JacobeanDr

ama

BApar
t-1(
Engl
ishHonour
s)

Paper1,
Uni
tC-Hi
stor
yofEngl
ishDr
ama

JacobeanDr
amawasadar
kfor
m dr
amai
nEngl
i
shl
i
ter
atur
e.I
twasa

per
iodofJames1(
1603-1625)
,wasal
soknownasJacobeanTheat
re.

Al
thoughShakespear
ewasst
il
lwr
it
ingmaj
orwor
ksunt
ilar
ound1611,

t
hel
eadi
ngdr
amat
istoft
hisJacobeanper
iodwasBenJonson.Anot
her

not
edJacobeanpl
aywr
ighti
ncl
udedJohnMar
ston,ThomasMi
ddl
eton,

Thomas Hey
wood,John For
d,Thomas Dekker
,Cy
rilTour
neurand

Samuel
Rowl
ey.

I
ncomedy
,theEl
i
zabet
hanconcer
nwi
thchar
act
eri
zat
ionandr
omant
ic

l
ovebegant
ogi
vewayt
oav
aguef
orhar
shsat
ir
eandi
ncr
easedr
eal
i
sm

f
rom about1610.Jacobeant
ragedyshowsasi
mil
arobsessi
onwi
tht
he

i
deaofmor
alcor
rupt
ion;exampl
esi
ncl
udeWebst
ersTheWhi
’ teDev
il

1612)and The DuchessofMal

( fi1619,as wel
las Beaumontand

f
let
cher
’s TheMai
d’sTr
agedy1610.Thepl
ayswhi
char
ehor
ri
fi
cal
l
y

v
iol
ent
,di
spl
ayagener
all
ycy
nicalandpessi
mist
icout
lookonl
i
fe.Fr
om

1605Jonsoncol
l
abor
atedwi
thI
ngoj
onest
ocr
eat
etheext
rav
agantand

schol
arl
ycour
tmasquesbel
ovedbyJames1andhi
squeen.
Jacobeandr
amawasper
iodofav
eryshor
tti
mei
nEngl
i
shl
i
ter
atur
e

whi
chwasnotv
erypopul
arandal
sonotr
ecei
vedenoughappr
eci
ati
on

as El
i
zabet
han dr
amas had gai
ned.That
’s why t
he exi
stence of

Jacobeandr
amawasv
ani
shedv
eryqui
ckl
yfr
om t
hecont
extofEngl
i
sh

l
i
ter
atur
e.

TheEl
i
zabet
hanagewast
hegol
denageofEngl
i
shdr
ama.Butwi
tht
he

t
urnoft
hecent
ury
.Thedr
amai
nEngl
i
shal
sot
ookat
urn.I
tdoesnot

meant
hatt
her
ewer
enodr
amat
ist
slef
t.Ther
ewer
ecer
tai
nlyal
arge

numberoft
hem,
butnoneoft
hem coul
dcomenearShakespear
e.

I
ntheEl
i
zabet
hanper
iod,dr
amawaspat
roni
sedbyt
hef
eudall
ords,but

f
rom t
het
imeoft
heassessi
onofJames1,dr
amat
ist
stot
all
ydepend

ont
heki
ng,t
hequeenandt
her
oyaldomi
nat
ion.t
hedr
amat
ist
swhol
l
y

dependont
her
oyalf
avour
.Int
hisway
,thet
heat
rewascutof
ffr
om

commonl
i
feandnol
ongerr
emai
nedanat
ionali
nst
it
uti
onasi
twasi
n

t
het
imeofShakespear
e.

Thedr
amat
ist
sofJacobeanper
iodcar
edl
essf
ormeni
nthest
reetand

women i
nthe ki
tchen.They del
i
ght
ed t
he cour
tand ki
ng.Af
ter

Shakespear
e,t
her
ewasnoot
herdr
amat
istwhocoul
dfi
l
lhi
sspace

whi
chnat
ural
l
ymar
kedt
hedecl
i
neoft
heJacobeandr
ama.Thear
tof

char
act
eri
zat
ionwaspoori
nthedr
amaofJacobeanpl
aywr
ight
s.t
he

dr
amat
istr
epeat
edsuchchar
act
ersast
hecheat
s,bul
l
ies,gambl
ersi
n
st
ead ofShakespear
e’si
mmor
talchar
act
ersl
i
ke her
oes,her
oines,

v
il
lai
nsandcl
owns.

Jacobeandr
amat
istal
sol
ackedi
ndr
amat
ict
echni
quei
nhi
sdr
ama.The

dr
amat
istcoul
dnotmai
ntai
nMar
low’
s‘mi
ght
yli
ne’t
hati
sknownas

bl
ankv
erse.I
nthear
tofpl
ot-const
ruct
ion,wi
tht
heexcept
ionofBen

sVol
Jonson’ poneandTheAl
chemi
standTheWhi
teDev
ilofWebst
er,

wef
indt
hesi
gnofdecl
i
ne.Tooof
tenpl
ot-const
ruct
ionshowscar
eless

i
ndet
ail
sandwantofcoher
ence.Ther
ear
eef
fect
iveepi
sodesbutnot

st
ruct
uralgr
owt
h.The Shakespear
ian al
way
slai
d emphasi
s on t
he

bal
ancebet
weenr
omanceandr
eal
i
sm whi
chhasbeenpoor
lyr
epl
aced

ei
therbynar
rowsoci
alact
ivi
ti
esorbyr
omant
icexcess.

Thepur
it
anopposi
ti
ont
othedr
amai
sal
sor
esponsi
blef
ort
hedecl
i
neof

dr
amadur
ingt
hisage.Ev
ersi
ncet
hedr
amabecamepopul
ari
nEngl
and,

t
hepur
it
anwagedawaragai
nsti
t.Theyr
egar
deddr
amaandal
lfor
msof

ent
ert
ainmentast
hedev
il
’swor
kthatmaycor
ruptt
hemor
alandet
hical

v
aluesofmenandwomen,andal
lthesesour
cesofamusement
smust

be av
oided bymen and women.Thus,af
tert
he deat
h ofWi
l
li
am

Shakespear
e,t
hedr
amabecamet
oshowsi
gnsofdecl
i
nei
nmor
als,
plot

const
ruct
ion,
char
act
eri
zat
ionandt
echni
que.

Thus,wecansayt
hatJacobeandr
amashav
enotr
ecei
vedsomuch

appr
eci
ati
onbutt
hedr
amat
ist
soft
hisagehav
eshownt
hei
rtal
ent
sand
ski
l
lst
ofor
m anewki
ndofdr
amawhi
chwasbasedont
heconcer
nof

r
oyal
digni
tyandi
tssupr
emacy
.

Thi
sper
iodi
sal
soknownasabar
renper
iodi
ndr
amat
ic,l
i
ter
atur
e.I
n

t
hisper
iodt
wopl
aysar
ever
yfamoust
hewhi
tedev
ilandt
heduchessof

mal
fibyWebst
er.Bot
hhi
dtr
agedi
esar
ebasedont
her
evengemot
if
.In

t
hem heemer
gesasapai
nst
aki
ngar
ti
stwhohadi
nthem r
efi
nedt
he

mat
eri
alandmot
if
soft
heear
li
ert
ragedi
esofbl
oodandgl
oom,
wrought

al
lthathet
ooki
ntosomet
hingr
icherandsomet
hingmuchmor
esubt
ly

beaut
if
ul.Hehad i
nawor
d,conv
ert
ed mel
odr
amai
ntot
ragedy
.He

i
mpar
tedmor
alv
isi
on,psy
chol
ogi
calsubt
lyandemot
ionaldeat
htot
he

t
ragedyofr
evengeandhor
ror
.

Ther
ear
esomePl
aysoft
heJacobeanper
iodasf
oll
ows:
-

TheShadowofNi
ghtbyGeor
geChapman

Ev
eryMani
nhi
sHumourbyBenJonson

AWomanKi
l
ledwi
thKi
ndnessbyThomasHey
wood

TheShoemaker
’sHol
i
daybyThomasDekker

TheMal
cont
entbyJohnMar
ston

AGameatChessbyThomasMi
ddl
eton

ANewWayt
oPayOl
dDebt
sbyPhi
l
ipMassi
nger
TheBr
okenHear
tbyJohnFor
d

By
,Ar
shadKhan,

GuestFacul
ty,
Dept
.ofEngl
ish

JNCol
legeMadhubani