shakespeare background notes

Notes on the

History of Elizabethan England

and Shakespeare Himself

King Henry VIII

(Ruled England 1509-1547)

Known for breaking with

Church + Many Wives (6)

As a young man, Henry was quite

active.

King Henry and

“his women”

King Henry and His Wives

Catherine of Aragon1509-1532

Anne Boleyn

1532-May 19, 1536

Jane Seymour

May 29, 1536-1537

Anne Cleves

Jan. 6, 1540-July 12, 1540

Catherine Howard

July 28, 1540-1542

Catharine Parr

July 1543-1547

Catherine of Aragon(1509-1532)

• Marries Henry to keep alliance with Spain

• Bears 7 children; only Mary lives through infancy

• Henry starts new church, annuls marriage, banishes Catherine

Anne Boleyn (1532-May 19, 1536)

• Gives birth to daughter, Elizabeth, 1533

• Henry accuses her of unfaithfulness

• Beheaded May 19, 1536

Jane Seymour(May 29, 1536-1537)

• Gives birth to son, Edward, 1537

• Dies from complications in childbirth

Anne of Cleves(Jan. 6, 1540-July 12, 1540)

• Henry marries her for political reasons -- alliance with Cleves (part of modern Germany)

• Officially divorces her July 12, 1540

Catherine Howard(July 28, 1540-1542)

• Anne Boleyn’s 2nd cousin

• Anne of Cleves’ maid in waiting

• She has affairs• Beheaded 1542

Catharine Parr(1543-1547)

• Henry’s last wife• Acts as Henry’s nurse

when he becomes sick

England After Henry• When Henry dies, Edward

comes to the throne (he was 9!)

•Edward dies when he’s 16, and “Bloody Mary” takes the throne

Queen Elizabeth I (Ruled England 1558-1603)

• Mary (a Catholic) dies and Elizabeth (a Protestant) comes to the throne in 1558

• Under Elizabeth, the arts flourished and educational institutions were established.

• England also became a military force -Defeat of the Spanish Armada 1588

• Never married, so known as the “Virgin Queen”

• Followed by King James (1603-1625)

Defeating the Spanish Armada

Life in Elizabethan EnglandPublic Life•Gossip: Those who are “in the

know” are popular.•Crowds and public squares were

volatile --> anything could set them off!

•No free discussion of rulers = High treason! Spies everywhere

•Punishments:•Upper class = beheading•Lower class = drawing

and quartering

Life in Elizabethan EnglandFamily Life• Children and parents =

very formal– Never disobey– Children raised by nurses

• Women had no legal rights– All their money and possessions went

to the husband– Literacy Rate was Low

• (W-10% M-30%)

– Single wealthy women were fought over

– Married at the age of 11 or 12– Father had the right to choose

husbands for daughters -- negotiated for power

• Marriage = crucial to a woman– No legal rights without it

LOVE

•Romantic Love was ALWAYS discouraged -- a good match was more important

•HONOR = very important! Defend family

Heart of England = LONDON

Tower Of London

•Fort for protecting the city from invasions

•Royal Palace

•Prison

London: SanitationHorrible!• Streets were filthy

– No sewers or drains– Gutters were in the middle of the street– Garbage & chamber pots emptied in the

streets --piled up until a rain

• Men walked in the middle of street to protect the ladies

The Plague = incurable• Overcrowding led to slums,

filth• Plague carried by fleas on

rats -- not known then• Thought to be God’s wrath

on wicked people• Two outbreaks killed 1/4 of

the population in Shakespeare’s time

• Life expectancy = 48 years• Time to travel to “New

World” = 1-2 months

Theater’s Place in the World:One Side

The Court

•Elizabeth and James totally supported theater

•Shakespeare’s company, “The King’s Men,” were named for King James

Theater’s Place in the World: The Other Side

City Officials• Time of

Puritanism = Very conservative

• Thought theater was evil, satanic, and destroyed public morals

Theater’s Place in the World

Therefore:

•Theater was not allowed in London proper, within the official city limits

•Instead, all theaters were in Southwark, just across the Thames, and outside city lines

Shakespeare’s Theater: The Globe• Variety of tickets, from the pit

(groundlings) to the gallery

• Loud, obnoxious, intelligent crowds

• Performances lasted “at least two hours,” and started around 2 PM (the middle of the working day)

• Trumpet blew to signal the start

• Public - open to all, though could not be advertised

• Showed type of play by color of the flag• White = Comedy

• Red = History

• Black = Tragedy

A Tour of the Globe

William Shakespeare:The Bard Himself

England-A Spiritually Divided Country

•When Henry starts his own church, that splits the country into Catholic and Protestant•Shakespeare’s family has Catholic roots, but he supports the Queen

Shakespeare: Early LifeVital Stats:

• Born April 23, 1564

• Dies April 23, 1616

• Early Life: Stratford on Avon, England

• Marries Anne Hathaway (said she saved his life)

• They have three kids:– Susanna, Hamnet and

Judith

• He moves to London in 1590s

Stratford On Avon:

Shakespeare’s Hometown

Shakespeare’s Grammar SchoolTrinity Church

London: The Big City

Shakespeare in London• Became a leading actor and

playwright by 1592• In 1594, Romeo and Juliet

was first performed -- all male actors!

• By 1595, he’s the hottest playwright in London

• Writes 37 plays (2 per year)• Performed plays in theaters,

palaces, inns, and homes of nobility

• 1610 -- returned to Stratford

How Shakespeare Changed Theatre

After --

• Professional• Adds sets, lighting,

multiple stages, and the box office.

• Theater is new, akin to the start of TV

Before --

•Performed by roaming troupes for a meal or bed.

•Actors considered vagrants

• Performed lewd plays to religious ones.

William Shakespeare, according to many scholars, has made

the greatest contribution to the

English language of any writer, ever.

Sources:• www.bantams.demon.co.uk/ henry%20-%20holbein.jpg• www.marileecody.com/ seymour-min.jpg• laracorsets.com/ period_gowns.htm• www.guggenheim.org/.../ sugimoto_bottom_index.html• www.pijlsnel95.nl/images/ anne%20boleyn.jpg• www.costumes.org/.../boehn/ janeseymour.jpg• www.englishhistory.net/tudor/ monarchs/howard.html• www.britannia.com/ bios/cparr.html• ntap.k12.ca.us/whs/projects/ history/elizabeth.htm• www.tudorhistory.org/ cleves/clevesnew.jpg• www.englishhistory.net/tudor/ monarchs/eliz1.html• www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/.../ eh-qe1-art.jpg• www.calrevels.org/graphics/ ermine.jpg• www.bju.edu/.../dramatour/ images/shakespeare.jpg• www.macalester.edu/~sisk/ mind/shakespeare.jpg• www.stratford-upon-avon.org/ images/Arial%20vi...• www.nmm.ac.uk/uploads/jpg/BHC0261.jpg• Photos and postcards acquired by Ms. Larsen in London, 2002