What kind of world did Shakespeare live in? How did this affect his writing?

1. Elizabethan England Shakespeare’s Stage

2. Golden Age
• The Elizabethan Era is the time period marked by the reign
of Queen Elizabeth I. Elizabeth's reign lasted for 50 years
(1558-1603).
• In the Golden Age for England, money allowed artistic and
creative ideas to flourish. Europe was bombarded by new
inventions and innovations. Numerous authors,
playwrights, and poets surfaced, including Shakespeare.
• Just before Elizabeth took the throne, Protestants and
Catholics were constantly at war. During her rule, these
two Christian groups were at peace.

3. Government
England was ruled by
a monarch – a royal
person – who
‘earned’ rule by being
part of a royal family.
Elizabeth was the last
of six Tudor monarchs
to rule the country.

4. Wealth
People showed their
wealth with clothing,
expensive food and
homes.
Society was divided into classes.
Nobility were at the ‘top’ with lavish lifestyles,
parties and events. Next came the gentry with
a lot of wealth from land. Then, merchants
gained wealth from sales items. Finally, the
yeomen and laborers worked with their hands
to make a living.

5. Religion
In 1517, a German monk
named Martin Luther
criticized the Roman Catholic
church for the tradition of
accepting money to absolve
sins, thinking it was too much
like trying to pay off God. The
new Christians who followed
Luther called themselves
‘Protestants’ because they
protested against the Catholic
Church.

6. Ideas
• 16th century firsts
o Flush toilets become
available in 1500
o Peter Henlein designs
the pocket watch in
1510
o Bottled beer appears in
London around 1568
• In 1543, Copernicus published a revolutionary
theory that Earth is not the center of the
universe. Rather, he realized that Earth and
the other planets orbit around the Sun

7. Religious response
Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh. Joshua declaimed: “Sun stand still over Gibeon, /
and, moon, you also, over the Vale of Aijalon. / And the sun stood still, and the
moon halted, / till the people had vengeance on their enemies.” (Joshua 10:10-15)
“There is talk of a new astrologer who wants to prove that the earth
moves and goes around instead of the sky, the sun, the moon, just as if
somebody were moving in a carriage or ship might hold that he was
sitting still and at rest while the earth and the trees walked and moved.
But that is how things are nowadays: when a man wishes to be clever
he must needs invent something special, and the way he does it must
needs be the best! The fool wants to turn the whole art of astronomy
upside-down. However, as Holy Scripture tells us, so did Joshua bid the
sun to stand still and not the earth.” – Martin Luther

8. A moving Earth?!?!
As Martin Luther’s words suggest, neither Catholics nor Protestants were
happy about Copernicus’ new idea. They were sure that their observations
(the ground beneath their feet never seemed to be moving) and the word of
God (according to Joshua, especially) assured them that Earth was indeed the
center of the universe. Copernicus was therefore seen as blasphemous and
someone who was trying to undermine Christianity.
Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist,
mathematician, astronomer, and
philosopher made improvements to
the telescope. His telescope
improved astronomical observations,
and new evidence from those
observations supported Copernicus’
ideas.

9. Crime
In the 15th and 16th century, criminals – even royalty and
nobility – faced violent and cruel punishments, like public
execution. Many events were witnessed by hundreds; Tudors
treated these as exciting events. Popular methods included
beheading, hanging and quartering, and burning at the stake.

10. The greatest punishment
“The greatest and most grievous punishment
used in England […] 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.”
-- William Harrison

11. Disease
Garbage and human waste was
rarely moved or treated. The nasty
environment attracted rats, fleas,
and bacteria. People’s hygiene was
awful, and they got sick often. A
plague epidemic, in which a
sweeping disease overtakes huge
parts of a population, occurred
about every four years. Diseases
included smallpox, measles,
malaria, typhus, diphtheria, Scarlet
fever, chickenpox, and the bubonic
plague 

12. Life …
“Nowadays, alas, if a
man may approach
to forty of sixty years
men repute him
happy and
fortunate.”
-- Thomas Paynel,
1541

13. Entertainment
Without electricity, often people got up when it was light and
went to bed when it was dark. They worked most of the day
and week so entertainment – sports (like bear baiting and
jousting), music, theater and public executions – was saved
for Sundays.

14. Imagine | Homework
• Picture yourself as an aspiring writer at this
time. Describe Elizabethan England.
• Think about Shakespeare …
– What might Shakespeare have wanted to write
about?
– What did he find odd, funny, sad or dramatic?
– Shakespeare had to convince people to stand in the
mud to see plays, and not go to public executions or
bear-baiting. How might Shakespeare have made his
audience feel sad? Laugh? Want to return to see
another play?