History of Elizabethan Theatre
Elizabethan theatre history began in 1756. The first proper theatre at this time was built at Shoreditch by James Burbage. Before this time plays were performed in courtyards of Inns and houses of noblemen. By 1648 all theatres and playhouses were ordered to be pulled down, all actors were to be punished and anyone caught watching a play was to be fined five shillings. The theatres opened and closed for various reasons many times in between these times.
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor. He played a major roll in Elizabethan Theatre. He was baptised on the 26th of April 1564. His parents names were John and Mary Shakespeare. An exact date of his birth has not yet been found. His wife's name was Anne Hathaway and they had three children together. William Shakespeare died on the 23rd of April 1616 (Aged 52). Throughout his life he wrote 37 plays and was considered the greatest writer in the English language! and
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was born in Canterbury, England to his father John Marlowe, who was a shoemaker, and his mother Catherine. We was an English dramatist, poet and translator in the time of Elizabethan theatre. He was the Elizabethan tragedian of his day and influenced William Shakespeare. Unfortunately Christopher Marlowe died very young at the age of 29 on the 30th of May 1593 as a result of being stabbed in the eye.
Ben Jonson
Ben Jonson was born on the 11th of June 1572 in Westminster, London. He was a playwright, poet, and literary critic. He had a lasting impact on English poetry and stage comedy and is generally considered as the second most important English dramatist, behind William Shakespeare. He died on the 6th of August 1637, aged 65 in the town of his birth. In his lifetime he wrote 20 plays and 36 Masques.