and Porrex," composed by Thomas Sackville-afterward Earl of Dorset and Thomas Norton, and played before Queen Elizabeth at Whitehall, by the members of the Inner Temple, in January, 1561. It is founded on a fabulous incident in early British history, and is full of slaughter and civil broils. It is, however, written in regular blank verse, consists of five acts, and bears resemblance to the classic drama of antiquity in the introduction of a chorus; that is, a group of persons whose sole business it is to intersperse the play with moral observations and inferences expressed in lyrical stanzas. Not long after the appearance of this tragedy, "Damon and Pythias"—the first English tragedy on a classical subject was acted before the queen at Oxford, in 1566. It was composed by Richard Edwards, a learned member of the University, written in rhyme, and inferior to "Ferrex and Porrex." "Tancred and Gismunda," the first English play taken from an Italian novel, was presented before the queen in 1568. The first regularly licensed theatre in London was opened at Blackfriars in 1576. It was there that Shakespeare's immortal dramas first saw the light; and there he unwillingly to borrow his own words. "made himself a motley to the view," in his character of an actor. The first theatres were composed of wood, of a circular form, and open to the weather, excepting over the stage, which was covered with a thatched roof. Outside, on the roof, a flag was hoisted during the time of performance, which commenced at three o'clock, at the third sounding or flourish of trumpets. "The cavaliers," says the historian, "and fair dames of the court of Elizabeth sat in boxes below the gallery, or were accommodated with stools on the stage, where some of the young gallants also threw themselves at length on the rush-strewn floor, while their pages handed them pipes and tobacco, — then a fashionable and highly prized luxury. "Into the pit, or yard, which was not furnished with seats, the middle classes were crowded. "Actresses were not seen on the stage till after the Restoration; the female parts were played by boys, or delicate young men." It has been observed that "while this palliates the grossness of some of the language put into the mouth of females in the old plays, it serves to point out more clearly that innate sense of beauty and excellence which prompted the exquisite loveliness and perfection exhibited in Shakespeare's ideals of womanhood." Movable scenery was not, it is supposed, introduced until after the Restoration. Rude imitations of towers, woods, animals, or furniture, served to illustrate the scene. To point out the place of action, a board containing the name, written or printed in large letters, was hung out during the performance. Anciently, an allegorical exhibition, called the "Dumb Show," was exhibited before every act, and gave an outline of the action to follow. Before dismissing the audience, the actors knelt in front of the stage and offered up a prayer for the queen. In "Midsummer Night's Dream," Shakespeare, in the rehearsal of "Pyramus and Thisbe," seems to have caricatured the rude arrangements of the first theatres. It has been observed that "the decline of the drama may in a great measure be attributed to the splendid representations of external nature in our modern theatres, where the attention of the audience is directed rather to the efforts of the painter than to those of the actor, who is lost amid the marvellous effect of light and shade on our gigantic stages." This assertion is not without weight; yet we must, I think, ascribe the decay of dramatic literature to other and weightier causes, on which time will not allow us to dwell. The English drama, which rose so suddenly and brilliantly on the Elizabethan age, grew as rapidly. Between the years 1568 and 1580 no less than fifty-two dramas were acted at court under the superintendence of the Master of Revels; and in ten years from the opening of the first theatre there were two hundred players in or near the metropolis. Nearly all the dramatic authors preceding or cotemporary with Shakespeare were men of learning and ability, and a profusion of classic imagery abounds in their plays, though they did not copy the severe and correct taste of the ancient models. Among the immediate predecessors of the great poet are some worthy of separate notice, though, as has been aptly said, "they must not be thought of along with him, when he appears before us, like Prometheus, moulding the figures of men and breathing into them the animation and all the passions of life." As these dramatists wrote to supply the popular demand for novelty and excitement, in their comedies we are introduced to the coarse raillery and comic incidents of low life, and their tragedies abound in bloodshed and horror; yet nearly all of them, as has been noted, have poetical imagery, bursts of passion, beautiful sentiments, traits of nature, and touches of that happy poetic diction which gives a permanent value and interest to these elder masters of English poetry. Preceding Shakespeare, and most worthy of notice, are Lyly, Kyd, Greene, Lodge, and Marlowe; Marlowe is by far the greatest of Shakespeare's precursors. He is supposed to have been born about the year 1562, and though he had a learned education, is said to have been the son of a shoemaker. Marlowe was a fiery, imaginative genius, and lived as wildly as he wrote. Condemned by the serious, and stained with follies, while his genius was rapidly maturing and developing its magnificent resources, he fell a victim to an obscene and disgraceful brawl. A lady to whom he was attached, favored another lover; finding them in company one day, the poet in a fit of jealous rage attempted to stab the man with his dagger. His antagonist seized him by the wrist, and turning the dagger, gave him a mortal wound. He died in June, 1593. Marlowe excels in scenes and passages of terrific grandeur and thrilling agony. One of his most characteristic features is his high-sounding blank verse which Ben Jonson aptly calls "Marlowe's mighty line." The tragedy which exhibits this writer's widest range of dramatic power is entitled "The Life and Death of Dr. Faustus." Marlowe's other dramas are, "Tamburlaine the Great," "Lust's Dominion," "The Jew of Malta," "The Massacre at Paris," and "Edward II." Charles Lamb affirms that the death-scene in this historical drama ("Edward II.") "moves pity and terror beyond any scene ancient or modern." This is, however, exaggerated praise; it is far surpassed by some of Shakespeare's scenes. In addition to these dramatic productions, Marlowe assisted Nash in the Tragedy of Dido," and translated part of "Hero and Leander" (afterward completed by Chapman) and the elegies of Ovid. The latter work was, for its licentiousness, burned by order of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Marlowe's "Faustus," which may challenge comparison with Goethe's "Faust," has the same hero, who, having made a solemn disposal of his soul to Lucifer, on condition of having a familiar spirit at his hand, and unlimited enjoyment for twenty-four years, calls up spirits from the vasty deep, visits different countries, and revels in luxury and splendor. At length the time expires; the bond becomes due; and a party of spirits enter amid thunder and lightning to claim his forfeited life and person. When he stands on the brink of ruin, waiting for the fatal moment, imploring yet distrusting repentance, a scene of enchaining interest proclaims the full triumph of the tragic poet. A short extract from this powerful tragedy will but faintly convey to the reader the grandeur of Marlowe's conception. FAUSTUS alone. The clock strikes eleven. Now hast thou but one bare hour to live, O lente, lente currite, noctis equi, The stars move still, time runs, the clock will strike, And see a threatening arm and angry brow. |