The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-09-28
THE EARLY DRAMA.
NO. VIII.


 In literature, and especially stage literature that was England's most interesting, most productive and most brilliant epoch. The dramatic literature of the English is very rich Schlegel, in his twenty seventh lecture "points with pride" to the anti French fact that there has never been in Eng land an academicaf court of taste In art, as in life, every man there gives his voice for what best pleases him, or what Is most suitable to his na- ture.
 The English theatre as we have 1t now had its genesis in the reign of Elizabeth. The distinction of oldest comic writer Is conceded to John Hey wood, who has been called the bufIoon of Henry VIII, but perhaps the first English stage piece that deserved the name of comedy was "Gammer Gurton's Needle" which was first acted about 1860. Some chronologists give precedence to by Bishop John Still and the latter by Nicholas Udall
 The "Elizabethan Age" begins with the acces- sion Of the Virgin Queen and extends to near the end of the reign of Charles l., when the Puritans came into power and abolished the theatre. For thirteen years this prohibition continued, but when Charles II. came to the throne the doors were opened wide and dramatic production became enor- mously active. Meanwhile change in the popu- lar mind and the obvious influence of French dra- plays of the Restoration It Is enough for the pre- sent purpose to say that they were neither models of decency nor conductive to good morals. Now and then play of Shakespeares, some of his con- JompOr1Iies, Wa@ aCtcu NtnOuSn Au CElppicu but, for the greater part coarseness and obecenty ran riot. There was indeed no lack of wit in the Restoration plays, but conscientious defenders of the theatre prefer to pass them by with as little stirring up maybe. The searcher for details of these matters may find much to instruct and inter- est in Pepy's Diary, Colley Cibber's "Apology" and Doran's Annals of the English Stage The last named work covers the period from Betterton to Macready. Betterton acted from 1859 to l7l0. Macready made his debut Romeo in 1910, took AA~~ Ea~E- 1faIA Aw.~f 27, 1873.
 It is history that during the sixty years of Eliz- abeth's reign and that of her immediate successor, the predilection for the drama was so great that seventeen theatres were built in London. The present proportion of theatres to population in the British capital, compared to that of the period under consideration, Is perhaps as one to ten. The dramatic authors of that day were likewise mostly players. There was very little theatrical luxury. The Globe theatre, of which Shakespeare was man. ager was massive structure destitute of architec- tural ornament and almost without windows The pit had the open sky for a roof and the plays were acted during daylight. The scene had no other decoration than wrought tapestry, which hung at some distance from the walls and left space for several entrances. In the background was Q second raised stage kind of balcony, which served vari- ous purposes and, according to circumstances, rep resented many things The players were costumed as c rule in the dress of their time matter what was the period of the play. The chief means of disguise were false hair and boards with occasional recourse to the mask of the ancient Greeks. The women parts were acted by boys. There was no satv' acts music, but In the pieces themselves marches, dances songs and the like were introduced on seemingly fitting oocasions and trumpet four ishes at the entrance of all great persona It is ob vious that had we splendid and luxurious acoes- sores in the theatre of the nineteenth century, we must have order of plays very different from the majority of those now offered to thestreg gcers In Shakespeare's time external decoration not tho be-all and the end-all It is only within the last two centuries that Britsh actors have emancipated themselves from puerility and contemporary man. v>orssxn fu cnnfx1ua sort of hooD vaa lonu cof3-