Учебное пособие 4 unit I. The renaissance 1485-1649

SHAKESPEARE’S ATTITUDES
Shakespeare’s philosophy of life can only be deduced from the ideas and
attitudes that appear frequently in his writings, and he remained always a
dramatist, not a writer of philosophical or ethical tracts. Nonetheless, the
tolerance of human weakness evident in the plays tends to indicate that
Shakespeare was a broad-minded person with generous and balanced views.
Although he never lectured his audience, sound morality is implicit in his
themes and in the way he handled his material. He attached less importance
to noble birth than to an individual’s noble relations with other people.
Despite the bawdiness of Shakespeare’s language, which is characteristic of
his period, he did not condone sexual license. He accepted people as they are,
without condemning them, but he did not allow wickedness to triumph. The
comments of Shakespeare’s contemporaries suggest that he himself
possessed both integrity and gentle manners.
It should be remembered that even though Shakespeare was a poet “for all
time,” as his friend Ben Jonson said, he nevertheless was necessarily a
product of his own era and shared many beliefs of the time. These beliefs are
different from our own, and some of them may now seem strange and even
unenlightened. Although Shakespeare anticipated many modern ideas and
values, in other ways he does not rise above the ideas and values of his own
time. As the history plays indicate, he accepted the idea of monarchy and had
little interest in, or even concept of, participatory democracy. Although many
of his women characters are assertive and independent, the plays still have
them subordinate their energy to the logic of the male-dominated household.
It is also likely that Shakespeare believed in ghosts and witches, as did many
people of his time, including King James I.
SHAKESPEARE’S STAGECRAFT
Shakespeare brilliantly exploited the resources of the theaters he worked
in. The Globe Theatre held an audience of 2,000 to 3,000 people. Like other
outdoor theaters, it had a covered, raised stage thrusting out into the
audience. The audience stood around the three sides of the stage in an

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unroofed area called the pit. Covered galleries, where people paid more
money to sit, rose beyond the pit. Performances took place only during
daylight hours, and there was little use of lighting. Few props were used, and
little scenery. Costumes, however, were elaborate. Language created the
scene, as in this passage from The
Merchant of Venice
:
«How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!
Here we will sit, and let the sounds of music
Creep in our ears: stillness and the night
Become the touches of sweet harmony.
Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heaven
Is thick inlaid with patens of bright gold». (Act V, scene 1)