English Renaissance drama, or English Renaissance theatre, means the stage plays written and acted in the

later 16th century and the first half of the 17th century, during the Renaissance period in England. William
Shakespeare, widely thought of as the greatest writer in English literature, is the most famous of many
important playwrights, poets, and writers who worked in this era.
The year 1576 was a key date in this subject since that is when the first permanent theatre building was built
in London. It was called simply The Theatre, because it was the only place of its kind in England at the time.
Theatre wasn't considered an art, but an entertainment, so the authors didn't publish their works.
Before 1500 there were Miracle and Mystery plays, acted inside the churches on special occasions, which
dealt with the lives of saints or representation of the Gospel, and they were accompanied by music, with few
characters and a very simple plot, but they were very popular.
Then other secular elements were added: scene, costumes, effects, quarrels...
It was necessary to move them from the church to the square, particularly to the
churchyard, because they were becoming popular and popular day by day, and they were too many people
watching them, but also because some secular elements were introduced.
After some time, the play became mobile and was the stage to move around, not people anymore, and
companies lived in a wagon travelling countries (pageant).
There were Trade Guilt's (associazione di mestiere), who represented episodes connected with their job (for
example the Last Supper sponsored by the baker).
Allegory was the most famous form in the Middle Age and vices and virtues, personified, were juxtaposition.
The moral message, but no longer so connected with the Bible. Going to the theatre became a habit. Theatre
companies started to perform in the courtyard of the inns, so people could watch from the balcony of their
rooms. And for the first time in 1576, James Burbage decides to build a permanent theatre, outside the city
walls because drama was considered guilty: it was called "The Theatre".

Then a lot of others were built, for example, Shakespearean ones, the mast famous was called "The Globe"
(it was burnt down and rebuilt, and again demolished by Puritans and reopened) and "'The Rose".
All the theatres were similar;: round or octagonal, with two sets of balconies, without a roof and the stage in
the middle of the yard.
Before 1576, plays were acted in public halls and large houses, and in inns and public squares and courtyards
and other open spaces, by troupes of actors that mostly travelled around the countryside between cities and
towns.
Playwrights worked in both the classic types of drama, tragedy, and comedy. They also began their own type
of history play, mainly about earlier English kings and the events of their reigns.
Shakespeare's Richard III and Marlowe's Edward II are two examples of this type of English history play.
English Renaissance drama grew and developed until 1642 when it suddenly stopped.
The Globe Theatre is where Shakespeare performed most of his plays. It was originally built in 1599 by
Shakespeare's playing company but was destroyed by fire on 29'* June 1613. A
modern reconstruction, known as Shakespeare' s Globe, opened in 1997 a stone's throw from the site of the
original theatre.
Below the stage, there was an area known as the pit, where poorer people called groundlings would stand to
watch the performance. Rising up vertically around the pit were'three levels of more expensive seats. A
rectangular stage platform also called an apron, thrust out into the middle of the yard. On the stage, there was
a trapdoor used by performers. The back wall of the stage had two or three doors and was topped by a
balcony. The doors led to the tiring hous…