1. Shakespeare & Elizabethan England

2. Shakespeare’s Life  1557: John Shakespeare & Mary Arden married  1564: Shakespeare was born on April 23 (443 years ago) in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, about 100 miles north of London  1582: Married Anne Hathaway who was 8 years older and pregnant with their first child  1583: Susanna, their first child, was born  1585: Twins Judith and Hamnet were born  1596: Hamnet died at the age of 11 of unknown causes

4. Shakespeare’s Life  1585 – 1592: “The Lost Years”…We do not know much about Shakespeare at this time. He left his family in Stratford-Upon-Avon and moved to London somewhere between 1587 and 1592.  By 1592: Shakespeare was an established and respected actor in London.  1599: Globe Theater built  1601: John (Shakespeare’s father) died  1608: Mary (his mom) died

5.  1594 – 1596: Romeo & Juliet was composed  1599: Shakespeare became 10% owner of The Globe Theater  1603: Queen Elizabeth dies and King James I takes over  1603: Shakespeare becomes part owner of Blackfriar’s Theater  1613: Shakespeare retired to Stratford-Upon- Avon  1616: Shakespeare died on his birthday April 23 Shakespeare’s Life

6.  Shakespeare’s Siblings:  Joan: died of the plague at a young age  Margaret: died after she turned 1  William  Gilbert: became a successful tradesman  Joan: named after her sister  Anne: died at age 8  Richard  Edmund: became an actor Shakespeare’s Life

7.  The Globe Theater  Built in 1599  It cost 2 pennies to sit and watch a play, 1 to stand. The wealthy were charged 6 pennies to sit in the Lord’s Room over the stage.  It could accommodate 3,000 spectators.  There was no artificial lighting so plays took place in the afternoon.  Boys played women. Women weren’t allowed to act. In 1662, King Charles II decreed that women should and could play women on stage. Shakespeare’s Life

8. Stratford, England  Stratford, England is situated on the Avon River about 100 miles north of London. It was an important market town. People traveled within a 5 mile radius to trade there once a week.  Shakespeare’s father, John, was a glovemaker and later became High Bailiff 1568-69. His father was a prominent member of the society.

9. Stratford, England  Jobs/Goods:  Country dwellers would bring their produce to exchange for items they could not make themselves.  They would come to market once a week to find food, tailors, shoe makers, glove makers, wheelwrights, carpenters, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, etc.  Since Stratford was situated on the Avon, goods were brought in from more distant parts.  Streets were named after the goods sold there: Corn Street, Swine street, Rother Street (cows), Sheep Street, etc.

10.  Government in Stratford  The Corporation was the town council.  The High Bailiff was the head of the Corporation.  There were 14 aldermen and 14 chief burgesses nominated (not elected) to the Corporation.  The Corporation was made up of the principal tradesmen in town.  Shakespeare’s father was nominated in 1557 and was High Bailiff in 1568-69.  The Corporation laid down the rules and regulations for the town. Stratford, England

11.  The Church (Catholic)  Also laid down the law in a separate church court under the Bishop.  The Church investigated such “crimes” as failure to attend church, sorcery, and drunkenness.  They also oversaw the licensing of physicians, surgeons, and schoolmasters, as well as the making of wills. Stratford, England

12.  Epidemics  Water came from wells and streams and could become contaminated where there were large concentrations of people.  Human and animal waste was a problem, especially when people brought livestock to market and cattle/animals were slaughtered on the spot.  Outbreaks of disease were common and posed serious results, especially for children.  In the 1560s, the decade Shakespeare was born, 1:3 children would survive to adulthood. Stratford, England

13.  Tragedy strikes:  1564: The bubonic plague killed around 15% of the population.  1594-1597: Heavy summer rains wiped out harvests, leaving the poor malnourished and prone to infection and disease.  Stratford’s main industry was grain.  Malting– the roasting and grinding of grain, usually barley, for use in brewing.  With the flooding, people were supposed to be using the grain for bread, not making beer, which many were accused of.

14.  More tragedy:  Fires in 1594-1595  The town was already suffering from the food shortage.  Fire-fighting equipment was virtually non-exisitent.  Buildings were constructed of timber and thatch.  120 homes were destroyed, about ¼ of the homes in Stratford.  In 1608 there was a smallpox outbreak  In 1614 there was another fire.  In 1616 there was more disease, a typhys outbreak. Stratford, England

15. Across the Pond…  In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for the west.  In 1585, Roanoke, VA, was the first English colony (Shakespeare was 21).  In 1587, Virginia Dare was the first baby bor in the American colonies on August 18.  In 1620, the Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock with the pilgrims.  By 1640 there were only about 5700 people in the American Colonies.  By 1650 there were about 40,000.

16. The Renaissance & Elizabethan England  The Hierarchy of the Sexes  There was no concept of equality between men and women. A dominant woman was unnatural.  Queen Elizabeth I (b. 1533, d. 1603) reigned during Shakespeare’s time and saw his plays.  She was the daughter of Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn.  She cultivated the view that she was the “ideal” woman.  When she died, James II took over the throne.

17.  Marriage  The average age was in the mid-20s.  In 1619 the average age was 23 for women and 26 for men.  The age of consent was 12 for a girl and 14 for a boy (puberty came 2-3 years later then than it does today).  Why did they marry so late?  It took a long time for a couple to acquire enough belongings to set up housekeeping…food on the table and a roof over their heads. Children of noble birth ran a great risk if they tried to marry without the approval of their parents. They would be left without resources. The Renaissance & Elizabethan England

18.  The Wife’s Status  The wife had subordinate status.  The husband was head of the household.  She took direction from him.  Ephesians 5:22-5 The Renaissance & Elizabethan England

19.  Children  They were thought of as miniature adults rather than as having different needs and desires.  There was no concept of adolescence.  In noble families, after they had been nursed (not often by mom), children were sent to another noble house to be trained in the decorum of noble behavior, kind of like a boarding school.  Middle and lower class families kept their children at home, but put them to work in business or at home at an early age. The Renaissance & Elizabethan England