History of Elizabethan

England and Shakespeare

The Renaissance and Art

The Renaissance and Its Art

The Renaissance and Its Art

Qualities of Renaissance Art

1. Realism2. Beauty

3. Experience of Individuals4. Mythology and Religion

5. Human Nature and Human Experiences

Queen Elizabeth I (Ruled England 1558-1603)

• Supported the arts

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

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

Life in Elizabethan England

Public Life•Gossip: Those who are “in the

know” are popular.•Crowds and public squares were

dangerous•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

London: Center of It All Horrible!• 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

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: 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

A Tour of the Globe

STAGE TOUR

William Shakespeare:The Bard Himself

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

Shakespeare in London• All male actors, women

not allowed on stage• Close to Queen Elizabeth

and often performed at court

• Changed the face of theater/drama because he had several unique qualities: PUNS and language skill, saw the reasons people DO the things they do, and great sense of comedy and tragedy