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A. Read the paragraph. Find the topic of each paragraph. Then underline the sentence that tells the main idea

1 As the Viking invasions ceased in the middle of the 11th century, liturgical drama had spread from Russia to Scandinavia to Italy. Only in Muslim-occupied Spain were liturgical dramas not presented at all. Despite the large number of liturgical dramas that have survived from the period, many churches would have only performed one or two per year and a larger number never performed any at all.

Topic:

2.The Feast of Fools was especially important in the development of comedy. The festival inverted the status of the lesser clergy and allowed them to ridicule their superiors and the routine of church life. Sometimes plays were staged as part of the occasion and a certain amount of burlesque and comedy crept into these performances. Although comic episodes had to truly wait until the separation of drama from the liturgy.

Topic

3.The majority of actors in these plays were drawn from the local population. For example, at Valenciennes in 1547, more than 100 roles were assigned to 72 actors. Plays were staged on pageant wagon stages, which were platforms mounted on wheels used to move scenery. Often providing their own costumes, amateur performers in England were exclusively male, but other countries had female performers. The platform stage, which was an unidentified space and not a specific locale, allowed for abrupt changes in location.

Topic:

4. Performance of religious plays outside of the church began sometime in the 12th century through a traditionally accepted process of merging shorter liturgical dramas into longer plays which were then translated into vernacular and performed by laymen. The Mystery of Adam (1150) gives credence to this theory as its detailed stage direction suggest that it was staged outdoors.

Topic:

IV. SUPPORTING DETAILS

As you know, the sentences in a paragraph are all about one topic. Together they develop one main idea. To help you understand the main idea, the writer adds supporting details. The supporting details give more information about the topic. They are not as general as the main idea. After you identify the topic and the main idea, you should look for details that support it

Supporting ideascan be facts, examples, or reasons. Supporting details help you understand more about the main idea. They tell who, what, when, where, why, how, how much or how many

B. One sentence in each group below is the main idea. The other sentences are supporting. Read the following paragraphs. Identify the main idea and write it in the space provided. Then make a list of details that support the main idea.

1. There were also a number of secular performances staged in the Middle Ages, the earliest of which is The Play of the Greenwood by Adam de la Halle in 1276. It contains satirical scenes and folk material such as faeries and other supernatural occurrences. Farces also rose

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dramatically in popularityafter the 13th century. The best known playwright of farces is Hans Sachs (1494–1576) who wrote 198 dramatic works.

Main Idea

Supporting details

2.At the end of the Late Middle Ages, professional actors began to appear in Englandand Europe. Richard III and Henry VII both maintained small companies of professional actors. Their plays were performed in the Great Hall of a nobleman's residence, often with a raised platform at one end for the audience and a "screen" at the other for the actors.

Main Idea

Supporting details

3.In England, The Second Shepherds' Play of the Wakefield Cycle is the best known early farce. However, farce did not appear independently in England until the 16th century with the work of John Heywood (1497–1580).A significant forerunner of the development of Elizabethan drama was the Chambers of Rhetoric in the Low Countries.

Main Idea

Supporting details

4.These vernacular Mystery plays were written in cycles of a large number of plays: York (48 plays), Chester (24), Wakefield (32) and Unknown (42). A larger number of plays survive from France and Germany in this period and some type of religious dramas were performed in nearly every European country in the Late Middle Ages. Many of these plays contained comedy, devils, villains and clowns.

Main Idea

Supporting details

5.Morality plays emerged as a distinct dramatic form around 1400 and flourished until 1550. The most interesting morality play is The Castle of Perseverance which depicts mankind's progress from birth to death. However, the most famous morality play and perhaps best known medieval drama is Everyman. Everyman receives Death's summons, struggles to escape and finally resigns himself to necessity.

Main Idea

Supporting details

TEXT V.

HIGH AND LATE MEDIEVAL THEATRE , 1050–1500

As the Viking invasions ceased in the middle of the 11th century, liturgical drama had spread from Russia to Scandinavia to Italy. Only in Muslim-occupied Spain were liturgical dramas not presented at all. Despite the large number of liturgical dramas that have survived

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from the period, many churches would have only performed one or two per year and a larger number never performed any at all.

The Feast of Fools was especially important in the development of comedy. The festival inverted the status of the lesser clergy and allowed them to ridicule their superiors and the routine of church life. Sometimes plays were staged as part of the occasion and a certain amount of burlesque and comedy crept into these performances. Although comic episodes had to trulywait until the separation of drama from the liturgy, the Feast of Fools undoubtedly had a profound effect on the development of comedy in both religious and secular plays.

Performance of religious plays outside of the church began sometime in the 12th century through a traditionally accepted process of merging shorter liturgical dramas into longer plays which were then translated into vernacular and performed by laymen. The Mystery of Adam (1150) gives credence to this theory as their detailed stage directions suggest that it was staged outdoors. A number of other plays from the period survive, including La Seinte Resurrection (Norman), The Play of the Magi Kings (Spanish), and Sponsus (French).

The importance of the High Middle Ages in the development of theatre was the economic and political changes that led to the formation of guilds and the growth of towns. This would lead to significant changes in the Late Middle Ages. In the British Isles, plays were produced in some 127 different towns during the Middle Ages.

These vernacular Mystery plays were written in cycles of a large number of plays: York (48 plays), Chester (24), Wakefield (32) and Unknown (42). A larger number of plays survive from France and Germany in this period and some type of religious dramas were performed in nearly every European country in the Late Middle Ages. Many of these plays contained comedy, devils, villains and clowns.

The majority of actors in these plays were drawn from the local population. For example, at Valenciennes in 1547, more than 100 roles were assigned to 72 actors. Plays were staged on pageant wagon stages, which were platforms mounted on wheels used to move scenery. Often providing their own costumes, amateur performers in England were exclusively male, but other countries had female performers. The platform stage, which was an unidentified space and not a specific locale, allowed for abrupt changes in location.

Morality plays emerged as a distinct dramatic form around 1400 and flourished until 1550. The most interesting morality play is The Castle of Perseverance which depicts mankind's progress from birth to death. However, the most famous morality play and perhaps best known medievaldrama is Everyman. Everyman receives Death's summons, struggles to escape and finally resigns himself to necessity. Along the way, he is deserted by Kindred, Goods, and Fellowship – only Good Deeds goes with him to the grave. There were also a number of secular performances staged in the Middle Ages, the earliest of which is The Play of the Greenwood by Adam de la Halle in 1276. It contains satirical scenes and folk material such as faeries and other supernatural occurrences. Farces also rose dramatically in popularity after the 13th century. The best known playwright of farces is Hans Sachs (1494–1576) who wrote 198 dramatic works. In England, The Second Shepherds' Play of the Wakefield Cycle is the best known early farce. However, farce did not appear independently in England until the 16th century with the work of John Heywood (1497–1580).A significant forerunner of the development of Elizabethan drama was the Chambers of Rhetoric in the Low Countries. These societies were concerned with poetry, music and drama and held contests to see which society could compose the best drama in relation to a question posed. At the end of the Late Middle Ages, professional actors began to appear in England and Europe. Richard III and Henry VII both maintained small companies of professional actors.

Their plays were performed in the Great Hall of a nobleman's residence, often with a raised platform at one end for the audience and a "screen" at the other for the actors.

Also important were Mummers' plays, performed during the Christmas season, and courtmasques. These masques were especially popular during the reign of Henry VIII who had a House of Revels built and an Office of Revels established in 1545.

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The abandonment of these plays destroyed the international theatre that had thereto existed and forced each country to develop its own form of drama. It also allowed dramatists to turn to secular subjects and the reviving interest in Greek and Roman theatre provided them with the perfect opportunity.

The end of medieval drama came about due to a number of factors, including the weakening power of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation and the banning of religious plays in many countries.

V. Match the words with their definition

VI. Read each of the sentences below. Try to explain the meaning of the underlined words. Do not use a dictionary.

1.As the Viking invasions ceased in the middle of the 11th century, liturgical dramahad spread from Russiato Scandinavia to Italy.

2.The festival inverted the status of the lesser clergy and allowed them to ridicule their superiors and the routine of church life.

3.These vernacular Mystery plays were written in cycles of a large number of plays.

4.Sometimes plays were staged as part of the occasion and a certain amount of burlesque and comedy crept into these performances.

5.The majority of actorsin these plays were drawn from the local population.

6.Also important were Mummers' plays, performed during the Christmas season, and court masques.

7.It also allowed dramatists to turn to secular subjects and the reviving interest in Greek and Roman theatre

8.The Feast of Fools undoubtedly had a profound effect on the development of comedy in both religious andsecularplays.

9.The Play of the Greenwood by Adam de la Halle contains satirical scenes and folk material such as faeries and other supernatural occurrences.

VII. Reread ―High and late Medieval theatre, 1050–1500‖ and complete the summary. Then compare your summary with a partner

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___________ (1)had spread from Russia to Scandinavia to Italyduring Viking invasions in the middle of the 11th century. Only in Spain were liturgical dramas not presented at all.As to

__________ (2) the Feast of Fools was especially important in its development.

____________ of religious plays outside of the church began sometime in the 12th century through a traditionally accepted process. The majority of _________(3)in these _________(4) were drawn from the ____________.(5) At the end of the Late Middle Ages, professional actors began to appear in England and Europe.Also important were __________,(6) performed during the Christmas season, and court _____________(7)These masques were especially popular during the reign of Henry VIII. The abandonment of these plays destroyed the ____________ (8)

VIII. Discuss these questions in small groups.

1. What marked the beginning of the development of a comedy in high and late Medieval theatre?

2. When did the liturgical drama begin to appear?

3. What was the influence of the High Medieval ages on the development of theatre and what did it lead to?

4. What kind of actors were in the liturgical dramas?

5.When did the professional actors appear in England and Europe?

6.When were the Mummer‘splays performed? Did they further develop the international theatre?

7.What led the Medieval drama to an end?

XI. Choose one of the questions above and write a paragraph about it

I. Reading for a purpose.

You are going to read the text about Renaissance theatre. Renaissance theatre derived from several medieval theatre traditions, such as the mystery plays that formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages.Since before the reign of Elizabeth I, companies of players were attached to households of leading aristocrats and performed seasonally in various locations. These became the foundation for the professional players that performed on the Elizabethan stage.

Write as many questions as you’d like to ask about late Medieval theatre. Use only theatrical vocabulary.

II. Translate the following words and word combinations.

Medieval theatre traditions,Commedia dell'arte,religious festivals,local players,public theatre,puritan, rehearsal, stage,dramatic tradition, upper-class audience.

III. Sharpen your Reading skills Main ideas

You know that good readers look for the topic of what they are reading. Good readers also look for the main idea. The main idea is the writer‘s most important point about the topic.

To find the main idea of a paragraph, ask yourself, ―What does the author want me to know about the topic?‖

How Do You Find the Main Idea of a Paragraph?

In order to find the main idea of a paragraph, first you need to find the topic. Then you need to ask yourself ―What does the author want me to know about the topic?‖ The answer is the main idea. Many times you will find the answer in one sentence. This is called the topic sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence is often the first

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sentence of a paragraph, but sometimes it is the last sentence or a sentence in the middle of the paragraph

A. Read the paragraph. Find the topic of each paragraph. Then underline the sentence that tells the main idea.

1. Renaissance theatre derived from several medieval theatre traditions, such as the mystery plays that formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. Other sources include the "morality plays" and the "University drama" that attempted to recreate Athenian tragedy.

Topic:

2. Since before the reign of Elizabeth I, companies of players were attached to households of leading aristocrats and performed seasonally in various locations. These became the foundation for the professional players that performed on the Elizabethan stage. The tours of these players gradually replaced the performances of the mystery and morality plays by local players, and a 1572 law eliminated the remaining companies lacking formal patronage by labeling them vagabonds.

Topic:

3.Along with the economics of the profession, the character of the drama changed toward the end of the period. Under Elizabeth, the drama was a unified expression as far as social class was concerned: the Court watched the same plays the commoners saw in the public playhouses. With the development of the private theatres, drama became more oriented toward the tastes and values of an upper-class audience.

Topic:

4. By the later part of the reign of Charles I, few new plays were being written for the public theatres, which sustained themselves on the accumulated works of the previous decades.

Puritan opposition to the stage (informed by the arguments of the early Church Fathers who had written screeds against the decadent and violent entertainments of the Romans) argued not only that the stage in general was pagan, but that any play that represented a religious figure was inherently idolatrous.

Topic:

IV. SUPPORTING DETAILS

As you know, the sentences in a paragraph are all about one topic. Together they develop one main idea. To help you understand the main idea, the writer adds supporting details. The supporting details give more information about the topic. They are not as general as the main idea. After you identify the topic and the main idea, you should look for details that support it

Supporting ideascan be facts, examples, or reasons. Supporting details help you understand more about the main idea. They tell who, what, when, where, why, how, how much or how many

B. One sentence in each group below is the main idea. The other sentences are supporting Read the following paragraphs. Identify the main idea and write it in the space provided. Then make a list of details that support the main idea.

1 Theatres sprang up in suburbs, especially in the liberty of Southwark, accessible across the Thames to city dwellers but beyond the authority's control. The companies maintained the pretence that their public performances were mere rehearsals for the frequent performances before the Queen, but while the latter did grant prestige, the former were the real source of the income for the professional players.

Main Idea

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Supporting details

2. The phrase Elizabethan theatre is used at times improperly, especially in languages other than Englis, to mean English Renaissance theatre, even though in a strict sense this only applies to 1603. Strictly speaking one distinguishes within English Renaissance theatre between Elizabethan theatre from 1562 to 1603, Jacobean theatre from 1603 to 1625 and Caroline theatre from 1625 to 1642

Main Idea

Supporting details

3. The establishment of large and profitable public theaters was an essential enabling factor in the success of English Renaissance drama—once they were in operation, drama could become a fixed and permanent, rather than a transitory, phenomenon. The crucial initiating development was the building of The Theatre by James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The Theatre was rapidly followed by the nearby Curtain Theatre (1577), the Rose (1587), the Swan (1595), the Globe (1599), the Fortune (1600), and the Red Bull (1604).

Main Idea

Supporting details

4. Since Elizabethan theater did not make use of lavish scenery, instead leaving the stage largely bare with a few key props, the main visual appeal on stage was in the costumes. Costumes were often bright in color and visually entrancing. Costumes were expensive, however, so usually players wore contemporary clothing regardless of the time period of the play.

Main Idea

Supporting details

5. The acting companies functioned on a repertory system; unlike modern productions that can run for months or years on end, the troupes of this era rarely acted the same play two days in a row. Thomas Middleton's A Game at Chess ran for nine straight performances in August 1624 before it was closed by the authorities—but this was due to the political content of the play and was a unique, unprecedented, and unrepeatable phenomenon. Consider the 1592 season of Lord Strange's Men at the Rose Theatre as far more representative: between Feb. 19 and June 23 the company played six days a week, minus Good Friday and two other days.

Main Idea

Supporting details

TEXT VI .

RENAISSANCE THEATRE

English Renaissance theatre encompasses the period between 1562 (performance at the Inner Temple during the Christmas season of 1561 of Gorboduc, the first English play using blank verse) and 1642 (ban on theatrical plays enacted by the English Parliament).

Renaissance theatre derived from several medieval theatre traditions, such as the mystery plays that formed a part of religious festivals in England and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. Other sources include the "morality plays" and the "University drama" that attempted to recreate Athenian tragedy. The Italian tradition of Commedia dell'arte, as well as the elaborate masquesfrequently presented at court, also contributed to the shaping of public theatre.

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Since before the reign of Elizabeth I, companies of players were attached to households of leading aristocrats and performed seasonally in various locations. These became the foundation for the professional players that performed on the Elizabethan stage. The phrase Elizabethan theatre is used at times improperly, especially in languages other than English, to mean English Renaissance theatre, even though in a strict sense this only applies to 1603. Since Elizabethan theater did not make use of lavish scenery, instead leaving the stage largely bare with a few key props, the main visual appeal on stage was in the costumes. Costumes were often bright in color and visually entrancing. Costumes were expensive, however, so usually players wore contemporary clothing regardless of the time period of the play. Occasionally, a lead character would wear a conventionalized version of more historically accurate garb, but secondary characters would nonetheless remain in contemporary clothing.

The acting companies functioned on a repertory system; unlike modern productions that can run for months or years on end, the troupes of this era rarely acted the same play two days in a row. Thomas Middleton's A Game at Chess ran for nine straight performances in August 1624 before it was closed by the authorities - but this was due to the political content of the play and was a unique, unprecedented, and unrepeatable phenomenon. Consider the 1592 season of Lord Strange's Men at the Rose Theatre as far more representative: between Feb. 19 and June 23 the company played six days a week, minus Good Friday and two other days. They performed 23 different plays, some only once, and their most popular play of the season, The First Part of Hieronimo, (based on Kyd's The Spanish Tragedy), 15 times. They never played the same play two days in a row, and rarely the same play twice in a week. The workload on the actors, especially the leading performers like Edward Alleyn, must have been tremendous.

One distinctive feature of the companies was that they included only males. Until the reign of Charles II, female parts were played by adolescent boy players in women's costume.The tours of these players gradually replaced the performances of the mystery and morality plays by local players, and a 1572 law eliminated the remaining companies lacking formal patronage by labeling them vagabonds. The City of London authorities were generally hostile to public performances, but its hostility was overmatched by the Queen's taste for plays and the Privy Council's support.

Theatres sprang up in suburbs, especially in the liberty of Southwark, accessible across the Thames to city dwellers but beyond the authority's control. The companies maintained the pretence that their public performances were mere rehearsals for the frequent performances before the Queen, but while the latter did grant prestige, the former were the real source of the income for the professional players. Along with the economics of the profession, the character of the drama changed toward the end of the period. Under Elizabeth, the drama was a unified expression as far as social class was concerned: the Court watched the same plays the commoners saw in the public playhouses . With the development of the private theatres, drama became more oriented toward the tastes and values of an upper-class audience.

The establishment of large and profitable public theaters was an essential enabling factor in the success of English Renaissance dramaonce they were in operation, drama could become a fixed and permanent, rather than a transitory, phenomenon. The crucial initiating development was the building of The Theatre by James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The Theatre was rapidly followed by the nearby Curtain Theatre (1577), the Rose (1587), the Swan (1595), the Globe (1599), the Fortune (1600), and the Red Bull (1604). By the later part of the reign of Charles I, few new plays were being written for the public theatres, which sustained themselves on the accumulated works of the previous decades. Puritan opposition to the stage (informed by the arguments of the early Church Fathers who had written screeds against the decadent and violent entertainments of the Romans) argued not only that the stage in general was pagan, but that any play that represented a religious figure was inherently idolatrous. In 1642, at the outbreak of the English Civil War, the Protestant authorities banned the performance of all plays within the city limits of London.

V. Match the words with their definition

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VI. Read each of the sentences below. Try to explain the meaning of the underlined words. Do not use a dictionary.

1.Renaissance theatre derived from several medieval theatre traditions, such as the mystery plays.

2.Other sources include the "morality plays" and the "University drama" that attempted to recreate Athenian tragedy.

3.Since Elizabethan theater did not make use of lavish scenery, instead leaving the stage largely bare with a few key props

4.The acting companies functioned on a repertory system.

5.The establishment of large and profitable public theaters was an essential enabling factor in the success of English Renaissance drama.

6.Thomas Middleton's A Game at Chess ran for nine straight performances in August 1624 before it was closed by the authorities.

7.Puritan opposition to the stage argued not only that the stage in general was pagan, but that any was inherently idolatrous.

8.Costumes were expensive, however, so usually players wore contemporary clothing regardless of the time period of the play.

9.The workload on the actors, especially the leading performers like Edward Alleyn, must have been tremendous.

VII. Reread the text ―Renaissance‖ and complete the summary. Then compare your summary with a partner.

English __________ (1) encompasses the period between 1562 (performance at the Inner Temple during the Christmas season of 1561 of Gorboduc, the first English play using blank verse) and 1642 (ban on theatrical plays enacted by the English Parliament).

Renaissance theatre derived from several __________(2)traditions, such as the mystery plays that formed a part of ________ (3) in England and other parts of Europe during the Middle Ages. Other sources include the "___________(4)" and the "University drama" that attempted to recreate Athenian tragedy. The Italian tradition of ______________(5), as well as the elaborate

__________ (6)frequently presented at court, also contributed to the shaping of public theatre. By the later part of the reign of Charles I, few new _________(7)were being written for the public theatres, which sustained themselves on the accumulated works of the previous decades.

Puritan opposition to the _____ (8) argued not only that the stage in general was pagan, but that any play that represented a ___________(9) was inherently idolatrous.

VIII. Discuss these questions in small groups.

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1. What was English Renaissance theatre connected with?

2. What was the influence of of Elizabeth I on the development of Renaissance theatre? 3. What was the main visual appeal in the Renaissance (or Elizabethan) theatre?

4. Can the Italian Commedia del‘arte be the beginnibg of Renaissance professional theatre?

5.Do you agree that Commedia del‘arte can be the highest achievement of the Italian theatre from the Renaissance?

6.What was the symbol of Commedia del ‗arte in Renaissaance drama?

7.What was the enabling factor in the success of English Renaissance drama?

8.What was the main peculiarity of the the acting companies in the Renaissance theatre and what was their distinctive fature?

9.Did the Renaissance theatre continue its futher development or stop its existence?

IX. Choose one of the questions above and write a paragraph about it.

I. Reading for a purpose.

You are going to read the text about Golden Age theatre. During it, roughly from 1590 to 1681, Spain saw a monumental increase in the production of live theatre as well as the in importance of theatre within Spanish society. It was an accessible art form for all participants in Renaissance Spain, being both highly sponsored by the aristocratic class and highly attended by the lower classes. The sources of influence for the emerging national theatre of Spain were as diverse as the theatre that nation ended up producing.

Write as many questions as you’d like to ask about late Medieval theatre. Use only theatrical vocabulary.

II. Translate the following words and word combinations.

inventor,performer, liturgical drama, Golden Age,accessible art form,masterpiece, dramatic production, artist, dramatist,

III. Sharpen your Reading skills Main ideas

You know that good readers look for the topic of what they are reading. Good readers also look for the main idea. The main idea is the writer‘s most important point about the topic.

To find the main idea of a paragraph, ask yourself, ―What does the author want me to know about the topic?‖

How Do You Find the Main Idea of a Paragraph?

In order to find the main idea of a paragraph, first you need to find the topic. Then you need to ask yourself ―What does the author want me to know about the topic?‖ The answer is the main idea. Many times you will find the answer in one sentence. This is called the topic sentence. The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph. The topic sentence is often the first sentence of a paragraph, but sometimes it is the last sentence or a sentence in the middle of the paragraph

A. Read the paragraph. Find the topic of each paragraph. Then underline the sentence that tells the main idea.

1.During its Golden Age, roughly from 1590 to 1681, Spain saw a monumental increase in the production of live theatre as well as the in importance of theatre within Spanish society. It was

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