Elizabethan Drama

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Elizabethan Drama

• Fabio Pesaresi
• fpesaresi_at_alice.it

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English tradition

• Popular
• Religious
• Entertaining

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Renaissance

• Classical Theatre
• is studied
• at Universities

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Aristotle

• The public can identify with the characters
• but the playwright must respect
• 1. Unity of place
• 2. Unity of time
• 3. Unity of plot

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University Wits

• Students at University
• They appreciate Seneca for his tragedies

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Senecan Tragedies

• Cruelty and bloodsheds represented on stage
• Ghosts
• Strong characters
• Atmosphere of horror
• Revenge theme

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The villain

• Senecan character
• Machiavellan prince

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Machiavelli in England

• In England
• Machiavelli is synonym with
• Ruthlessness
• Cruelty
• Revenge
• Intrigue
• Corruption

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Machiavelli

• The Prince
• Political treaty on good government
• The Prince must protect the State, even if this
  means suppressing the individual

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Senecan Tragedies

• Norton Sackville Gorboduc (1561)
• Thomas Kyd The Spanish Tragedy(1585)

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Kyds Theatre

• Ghosts
• Horrors
• Villains

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This presentation is available at

• http//scuole.rimini.com/liceogcesare/licei/pesare
  si.htm
• or
• http//file.webalice.it
• Username fpesaresi
• Password cesare