Elizabeth I's religious settlement

Queen Elizabeth I inherited a nation suffering from religious flux, but went on to build a stable, peaceful nation.

• 1534: The Reformation of Henry VIII made England’s monarch the spiritual and secular head of the realm.
• 1547: Protestantism is continued under Edward VI.
• 1553: Queen Mary I reversed this decision when she restored Roman Catholicism as the state religion, and the Pope became head of the church once again.
• 1559: Queen Elizabeth wished to create a new moderate religious settlement derived from Henry VIII's break from Rome. She established the Church of England in 1559.

Queen Elizabeth I and religion

Queen Elizabeth I wanted to build a stable, peaceful nation with a strong government, free from the influence of foreign powers in matters of the church and the state. To realise this vision it was necessary to reach a new religious settlement that was as inclusive as possible. Changes needed to be introduced with a minimum of confrontation in order to overcome fear and suspicion at home and abroad.

The choice of state religion would have political consequences, whatever the decision. Choosing to remain Catholic would surrender power to Rome and ally England with other Catholic states, such as France and Spain. Returning to Protestantism would align England with the Dutch, its main trading partner, but risked antagonising Spain, the most powerful nation in the world. Protestantism would also create a fear of persecution among England’s Catholics.

Building a united and prosperous England

Elizabeth's first Parliament was inaugurated on 25 January 1559. Queen Elizabeth was in attendance for the opening speech which was delivered by Nicholas Bacon, the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. As spokesman for the government, Bacon delivered its mission statement, ‘to unite the people of this realm into a uniform order of religion'.

Bacon outlined the course to reach this goal by explaining that members were not to insult each other with terms like 'heretic', 'schismatic' or 'Papist'. They were not going to waste time on abstract theological debates, but rather get down to the business at hand of finding concrete solutions to the problems of the day. Matters were to be debated in a respectful fashion. Extremism would not be tolerated and name-calling and mud-slinging would not move things forward. In this address, Elizabeth deliberately disassociated herself from the unpopular regime under Queen Mary I by signalling how hers would be different.

Debating the Elizabethan religious settlement

The first act passed by the House of Commons in February 1559 joined together a bill of supremacy, establishing Queen Elizabeth I as head of the church, with one of uniformity, dealing with the type of faith and service. The proposed settlement was roundly rejected and adulterated by the House of Lords, with its Catholic majority.

Elizabeth and her pro-reform ministers had to regroup and plan another strategy. A debate was scheduled during the Easter recess between a team of Catholics and a team of Protestants, with the Privy Council as judge and Bacon as Chairman. The debate quickly descended into name-calling and two of the Catholics were sent to the Tower for contempt.

What was the Act of Supremacy?

When Parliament reconvened in April, the two issues were presented separately and considerable concessions were made. The revised Act of Supremacy still abolished papal supremacy, but defined Elizabeth as Supreme Governor, rather than Supreme Head, of the church. This change of title placated those who did not feel that a woman could be the head of the church, and the act passed fairly easily.

What was the Act of Uniformity?

The Act of Uniformity of 1559 set out the groundwork for the Elizabethan church. It restored the 1552 version of the English Prayer Book but kept many of the familiar old practices and allowed for two interpretations of communion, one Catholic and one Protestant. The bill was hotly debated but eventually passed by three votes.

Spanish Armada

Many reasons led to discontent between Spain and England. The first being Elizabeth's refusal of marriage to Phillip if Spain. Another being the English sympathy to the protestant rebels on the Netherlands. Also, the activities of English ‘pirates', who looted Spanish ships, caused problems between Spain and England. In 1568, a final blow came when some Spanish ships were blown off course into English waters, and the English seized them. The Spanish responded by doing the same to the English.

Seeing Spain as a threat, Elizabeth tried to form an alliance with France. France however, thought her intention was to create war between France and Spain while England looked on.

The Spanish Armada sailed in 1588 and was completely defeated by the English. Phillip was warned against this mission but believed he was on a mission from God. Their complete failure effectively ended any threat Spain posed to the English. 

Rise and Development of Drama

Drama was introduced to Britain from Europe by the Romans.

Religious period of Drama

The origin of the drama is deep-rooted in the religion.As most of the Bible was written into Latin, common people could not understand its meanings. That’s why the clergy tried to find out some new methods of teaching and expounding the teachings of Bible to the common people. For this purpose, they developed a new method, wherein the stories of the Gospel were explained through the living pictures. The performers acted out the story in a dumb show.

Medieval period:

Mystery plays were stories taken from the Bible. Each play had four or five different scenes or acts. The priests and monks were the actors. Each scene or act was preformed at a different place in town and the people moved from one stage to the next to watch the play. The play usually ended outside the church so that the people would go to church and hear a sermon after watching the play.

The Miracle play was about the life or actions of a saint, usually about the actions that made that person a saint. One popular Miracle play was about Saint George and the dragon.

Morality plays were designed to teach people a lesson in how to live their life according to the rules of the church.

Sometimes these plays had elaborate sets, sometimes no sets at all. It didn't seem to matter. The people attended these plays. They didn't have to, but it was a break from their normal daily lives.

Interlude:

Interlude, in theatre, early form of English dramatic entertainment, sometimes considered to be the transition between medieval morality plays and Tudor dramas. Interludes were performed at court or at “great houses” by professional minstrels or amateurs at intervals between some other entertainment, such as a banquet, or preceding or following a play, or between acts. Although most interludes were sketches of a nonreligious nature, some plays were called interludes that are today classed as morality plays. John Heywood, one of the most famous interlude writers, brought the genre to perfection in his The Play of the Wether (1533) and The Playe Called the Foure P.P. (c. 1544). The earl of Essex is known to have had a company of interlude players in 1468; the first royal company was apparently established in 1493.

Renaissance Drama:

The English Renaissance, a cultural and artistic movement in England from 16th to early 17th century. It paved the way for the dominance of drama in the country. Queen Elizabeth I ruled during the period Great poetry and drama were produced. The renowned playwrights of this time include William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and John Webster.

The dramatists wrote plays based on themes like history, comedy and tragedy. Shakespeare emerged as an artist who produced plays based on all the three themes. Drama had previously been performed in temporary spaces. In 1567 the first public theater, the Red Lion Theatre in White chapel, was built. With the establishment of public theaters and acting companies the demand for plays was met by a group of highly educated men who were deeply educated in classical literature.

Things to know:

First Tragedy: The Tragedie of Gorboduc, also titled Ferrex and Porrex, is an English play from 1561. It was first performed at the Christmas celebration given by the Inner Temple in 1561, and performed at Whitehall before Queen Elizabeth I. Gorboduc, play was written by Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville that takes as its subject Gorboduc, a mythical king of ancient Britain. 

First Comedy: Ralph Roister Doister is a sixteenth-century play by Nicholas Udall, which was once regarded as the first comedy to be written in the English language.

 Seneca Lucius Anaeus junior : He was a Roman philosopher, poet and politician. He was born about 4 B. C. in Hispanic Cordoba. Seneca was a son of rhetorician and writer. He died by suicide in year 65 in Rome.

Lucius Seneca  shaped the genre of revenge tragedy with his ten plays: Hercules Furens, Troades, Phoenissae, Medea, Phaedra, Oedipus, Agamemnon, Thyestes, Hercules Oetaeus, and Octavia.

Key facts of Revenge Tragedy: a) Revenge is the central theme b)play within a play c) presence of supernatural elements( ghost as vindictive character),d) insanity and mad scene,  e) murder scene and violence

English Revenge tragedy:

 Hamlet and Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare

The Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd

The Revenger's Tragedy by  Thomas Middleton

The three Unities/ Dramatic Unities:

Aristotle's Poetics mentioned the three unities of drama. The Three Unities are:

1. Unity of Time: the action of the play should take place in a short internal chronology, ideally, no more than 24 hours.

2. Unity of Place: the action should take place in a minimal number of locations–ideally, just one.  A public square or palace courtyard would usually serve this purpose well.

3. Unity of Action: The action of the play should be as succinct as possible.  Accomplish the emotional beats and relevant plot points in few, efficient steps.  Avoid subplots. Quality trumps quantity. (If Aristotle had known what non-linear storytelling was, he probably would’ve advised against that, as well.)

He also mentioned that mixing of tragic and comic element should be avoided. Except Ben Jonson and John Dryden, almost every dramatists of Renaissance and Elizabethan periods violated these classical rules.