1. Shakespeare's London

2. Background Facts
Shakespeare baptised 26th April 1564 – died 23 April 1616
Shakespeare in London app
The Renaissance

3. The Renaissance A.k.a. The Elisabethan Era
Rebirth of Classical (Greek/Roman) thought
Focus on Man & life on Earth
Two contributing factors:
The fall of Constantinople (1453) → brain drain
Gutenberg's printing press (1456)

4. Life in London 200,000 inhabitants
Prosperous city → booming entertainment business
Attracts talent from all over Britain
Very socially unstable and violent (click photo)
Politically and Religiously unstable
Two fundamentalist groups:
Crypto-Catholics
Puritans (Protestants)

5. Background for Elisabethan Drama
Economic prosperity
Great and varied audience (13% of pop.)
Necessity for the cultivation of the Landed Gentry
Puritans disapproved of the theatre
Protected by the Queen
→ theatres outside the city walls

6. Theatres in London app. 1600