Elizabethan England and Shakespeare

What happened since Chaucer?• Tudors come to power, England is united under one monarchy

– End of the War of the Roses (English Civil War)• King Henry VIII (1509-1547) can’t decide on a wife, has six.

– Henry’s marital unhappiness causes England to break with Catholic church

– Church of England established so Henry can get a divorce– This causes split in country between Catholics and member of

the Church of England• King Edward IV (1547-1553) brings peace with France

– Died at the age of fifteen• Queen Mary I (1553-1558) re-establishes Catholicism

– Persecutes Protestants– Burned 300 dissenters at the stake, earning her the name

“Bloody Mary”• Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

– Begins England’s Golden Age and the Renaissance• Art, Music, Poetry and Drama flouirsh

– Restores Protestant Church• England and France invade each other – a lot. Also wars with

Scotland, Spain, and Ireland

Who is Queen Elizabeth?• 25 years old when she became Queen• Daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

(who was executed for treason)• Known as the Virgin Queen and the Fairy

Queen; she was a cultural icon– A “Cult of Elizabeth” was established

around her– Her taste in fashion, music, art, and

literature set the trends for the aristocracy

• Under her reign, England experienced a complete cultural and artistic rebirth– She supported artists, writers, architects,

philosophers, and composers– The smartest and most talented people

in England flocked to her court– People created huge and elaborate

pageants for and about her to perform at her court

Structure of Tudor Society

How did people live?Social Class and the Church

• Life was governed by two important factors- religion and social structure. – social order and position represented a

structured world– the bible advocated the ‘natural order’

• generally the population believed this and knew their place or degree.

• England was a largely rural society – as much as 90% of the population lived in the

countryside. – The Gentry owned the majority of land, and

were by birthright the ‘natural leaders ‘of the community.

• This group counted for just 1% of the population

• Queen Elizabeth I established The Church of England, officially splitting from the Catholic Church– laws regarding religion were established

• Everyone is required to attend church service every Sunday and on holidays

• People were fined for not attending church• Illegal to be a Catholic priest

How did people live?Dwellings

• Made of wood• Type of house and amount of furniture depended on social class

– Typical Tudor houses were timber framed with thatched straw roofs, the gaps were filled with wattle and daub (twigs covered in a mud and dung plaster) or bricks for those who could afford it.

• Houses started to be built for comfort, not just protection• More windows• Built around courtyards and gardens• Most of the furniture was made of wood.

– Only important people had chairs, the rest had to sit on stools or benches.– Rich people had big wooden four poster beds. – Many poor people would probably just have had a straw mattress to sleep on and a pot to cook

their meals in.

How did people live?Food

• The richer you were, the more variety of food you had, but it depended on what foods were in season.

• Food was salted or smoked to preserve it, and often spices were added to hide the taste of rotten food.

• Meat, fish, bread and cheese were popular• Vegetables and fruit were not eaten as much

because it was thought they were not good for you.

• Ale and cider were common drinks, even for the children, as the water was dirty.

• Most households had two meals a day: one at about 11am - Noon, the other about 6-7pm.

How did people live?Clothing

• Wealthy Men wore:– a shirt and doublet (a bit like a jacket), and padded

hose, like thick tights.• Wealthy Women wore:

– long sleeved dresses with skirts to the floor. It was fashionable to make the skirt stick out using a cage or bumoll (padded material tied around the hips).

• Poor people wore simple, loose-fitting clothes made from woolen cloth.– Most men wore trousers made from wool and a tunic

which came down to just above their knee. – Women wore a dress of wool that went down to the

ground. They often wore an apron over this and a cloth bonnet on their heads.

• Clothing was regulated by Sumptuary Laws– Dictated what color and type of clothing, furs,

fabrics, and trims were allowed to persons of various ranks or incomes

– Created to control extravagant clothing and to make sure people dressed within their social class

How did people live?Education and Work

• Education– Few people went to school, those that did were the sons of

the wealthy (not the daughters)– The boys would go to grammar school everyday but Sunday – They would learn Latin, religious studies, Greek, arithmetic

and music. – Majority of the population was illiterate and not educated

• Work– Most children and adults worked each day tending their

crops and animals• Most men and boys worked in the fields, and would

hunt and keep animals to provide their meat. – Some men had special jobs such as blacksmiths

making tools. • Women and girls looked after the home, cooking,

washing, making clothes and candles, milking the cows and growing herbs for medicines and cooking.

– There was a rise of modern commerce with cloth and weaving leading the way.

• A prosperous merchant class emerged, causing many people to move to cities like London and Birmingham

How did people live?Cities

• London – largest city in Western Europe– Most important trading city in England– City was dangerous and filthy

• Great risk of fire because most buildings made of wood

• A large population and the lack of a structured sewage system, meant that all waste was simply dumped into the River Thames

• There was a lot of disease• The government didn’t help the poor,

so crime was high– After the Protestant Reformation (and

creation of Church of England) theaters and other forms of entertainment were banned in the City

• Theaters, bear baiting dens, dance halls, and other establishments moved across the River Thames

How did people live?The Theatre

• Theatre had an unsavory reputation. London authorities refused to allow plays within the city, so theatres opened across the Thames in Southwark, outside the authority of the city administration.

• In the 16th century theatre became separated from religion. • Tudor governments were suspicious of actors. They were

regarded as layabouts who did no useful work. From 1572 actors had to hold a license.

• In 1576 James Burbage built the first theatre. • Those who could afford the best seats were sheltered from the

weather. However the poor customers stood in the open air. They were called groundlings.

• There were no female actors in Tudor times. Boys played women's parts.

• Shakespeare’s theatre - The Globe– erected circa 1598 in London's Bankside district. – one of four major theatres– Owned by Shakespeare and the Burbage brothers– Lord Chamberlain’s Men (Shakespeare’s company)

performed there– Burned down in 1613, and rebuilt a year later– Closed by the Puritans in 1642, when they outlawed plays

altogether

Who was Shakespeare?• Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April

23, 1564• Not much known about his education. Thought

to have attended grammar school in Stratford - had excellent knowledge of Greek and Latin; literary quality of his works suggest good education

• Married Anne Hathaway• Had three children

– Susanna, and twins Judith and Hamnet• Went to London around 1588 and began to

establish himself as an actor and playwright• By 1594 was acting and writing for Lord

Chamberlain’s Men; also was a managing partner of the troupe.

• Wrote plays and sonnets• Had profound effect on Western civilization

What did Shakespeare contribute to society?

• He wrote tragedies, comedies, and histories that are still read, studied, and performed today

• He wrote 154 sonnets about love and life• He added words and phrases to the English language

– Words created by Shakespeare:• Dislocate• Frugal• Exposure• Gloomy• Lonely• Majestic• Premeditated• Hurry• Generous• Amazement

– Phrases created by Shakespeare:• all that glitters isn't gold• break the ice • catch a cold • dog will have his day • green eyed monster • heart of gold • hot-blooded • lackluster • mind's eye• naked truth• one fell swoop

Shakespeare’s Language• Believe it or not, Shakespeare wrote pretty much wrote in modern English

(well, okay, early modern English, but still… it’s English)

• Students have difficulty with Shakespeare’s language because of three main barriers:– Shakespeare’s unusual arrangement of words– Shakespeare’s troublesome omissions– Words not quite our own

My words shine brighter than the sun

Shakespeare’s Language Barriers – Unusual Word Arrangements

• Many of students ask if people really spoke the way they do in Shakespeare's plays.  The answer is no.  Shakespeare wrote the way he did for poetic and dramatic purposes. 

• There are many reasons why he did this--to create a specific poetic rhythm, to emphasize a certain word, to give a character a specific speech pattern, etc. 

• Let's take a look at a great example from Robinson's Unlocking Shakespeare's Language:– I ate the sandwich.

I the sandwich ate.Ate the sandwich I.Ate I the sandwich.The sandwich I ate.The sandwich ate I.

• Robinson shows us that these four words can create six unique sentences which carry the same meaning. 

• When you are reading Shakespeare's plays, look for this type of unusual word arrangement and do the following:

1. Locate the subject, verb, and the object of the sentence.  Notice that the object of the sentence is often placed at the beginning (the sandwich) in front of the verb (ate) and subject (I). 

2. Rearrange the words in the order that makes the most sense to you (I ate the sandwich).  This will be one of your first steps in making sense of Shakespeare's language.

Shakespeare’s Language Barriers – Omissions

• Again, for the sake of his poetry, Shakespeare often left out letters, syllables, and whole words.  These omissions really aren't that much different from the way we speak today.  We say:– "Been to class yet?"

"No.  Heard Sales’s givin' a test.""Wha'sup wi'that?"

• We leave out words and parts of words to speed up our speech.  If we were speaking in complete sentences, we would say:– "Have you been to class yet?"

"No, I have not been to class.  I heard that Mrs. Sales is giving a test today.""What is up with that?"

• A few examples of Shakespearean omissions/contractions follow:– 'tis ~ it is

ope ~ openo'er ~ overgi' ~ givene'er ~ never i' ~ ine'er ~ everoft ~ oftena' ~ hee'en ~ even

Shakespeare’s Language Barriers – Unusual Words

• Most of us run into problems when we come across archaic words that are no longer used in Modern English.  Or worse, when we run across words that are still used today but have much different meanings than when Shakespeare used (or invented!) the words.   This is particularly troublesome, because we think we know what the word means, but the line still doesn't make sense.

• Although it is frustrating when we come across these unknown words, it is not surprising.  Shakespeare's vocabulary included 30,000 words.  Today our vocabularies only run between 6,000 and 15,000 words!  Because Shakespeare loved to play with words, he also created new words that we still use today.

• Good readers rise to the occasion of these unusual words and try to define them through context clues, and, if all else fails, the dictionary.

• It’s important to not give up when you come across these words; just soldier on and don’t worry about it.

• Here’s an excellent online glossary to use when you don’t know a word:– www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom/guide/page3.shtml

YOU’RE A POET AND YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT!Final thoughts on Shakespeare’s language

• Even if you’ve never read one of Shakespeare’s plays, you’ve spoken some of the Bard’s most famous lines. The long and the short of it is that unless mum’s the word, if you’re speaking the Queen’s English, it’s a foregone conclusion that you’re constantly quoting Shakespeare.

• Whether you’re in a pickle, wearing your heart on your sleeve, or simply fancy free, you’ve spoken the Bard’s words. Deny it, and in the twinkling of an eye you’d be a laughing stock. In fact, trying to avoid Shakespeare’s language would send you on a wild goose chase through the dictionary. That way madness lies!

• It’s true that spoken English has undergone a sea change, but the fame of the Bard’s language lives on forever and a day. So even if you’re not exceedingly well read, it’s likely that Shakespeare’s verse is like meat and drink to you.

• And while brevity is the soul of wit, Shakespeare had a lot to say. With 138 plays, 154 sonnets, and two narrative poems, the range of his work has beggared all description. The man was seldom tongue-tied. He could write like the dickens, it’s true, and in his comedies, he kept his audience in stitches.

• And what of lovers? After all, music is the food of love, and even if love is blind, Shakespeare has given hot-blooded wooers dainty phrases to send them down the primrose path. Yep, he could really lay it on with a trowel.

• And while all that glitters is not gold, Shakespeare’s golden language is hardly too much of a good thing. In fact, it’s a dish fit for the gods. Poets today wish they could write so well. Their plays often set your teeth on edge and send you packing!

• So, even though Shakespeare himself is as dead as a doornail and as cold as any stone, his language lives on. And, after you shuffle off this mortal coil, folks will still be quoting Shakespeare. So don’t give this dead poet short shrift. After all, all’s well that ends well!

Important Theater, Literary, and Shakespeare Terms

• Shakespeare’s PoetryWe speak in prose (language without metrical structure).  Shakespeare wrote both prose and verse (poetry). – Blank Verse:  unrhymed iambic pentameter.– Iambic Pentameter:  five beats of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables;

ten syllables per line.• 'So fair / and foul / a day / I have / not seen'

'The course / of true / love nev/er did / run smooth• Theater Terms

– Act: a main division of a play, ballet, or opera.– Scene: a sequence of continuous action in a play, movie, opera, or book – Monologue: a long speech by one actor in a play– Soliloquy: an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any

hearers, esp. by a character in a play.– Aside: a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the

audience but unheard by the other characters in the play.

Terms Continued• Literary Terms

– Irony: the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally suggests the opposite

– Dramatic Irony: a literary technique where the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

– Paradox: • 1. a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from

acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory

• 2. A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true.

– Symbol: a thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract

– Imagery: visually descriptive or figurative language, esp. in a literary work; language that appeals to the five senses

– Theme: a recurring idea in literature– Motif: a dominant or central theme– Foreshadow: hinting at what is going to occur in the future– Omen or Portent: An indication or sign of something important or disastrous about to occur

Terms Continues• READING SHAKESPEARE'S PLAYS:  TYPES OF TRAGEDY

– Classical Tragedy  • According to Aristotle's Poetics, tragedy

– involves a protagonist of high estate ("better than we") – who falls from prosperity to misery – as a result of a "tragic flaw," (generally an error caused by human frailty).– the protagonist is basically a good person:  for Aristotle, the downfall of an evil protagonist is not

tragic (arguably, Macbeth would not qualify).  • In Aristotelian tragedy, the action (or fable) generally involves:

– revolution: unanticipated reversals of what is expected to occur– discovery: protagonists and audience learn something that had been hidden– disasters: includes all destructive actions, deaths, etc.  – Tragedy evokes pity and fear in the audience, leading finally to catharsis - the release of these passions

• Medieval tragedy– A narrative concerning how a person falls from high to low estate as the Goddess Fortune spins

her wheel.  Medieval "tragedy" was found not in the theater but in collections of stories illustrating the falls of great men

• Renaissance tragedy– derives less from medieval tragedy… than from the Aristotelian notion of the tragic flaw, a moral

weakness or human error that causes the protagonist's downfall.