The Elizabethan Stage

The Elizabethanisches Theater evolved from earlier forms of drama, including mystery plays, miracle plays, and morality plays. Key features of Elizabethan theater include:

• The use of pageant wagons in earlier periods
• The development of purpose-built theaters with specific architectural features
• Interactive performances where actors engaged with the audience
• A stage structure that included galleries, a yard for "groundlings," and a backstage area

Vocabulary: "Groundlings" referred to the common people who stood in the yard area of the theater.

Example: The Globe Theatre, associated with Shakespeare, exemplified the structure of Elizabethan theaters with its open-air design and multi-level seating.

The Art in Elizabethan Times

Elizabethan art was deeply influenced by Queen Elizabeth I herself. Key characteristics of art during this period include:

• Artists often used Elizabeth as inspiration for their works
• There was little distinction between popular entertainment and high art
• Lack of free speech led artists to find indirect ways to represent contemporary issues
• The use of allegory was common in artistic expression
• Writers often drew parallels between historical events and current social problems

Example: Shakespeare's historical plays often contained veiled commentary on contemporary political issues.

Vocabulary: Allegory is a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings outside the narrative itself.

Four Humours 1

The theory of the Four Humours was a fundamental concept in Elizabethan medicine and philosophy. This theory posited that:

• Nature consists of four elements: fire, air, water, and earth
• Each element corresponds to a bodily fluid and an organ
• The four humours are yellow bile (liver), blood (heart), phlegm (brain), and black bile (spleen)
• Each humour is associated with specific personality traits: choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic, and melancholic

Definition: The Four Humours theory was a system of medicine detailing the makeup and workings of the human body, believed to be correct from ancient Greek times until the advent of modern medical research.

Four Humours 2

The Four Humours theory had significant implications for Elizabethan medicine and understanding of health:

• Health (eucrasia) was believed to result from a balanced mixture of the humours
• Disease (dyscrasia) was thought to be caused by an imbalance of the humours
• Medical treatments aimed to restore balance through methods such as bloodletting, cupping, and the use of emetics, laxatives, and diaphoretics
• Natural self-healing was believed to be the primary method of recovery, with doctors supporting this process

Vocabulary: Phlebotomy refers to the practice of bloodletting, while cupping involved creating suction on the skin to draw out "bad" humours.

Highlight: This medical theory significantly influenced Elizabethan literature, with characters often described in terms of their dominant humour.

Page 11: Sources Lists the academic sources used to compile the presentation information.

Highlight: The sources demonstrate thorough research into various aspects of Elizabethan culture and society.