Hamlet: Hamlet and Change Room Essay

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Joseph Hellow
February 11, 2013
Theater Appreciation After a few hundred years of being extinct, the medieval period revived theater production. Most of the plays were religious based and spoken in the common language in outdoor venues. The Medieval stage wasn’t like the Greek stage that was imbedded in a hillside; a Medieval stage was set on wooden supports with a curtain on the back that doubled as an entrance and change room. Underneath the stage was an area closed off that would allow actors to portray a version of hell or the devil. It was likely that the performance was seen on wheels in the middle of town since after a show the actors and stage were expected to leave. The platform stage was used from the 13th-15th centuries throughout England and Europe. (Wilson and Goldfarb 151) Shakespeare had a similar way of portraying his production, but with a more elaborate approach. Unlike the medieval period in which plays were religious, Shakespeare wrote about tragedies and comedies. Shakespeare was influenced by a platform stage setup in the center of a courtyard typically surrounded by four walls. The Globe, resembling the platform stage, held all kinds of society. The audience, all within roughly sixty feet of the actors, must have been fascinated by structure of their environment as well as being able to interact with the actors on stage. Just picture standing in an auditorium watching a play, a balcony right above you of people enjoying the same show all while being able to look up at the sky. It would form a connection between actors and audience that could only make for an amazing experience. The stage itself had a three level balcony to portray various parts of the play as well as double for a change room and a place for the musicians. (Wilson and Goldfarb 153) Hamlet, Shakespeare’s longest and most powerful tragedy, explores revenge, incest, and moral corruption. I do believe it is based on a true story but with
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