Shakespeare

Welcome to Elizabethan England

The time of William Shakespeare

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Elizabethan England was named after its queen, Elizabeth I

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Elizabethan London was a place of contrast

On the one hand, London was the home of the Queens court, where life was luxurious. On the other hand, life in the crowded streets was harsh. The poor became poorer which resulted in more beggars and vagabonds spilling onto the streets.
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Poverty and Health

Health was a major concern in Elizabethan England. A growing population contributed to the spread of DISEASE, particularly in the crowded city of London. Poor SANITATION was the main cause of disease. Sickness was particularly common among the poor, and it could also contribute to greater poverty by making people unable to work.
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The London Underworld

The way that houses were built closely to one another led to lots of dark alleyways and twisted corners for people to get up to no good. Taverns were places of corruption where betting, gambling and prostitution took place. However, the poorer classes has a gallows humour, they laughed about things like death, revenge and poverty.
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Crime and Punishment A swift and brutal affair.

"The greatest and most grievous punishment used in England for such as offend against the State is drawing from the prison to the place of execution upon an hurdle or sled, where they are hanged till they be half dead, and then taken down, and quartered alive; after that, their members and bowels are cut from their bodies, and thrown into a fire, provided near hand and within their own sight, even for the same purpose."

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Shakespeare and the Commoners

The Globe Theatre was built in the poor quarters of London. The poor and the rich alike regularly attended the theatre. The poor would stand in the pit; the part that was exposed to the open air. If they were disappointed by an actors performance, they would bombard him with the rotten fruit and veg they had saved all week,

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Theatre for the Wealthy

Shakespeare often produced plays for royalty. Macbeth was written for James I, a brave move, considering that his mother had committed suicide like Lady Macbeth does. The nobility looked for educational meaning in Shakespeares plays whereas the commoners enjoyed the rowdy scenes.

The stalls were the place for the wealthy to sit. The pit was the place for the poor to stand for the 3 hour performance.

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Elizabethan Beliefs
The upper classes loved learning. They sent their children to grammar school and then onto Oxford or Cambridge university They believed in thinking from ancient Rome. Discussion of religion, death, politics, good and evil took place in the centre of towns.
The Elizabethans believed in the chain of being all in its place. God was at the top of the chain, then the queen, the lords of the land, the middle classes, lower classes and finally the beggars and animals. The man was in charge of his household, the woman had to do everything her husband told her. He had to tame his wife to be obedient.

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The place of women

Women were taught from birth they were inferior to men. Women were taught, and believed, they were instruments of the devil. As a result, a lot of emphasis was placed on the woman to remain pure before her wedding (aged 13 up). A man had to keep his wife and daughters under control, otherwise they would lead him into evil.
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What was Shakespeares London like?

A place of hustle and bustle. One of the main features of Elizabethan London was the town market day. Local farmers brought their produce to sell, craftworkers displayed manufactured goods, and eager housewives filled the town square to purchase the weeks necessities. Far more exciting than the local market, however, was the hustle and bustle of a great fair. On such special occasions, fairgrounds were filled with food, wares, and entertainment of every possible kind.
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Life in Elizabethan Times

There is nothing as dangerous as a bored nobleman. These are some of the ways a courtier at Court might fill his or her time. Gossip. Attend the Theatre. Have players in. Take lessons. Embroider. Play board or card games. Sing. Prepare a presentation. Visit Tailor. Sit for a portrait. Visit Bear pit. Practice riding and other Tourney sports.

Filling the time

Form of address for non-nobles

Gentry Gentles Yeoman Tradesmen Craftsmen Peasants Knights

Patronage
Young men go to Court to find a Patron
Patron
Pays them a fee, puts them to work in household and shows them a finer lifestyle.

Works to increase Patrons prestige and standing while putting themselves in the way for advancement.

Young Man

Woman
A noble lady has waiting woman. Helps unmarried girls find suitable husbands. Take care of the household and children with the help of gentlewomen.

Ranks
The ordinary ranking of the English Court, disregarding various offices, parents, patents, or orders of knighthood is as follows: Men Women Duke Duchess Marquis (MAR-kwis) Marchioness (MAR-shon-ess) Earl Countess Viscount (vEYE-count) Viscountess (vEYE-count-ess) Baron Baroness Knight Knight's lady

Honour and Duelling

Tempers were short and weapons easy to hand. The basic characteristics of the nobility, like those of the poor, were ferocity and childishness and lack of self control.
-Lawrence Stone in Crisis of The Aristocracy.

In homes
Names
Englishmen do not have a middle name. The most common for girls are those of Henry VIII's wives and daughters: Katherine, Anne, Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth. Rather than waste a name when a child dies, the next child may be given the same one Marriage and Family Boys may marry at 14, and girls at 12. A brides parents must give her husband a dowry.

In general
Children are the property of their parents. Wives are the property of their husbands. Widows can own and run their own businesses. Divorce is very difficult as a Protestant. Male primogeniture is the rule. A bastard is a child born out of wedlock and is deemed illegitimate.

Ingatestone Hall latter 1500s

England

London
The river Thames ran through the city and had only one bridge across it. Criminals were chained to the banks of the river. Houses were crammed together and the streets were slimy with the contents of chamber pots that were thrown out windows. The city was full of loud noises. No one drank water. Ale was the standard drink and the better sort drank wine.

Food
In general people ate 2 meals a day;
Dinner around midday Supper in the evening

Those who woke early would eat in the morning as well. Wine was sweet and heavy and would have to be strained before being drunk. Beer was made without hops and was usually flat.

Religion
The official religion was the Church of England. Being Roman Catholic was not a crime, but there was a fine for not attending Protestant services. It was illegal to be a Catholic Priest in England.

Schooling
Only boys went to school. Girls education was at home. Richer families hired private tutors.
Time 6:00am 9:00am 9:15am 11:00am 1:00pm 5:00pm Activity School Starts Breakfast Back to work Dinner Afternoon session School Ends

Monarchy
Most of Shakespeare's career unfolded during the monarchy of Elizabeth I, the Great Virgin Queen from whom the historical period of the Bard's life takes its name as the Elizabethan Age.

William Shakespeare
The man himself

Born: 23rd April 1564

Died: 23rd April 1616 Place: Stratford-onAvon

England in the 16th Century

Was mainly rural. Pop: 3 million Economy was mainly agricultural Time of fear and upheaval

Parents
Mother: Mary Arden daughter of a local gentry. Father: John Shakespeare a glover and tenant farmer of yeoman class.

Shakespeare's eventual fame and success spilled over to his parents in the form of both money and title. On the eve of John Shakespeares death in 1601, Queen Elizabeth granted the Bard's father a "gentleman's" family coat-of-arms.

Family Tree

Shakespeares Birthplace

Education
Probably attended Stratford Grammar School where he would have learnt:
Greek and Latin Literature Rhetoric Christian ethics

Left school in 1579 at the age of 15. Did not attend university and was not considered to be a truly learned man.

After school
In 1582 (18yrs) he married Anne Hathaway who was 8yrs his senior. 6 months later their daughter Susanna was born. 2yrs after that, twins Hamnet and Judith arrived. Speculation has that Shakespeare was not happy in his marriage. There is a period of 7 years (1585- 1592) from which there is no primary source materials about Shakespeare. During this time he travelled back and forth between London and Stratford, and by the time sources can be found again he was living almost full-time in London.

Life in London
Before he took up a career as a playwright Shakespeare had many and varied other jobs. He most probably worked with his father in commercial trade, as a law clerk and served as a soldier or sailor as England was threatened by Spain.

His plays
Between the early 1590s and 1620s Shakespeare composed the most extraordinary body of works in the history of world drama. He moved roughly from comedies to histories to tragedies. His farewell to the stage was The Tempest.

Title The Comedy of Errors Titus Andronicus The Taming of the Shrew 2 Henry VI 3 Henry VI 1 Henry VI Richard III

Date Written 1590 1590 1591 1591 1591 1592 1592

Date Range ? - 1594 ? - 1594 ? - 1594 ? - 1592 ? - 1592 ? - 1592 1592 - 1597

First Published 1623 1594 1623 1594 1595 1623 1597

Love's Labor's Lost

Two Gentlemen of Verona A Midsummer Night's Dream Romeo and Juliet

1593
1593 1594 1595

? - 1597
? - 1598 1594 - 1598 ? - 1597

1598
1623 1600 1597

Richard II
King John The Merchant of Venice Henry IV Part 1 The Merry Wives of Windsor Henry IV Part 2 As You Like It Henry V

1595
1596 1596 1597 1597 1598 1598 1599

1595 - 1597
? - 1598 1594 - 1598 1595 - 1598 1597 - 1602 1596 - 1598 1598 - 1600 1599

1597
1623 1600 1598 1602 1600 1623 1600

Much Ado About Nothing Julius Caesar Twelfth Night Hamlet Troilus and Cressida All's Well That Ends Well

1599 1599 1600 1601 1602 1603

1598 - 1600 1598 - 1599 1600 - 1602 1599 - 1601 1601 - 1603 1598 - ?

1600 1623 1623 1603 1609 1623

Measure For Measure

Othello King Lear Macbeth

1604
1604 1605 1605

1598 - 1604
1598 - 1604 1598 - 1606 1603 - 1611

1623
1622 1608 1623

Antony and Cleopatra

Timon of Athens Pericles Prince of Tyre Coriolanus Cymbeline A Winter's Tale The Tempest Henry VIII

1606
1606 1607 1608 1609 1610 1611 1613

1598 - 1608
1598 - ? 1598 - 1608 1598 - ? 1598 - 1611 1598 - 1611 1610 - 1611 1612 - 1613

1623
1623 1609 1623 1623 1623 1623 1623

Personal Tragedy
As Shakespeares success and popularity were on the rise, his son Hamnet died in 1596 from drowning.

The Globe Theatre

The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 approximately 230 metres from the site of the original theatre.