The Jacobean era is the time when England was ruled by
James I ("Jacobean" meaning "James" in Latin), and lasted from 1603 to 1625. While
Elizabethan drama was based on a society that believed in a Christian humanist
philosophy, advancements in science caused English society to question a God-centered
world.
Jacobean drama (with Elizabethan playwrights such as
Shakespeare and Jonson) turned their energies from Elizabethan sensibilities to, for
instance, revenge plays (such as Hamlet), and masques, for which
Jonson was famous. Jonson was considered the leading playwright of his time after the
death of Shakespeare, and...
…a master of style, and a brilliant
satirist.
Jonson's masques
(and others) were…
...noted for lavish set designs and musical
scores provided by the major artists and musicians of the
period.
There was also a
darker side to drama as a whole during the Jacobean Age. Some Jacobean contemporaries of
Shakespeare, such as Middleton and Webster…
...depart from the Elizabethan sense of moral
order through depictions of corruption and
violence.
It is important to
note that these drama did not include "divine retribution" and the
triumph of good over evil. Tragicomedies were also very popular, especially Beaumont and
Fletcher. While some more modern critics refuse to recognize these dramatic
presentations as true art, saying instead they centered
on...
...sensationalism, contrived plots, and the use
of merely entertaining dramatic devices at the expense of integrity and
meaning...
...other critics
considered the tragicomedies "brilliant comedy." Several dramatists who experienced
success under the patronage of Elizabeth I also were highly successful in James I's
court. Shakespeare, for example, was one of the King's Men, an acting troupe supporting
by the King.
However, in 1625, Charles I (James I's son)
came to the throne of England. This would begin the decline of the Jacobean theater.
Charles I's reign was known for its extravagant parties, financial excesses, etc. The
Puritans working for the government not only disapproved, but were gaining power in the
English government. The Puritans were seriously devout, over-zealous, intolerant
Protestants who felt life revolved
only around work and God. Parliament
became more and more concerned about the monarch, and Civil War was not far away.
Ultimately, Charles I was seized and executed; with the monarch removed from the throne,
a form of government known as the Protectorate was formed, and placed in charge of it
was the powerful and inflexible Oliver Cromwell. The theater, a
form of "God-less" entertainment (as Puritans considered all
entertainment) suffered a swift "death," as all theaters were closed. (Literature would
continue with poetry. There were two kinds of poets of at time—the Metaphysicals and the
Cavaliers.)
The theater would remain closed for eighteen
years, until Cromwell's death, the dissolution of the Protectorate, and the eventual
return of the monarchy to the throne—in the person of Charles II who had been living in
exile.
Additional
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_play
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