yay lectures.... betw 15th,16th centuries, 2 things: printed book introduced, theatre/drama emerged formally english drama began on strets of town with townspeople as actors, illiterate people often performers earliest plays were mystery/miracle plays (bible stories) produced by guilds guild members only could practice a trade, guilds passed down their craft, guild members also passed on the greatest story ever told, story of bible people decided to dramatize bible, usually at easter, more dramatic cycles where guilds would sponsor a wagon with travelling show and would take an episode from the bible and would put it on carpenters recreate crucifixion, etc church and guilds both very powerful many clerics got involved in plays probably helped with scripts, but there is no author church was suspicious of guilds, so oversaw scripts always doubt from religious folk about what was going on in the threatre guilds' plays affected young dramatists such as marlow and shakespeare playwrights and mystery plays noah's wife was usually played as a nag, people looked forward to over-the-top performances scripts remain, guilds paid for lavish costumes comedy in mystery plays laughter combined with religious orthodoxy parody bordering on blasphemy laughter drew in audience got people involved in bible story after laughing, silence puritans never approved, especially associating laughter with christ's story theatre people considered immoral english theatre was licensed later on, in 18th century modern theatre drama took present shape in london, in a playhouse large public building globe was shakespeare's threatre name is symbolic, all the world could come pay to get in, street theater was free large theatres were palatial could contain thousands new globe theatre reopened in 1997 replica of old globe that burned down in 1613 raised stage marlowe stabbed to death in 1693 at 29, could have been a double agent gave us blank verse was son of shoemaker father was in guild system lit was now property of lower classes, anyone could write it was probably an atheist atheism considered heresy spying was as dangerous as atheism thought to be gay wrote 4 great plays in 5 years all plays deal with man's overarching ambition dr faustus marlowe's most famous play opening soliloquy is perfected in his play main theme: what would you sell your soul for? knowledge for faustus, is power faustus had masterd everything the uni has taught, now wants to know black magic doesn't listen to mephistopheles, warns him about selling soul to satan wastes gifts from selling soul with lascivious living comedic parts considered weak last soliloquy is considered to be classic marlowe had to be careful to end with "crime does not pay", so end of play seems to be somewhat of a sellout presentation marlowe 1564 to 1593 only 29 father was shoemaker corpus christie college in cambridge not that interested in ministry denied degree in arts queen fixed it for him rumors he was a spy for her wrote a popular play just before he left cambridge ben johnson said that period of elizabethan drama started by marlowe, he was able to write "might lines" he got in a scuffle with william bradley, got put in jail his roommate/boyfriend got tortured, confessed many things faustus: faustus seeks knowledge started looking toward black magic sold soul for info came from "the history of damned life" 2 forms of play, A text and B text (longer and uncensored)