ENGLISH DRAMA AND Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’
Actually, a Latin Play in honour of St Katherine is
believed to be the first play that was staged in England in 1110 A.D. It was
known as then the Miracle or mystery play. The materials for these kinds of
plays were taken from the Bible. Gradually the Miracle or mystery plays were
taken from the interior portions of churches to church yards and then to
village and city streets. In England, the miracle plays reached its peak in the
14th century. However, during the 16th century Morality
plays replaced Miracle plays. In Morality Plays the characters were personified
abstractions. Then interlude entered which was a short dramatic piece of a
satire rather than of a religious or ethical nature. John Heywoods, “Four P’s,
in which a Palmer, a peddler, a pardoner and a pothecary exchange amazing
stories and finally enter into a competition as to which of them can tell the
biggest lie, is the most famous example of its kind.
Renaissance
made English writers learn the Principles of dramatic construction and
technique. Thus, Nicholas Udall, the Head Master of Eton came out with the
first real English Comedy, ‘Ralph Roister Doister’ in 1550. And then in 1581, ‘Gorboduc’,
the first English tragedy was written by Thomas Sack Wille and Thomas Norton. However,
there was a conflict between those who insisted on the classical tradition and
those who wanted to establish the national taste of the English public. But, a
group of scholars known as ‘The University Wits’, John Lily, Thomas Kyd, Robert
Greene, George Peele, Thomas Lodge, Christopher Marlow and Thomas Nash
established the romantic form of drama. Marlow used blank verse in his plays.
William
Shakespeare who is said to be with ‘Small Latin and less Greek’ came to London
from Stratford-on-Avon and joined Burbages company of actors in 1587. Then started
the period of his greatest literary activities. Within five years, ‘The Gentle’
Shakespeare has gained his entrance to the society of Gentlemen and Scholars of
London. His poem ‘Venus and Adonis’ that was dedicated to Earl of Southampton
won him both fame and wealth. Then came a series of great plays like the
Marchant of Venice, As you like it, Twelfth Night, Julius Caser, Hamlet, Macbeth,
Othello, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra from his pen. Altogether he has written
37 plays and 154 Sonnets.
Though
the legend of Hamlet was already current in the folk literature of Iceland,
Ireland and Denmark, Shakespeare got it for his plot from the Danish Historian
Saxo Grammaticus’s ‘Historica Denica’ (Danish History) of thirteenth century.
Instead ‘Hamlet’ Saxo actually used the name ‘Amleth’ in his book. But
Shakespeare changed all the names of the characters in his play ‘Hamlet’. It is
said, though the legend of Hamlet is based on historical fact, the proof of it
is lacking. The mental torture that Hamlet faces makes this tragedy at the top
of all tragedies of Shakespeare. He had an amazing genius for words. That is
why Shakespeare is said to be not of an age but of all time and not of a land
but of all lands.
-----Thulasidharan