Theatre History Overview - Part 66 - Early English Tudor Drama

English Tudor drama started when the Renaissance started in Engliand. This happened during the late 15th century when Henry VII was king of England.

Early English Tudor drama included ideas about humanism. Part of the reason for this was that humanists such as Erasmus came to England. They taught at Cambridge and Oxford which gave students and writers and interest in humanism and classic literature.

During this time, the first English play with a complex plot was written. The play was Damon and Pythias by Richard Edwards. A play that has a complex plot has a more than just one story line with a character overcoming one or a few obstacles. If Hamlet had only a simple plot, the story would only be that Hamlet's father is killed, Hamlet is angry about this and ends up killing people, then Hamlet ends up being killed because with a poisoned sword. However, a complex plot includes truth being found out through internal logic and sometimes more than one character having a plot line. In Hamlet, Hamlet grapples with the thought of the afterlife and if he is depressed or putting on a show of depression about the murder of his father. A play with a complex plot can be thought of as at least one character dealing with botha physical journey and a psychological journey.

Humanist performances were so popular that by 1546, Queen's College at Cambridge mandated the yearly perofmrance of plays. The plays were mostly in Latin, but some were in English.

Religious and political controversies involving England helped to shape drama. One of these was probably Gorboduc or Ferrex and Porrex written by Thommas Sackville and Thomas Norton. The play is in five acts. In the play Gorboduc decides to divide his kingdom between hismself and his two sons, Ferrex and Porrex. Eventually all the main characters are killed. The play was a warning about not having an order of succession to the throne. It was performed for Queen Elizabeth in 1562 because at that time, the English throne did not have clear rules for succession to the throne.

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