Elizabethan England / 1558-1603
Elizabethan England: Theatre and Literature
Printing, new playhouses, and famous writers turned literature and theatre into mass entertainment.
What To Remember
- Poetry and plays were the most popular forms of literature.
- The Red Lion in Whitechapel was one early theatre, and The Theatre opened in 1576.
- Audiences liked Bible stories, saints' stories, history plays, and secular comedies.
Literature
History books, accounts of voyages, and tales about Drake circumnavigating the world were all popular reading.
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales stayed popular, showing that older English writing still mattered to Elizabethan readers.
Well educated people wrote poetry, and Elizabeth herself was known to write too.
Theatre
Plays brought Bible and saint stories to life, but secular comedies became even more exciting for many audiences.
In 1576 James Burbage built The Theatre, the first permanent public theatre in London, and the Globe followed in 1599.
Poor people could stand in the pit for a penny, while wealthy people paid more to sit in comfort.
Revision Prompt
Why did theatre and literature become so popular in Elizabethan England?