The Elizabethan Theatres spread across London, in and out of the city boundaries; each stand, all unique in their own ways. While the theatres in Elizabethan England merely reflects the culture, the entertainment media influence our culture today more than it reflects. So how do the Elizabethan theatres reflect their society back then? And how do our entertainment media today influence our political issues and social values?
And the red velvet curtains closed with a note of finality followed by thunderous applauds. That was the end of a modern performance of a play; readers, close your eyes and allow me to take you several centuries back to the time when Queen Elizabeth ruled England. Stroll through the twisting narrow cobble-stoned streets of Elizabethan London; can you hear the rowdy callings of greeting from one person to another? Do you see the grand Whitehall Palace rising up majestically in the distance? That is where the Queen herself lives. Please, continue walking, and there, the Globe Theatre – the newest theatre around. This circular open-skied building we see before us is actually one of the theatres where Shakespeare and his theatre company – “Lord Chamberlain’s Men” – performed in. As we all know, William Shakespeare is widely-known for his plays and poems. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tempest, and the list go on. Since the theatres were the main source of entertainment for the people, some plays tend to reflect the society rather than influence, as “Henry V”, a historic play by Shakespeare – was likely to be popular because of the war that is looming in Ireland. And it was. Plays and poetry were also just a way for people to ignite their creativity and let loose their imagination – as in Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”, where fairies flutter and manipulate human minds. However, mostly the entertainment media do reflect the society more than influence it. And just for the note, there are no red velvet curtains in the Globe Theatre.
Now, let me pull you back to twenty first century to this scene. A child tiptoed into the room, dragging a stool behind him. Cautiously, he set the stool before the desk. Hopping onto the stool, he barely reached the mouse. He glimpsed behind himself swiftly, his chubby fingers clicked the mouse, opening a whole new world. And that whole new world, ladies and gentlemen, is what we know as the Internet. Internet just happens to be one of the many ways we interact with the present entertainment media, including music, videos, television, books, and movies. Nowadays, are the media only a mere reflection of what is happening in the world today, or is it something more? Is it actually changing the way we think? I believe that the media in our time are much more influential than it might have been in Shakespearean England. Do you not agree that while present day actors and actresses are considered celebrities, the actors in Renaissance England were considered much less? And today, it is the celebrities that set the trends; it is the celebrities that have the ability to change how people may think through movies, television shows, speeches, and videos. The ways of communication are also much broader, the Internet, television, magazines, books, and many more, these are all easy modes to reach millions and billions of people across the globe. That is why I believe that current day entertainment media are much more influential than the Elizabethan Theatres.
Dear readers, though the Elizabethan Theatres still stand in modern London, the world around it has transformed. So have the people and the culture. Our global culture influenced greatly by the growing technology, which in turn impacts the way we communicate and the power of entertainment media; which is why I firmly believe that the entertainment media today are much more influential in the world than ever before.
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