Topic > English Renaissance Theatre: Plays of the Renaissance Period

History plays of the Renaissance are also known as early English plays and mainly refer to the works of William Shakespeare or the works of other famous people who wrote plays in the past. They can also be called Elizabethan because they were mainly performed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Renaissance plays were performed in the traditions of the Middle Ages, for example mystery plays, and were performed mainly during religious occasions in England. This was during the Middle Ages and they mostly had religious themes, performed mainly in churches but some time later they were also performed during secular events that coincided with the religious events. The amateurs at these shows were later replaced by professionals. These performances were performed in public or private depending on the social class to which they belonged. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayRenaissance theaters became more popular with the creation of public theaters which were large and this was profitable and once they became stable, drama would become more permanent stage and not just transitory. Archaeological evidence demonstrates that the theaters built in this Renaissance period were different despite having a common general plan. Public theaters were built around a large space in the center and had about three stories up. The upper part that was behind the stage could have been used as a balcony as in the play Romeo and Juliet. The theaters were mostly round except for a few. Theaters were public or private, so people could choose where they wanted to watch shows from. Plays were mostly performed one a day compared to these days when a play can last up to a month. The actors wore expensive costumes and had bright colors that were appealing to the eye and were also contemporary and were worn regardless of the time the play was being performed. Sometimes the protagonist wore a version made more conventional and historical. In time, various playwrights arose as London's population grew and as its people became increasingly wealthy, this produced a variety of plays with different qualities and they too had various extensions. Some of the plays written during Queen Elizabeth's reign have been lost, but some still remain. Playwrights received their fees from writing plays and also from performing them in one day. The playwrights then sold the works to the companies and therefore had no ownership or control over the works once they were sold to the companies. Plays were not that easy to write because a playwright could write perhaps two or three plays in a year. Shakespeare wrote about forty solo verses in a year and also acted because he owned some shares in the company he worked for so he was richer than other playwrights. Because of this problem of only being able to write two plays in a year, playwrights could pool their efforts to be more productive and obviously had to share the earnings from writing the plays accordingly. Shakespeare's play about Henry the Fifth was written during the medieval period during the Middle Ages. Comedies such as the city comedy were also performed during this period. Only some of the works written during this period were printed because some contemporary researchers argued that it was risky.