The Drama; its history, literature and influence on civilization . account for thevicissitudes of tlieAmerican stage, wemust examine itscondition in the Mother Coun-try, as Old England was notto blame for the frigid recep-tion that greeted the firstactors who crossed the sea to trytheir fortunes in the New the reign of KingCharles I, the drama had fallento its lowest depth. Shakespearehad been banished from thestage, being considered too tameto suit the tastes of a lewdpublic and a still more licentiouscourt. The splendid dramas ofthe Elizabethan period no longerpleased the public
The Drama; its history, literature and influence on civilization . account for thevicissitudes of tlieAmerican stage, wemust examine itscondition in the Mother Coun-try, as Old England was notto blame for the frigid recep-tion that greeted the firstactors who crossed the sea to trytheir fortunes in the New the reign of KingCharles I, the drama had fallento its lowest depth. Shakespearehad been banished from thestage, being considered too tameto suit the tastes of a lewdpublic and a still more licentiouscourt. The splendid dramas ofthe Elizabethan period no longerpleased the public, who rejectedall that was noble and educa- 2 PROLOGUE. tional in art. The plays, therefore, were of the vilest char-acter. Ladies of the nobility attended the theatrein masks, not that they were too pure to witness theselow entertainments, but that they were ashamedto reveal their identity. The stage became degraded,society scandalized, law and religion set at nought. In the midst of this tempest of misrule Oliver Crom-well arose, the king was beheaded and the
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