Elizabethan play is a subcategory of dramas written and produced during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It is known to have produced some of the greatest literary works. It includes the plays of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, George Peele, Robert Greene, and Richard brome among many others.
Elizabethan plays were commonly performed in public theaters. Apart from the extraordinary plots and lines, a popular characteristic of such plays was the use of grandiose and lavish costumes.
Plays at that time did not make use of lavish sceneries and design. Instead, the stage was left with only a few props. The main visual however was focused on the brightly colored costumes.
To learn more about this, here are some interesting info about Elizabethan costumes:
- Most Elizabethan plays do not use grand sets or set backgrounds. Instead, they made the stage more visually appealing through the actors’ costumes.
- Costumes at that time were very expensive thus, only the main actors get to wear them. Secondary actors on the other hand, settle wearing contemporary clothes.
- The colors of the costumes are commonly bright. This helps attract the attention of the audience to focus more on the actor and his dialogue.