Renaissance Theatre Research Paper
Domeniquea Lewis
Oct.6, 2010
Introduction to Theatre 130
9:30-10:45 a.m
CRN 11529
Thomas Meloncon
Theatre Revival in Europe
The Renaissance was the reformation and return of secular theatre. The Renaissance was an extraordinary period in European history. In many ways it was a time of rebellion and rebirth. During the middle ages, the overwhelming concerns were god redemption and life after death. In contrast, the foremost concerns of the renaissance were human kind, ancient wisdom, and life in the present. Renaissance values of individualism and creativity led to the emerge of great artists such as Leonardo Davinchi and Michael Angelo. In the theatre liturgical (religious) drama of the Middle Ages declined, and secular theatre once …show more content…
They originated in the early 1500s as a form of entertainment written especially for the monarch and an invited audience. Usually staged on
banquet halls, court masques, were characterized by grand dances, extravagant costumes, lavish spectacle, poetry, and florid speeches.
With the reestablishment of the monarchy, the period of English history, known as the Restoration, began. This was a period of scientific discovery, new philosophical concepts, unproved economic conditions, and the return of theatre- in the French style. The Restoration also bought another innovation. In 1661, thanks to Charles II, women could legally appear on stages in England for the first time. One of the most famous women was the pretty and irreverent Nell Gwynn (1650- 1687). Women on stage wore a novelty and most audience members found them delightful, but some still consider them indecent.
The Enlightenment was a time of great philosophical, scientific, technological, political, and religious revolutions. One Renaissance thinker who helped to usher the Enlightenment was the Italian astronomer Galito Galiko (1564-1642), born the same year as Shakespeare. He questioned the earth-centered theory of the universe. During the Renaissance, bloody wars had raged over which type of Christianity was God’s “revealed path”, and validity of Christianity itself was questioned. But perhaps the father of Enlightenment was Francis Bacon (1561- 1626), who said that, “if one begins with
Oct.6, 2010
Introduction to Theatre 130
9:30-10:45 a.m
CRN 11529
Thomas Meloncon
Theatre Revival in Europe
The Renaissance was the reformation and return of secular theatre. The Renaissance was an extraordinary period in European history. In many ways it was a time of rebellion and rebirth. During the middle ages, the overwhelming concerns were god redemption and life after death. In contrast, the foremost concerns of the renaissance were human kind, ancient wisdom, and life in the present. Renaissance values of individualism and creativity led to the emerge of great artists such as Leonardo Davinchi and Michael Angelo. In the theatre liturgical (religious) drama of the Middle Ages declined, and secular theatre once …show more content…
They originated in the early 1500s as a form of entertainment written especially for the monarch and an invited audience. Usually staged on
banquet halls, court masques, were characterized by grand dances, extravagant costumes, lavish spectacle, poetry, and florid speeches.
With the reestablishment of the monarchy, the period of English history, known as the Restoration, began. This was a period of scientific discovery, new philosophical concepts, unproved economic conditions, and the return of theatre- in the French style. The Restoration also bought another innovation. In 1661, thanks to Charles II, women could legally appear on stages in England for the first time. One of the most famous women was the pretty and irreverent Nell Gwynn (1650- 1687). Women on stage wore a novelty and most audience members found them delightful, but some still consider them indecent.
The Enlightenment was a time of great philosophical, scientific, technological, political, and religious revolutions. One Renaissance thinker who helped to usher the Enlightenment was the Italian astronomer Galito Galiko (1564-1642), born the same year as Shakespeare. He questioned the earth-centered theory of the universe. During the Renaissance, bloody wars had raged over which type of Christianity was God’s “revealed path”, and validity of Christianity itself was questioned. But perhaps the father of Enlightenment was Francis Bacon (1561- 1626), who said that, “if one begins with