Which of the following qualities of heroic treatment was not needed in the plays of the University Wits?

The correct option is Lives of common figures.

The University Wits were a group of late 16th-century English playwrights and pamphlets who were educated at Oxford or Cambridge and wrote for the professional stage. Their plays were characterized by a "heroic treatment" of drama, which favored grand, larger-than-life subjects rather than the mundane details of everyday life.

This heroic style typically included:
• Splendid descriptions: Rich, ornate, and poetic imagery to create a vivid theatrical world.
• Long swelling speeches: Powerful declamations, often written in blank verse, that showcased rhetorical skill and elevated the characters' stature.
• The handling of violent incidents and emotions: Dramatic depiction of high-stakes conflicts, intense passions, tragedies, and physical violence, mirroring the turbulent and grand themes of their narratives.

Conversely, the depiction of the lives of common figures was not a feature of this heroic treatment. The University Wits focused their dramas on historical, mythological, or noble figures rather than ordinary, lower-class, or domestic life, which only became more prominent in later domestic tragedies and citizen comedies. Therefore, lives of common figures was the quality not needed in their plays.