. He then hired William Shakespeare’s theater company: Lord Chamberlain’s Men to produce new works under his patronage, and they were now called The King’s Men. As most of you have seen there is a King James version of the Bible, he commissioned

The Puritans were against theatre and caused problems regarding the theatre. The plays were often rough and boisterous, and playwrights and actors belonged to a bohemian class. Puritan leaders and officers of the Church of England considered actors to be of questionable character, and they criticized playwrights for using the stage to disseminate their irreverent opinions. They also feared the overcrowded theater spaces might lead to the spread of disease. At times throughout the sixteenth century, Parliament censored plays for profanity, heresy, or politics. But Queen Elizabeth and later King James offered protections that ultimately allowed the theater to survive. To appease Puritan concerns, the Queen established rules prohibiting the construction of theaters and theatrical performances. The strict religious views of the Puritans spread to encompass many social activities within England including the activities in the Globe theatre. In 1642, The English Civil War breaks out between the Parliamentarians (Puritans) and the Royalists. 1644, The Puritan Parliament issued an ordinance suppressing all stage plays. Theatre was “done” in London until in 1660. When King Charles II took the English throne in 1660, the theaters were reopened, and the arts were again celebrated. His reign became known as the Restoration, but the greatest period of England theater had already run its