Patronage and Censorship in Elizabethan Theatre Flashcards

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In Elizabethan theatre, what was a patron?

A patron was a rich and powerful person who supported an acting company with money and protection.

Without a patron, actors could be treated as vagabonds, so a patron gave them legal status, money, and respect.

The company often used the patron’s title in its name, for example, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.

She supported some companies at court, which gave them status and encouraged plays that praised her and her rule.

Censorship meant checking and controlling what plays could say so they did not attack the Queen, religion, or the government.

He was the royal official who read play scripts, cut parts he disliked, and licensed plays before they could be performed.

The script had to be sent to the Master of the Revels, who could change it and then give a licence for performance.

They feared large crowds could spread disease, cause riots, or be used to spread dangerous political or religious ideas.

Writers often used history or foreign settings and avoided direct criticism of the Queen or current government to escape cuts or bans.

Some London city leaders, often Puritans, saw theatres as sinful and tried to close them, while the Queen enjoyed plays and used them for propaganda.