Notes on the
History of Elizabethan England
and Shakespeare Himself
King Henry VIII
(Ruled England 1509-1547)
Known for breaking with
Church + Many Wives (6)
As a young man, Henry was quite
active.
King Henry and
“his women”
King Henry and His Wives
Catherine of Aragon1509-1532
Anne Boleyn
1532-May 19, 1536
Jane Seymour
May 29, 1536-1537
Anne Cleves
Jan. 6, 1540-July 12, 1540
Catherine Howard
July 28, 1540-1542
Catharine Parr
July 1543-1547
Catherine of Aragon(1509-1532)
• Marries Henry to keep alliance with Spain
• Bears 7 children; only Mary lives through infancy
• Henry starts new church, annuls marriage, banishes Catherine
Anne Boleyn (1532-May 19, 1536)
• Gives birth to daughter, Elizabeth, 1533
• Henry accuses her of unfaithfulness
• Beheaded May 19, 1536
Jane Seymour(May 29, 1536-1537)
• Gives birth to son, Edward, 1537
• Dies from complications in childbirth
Anne of Cleves(Jan. 6, 1540-July 12, 1540)
• Henry marries her for political reasons -- alliance with Cleves (part of modern Germany)
• Officially divorces her July 12, 1540
Catherine Howard(July 28, 1540-1542)
• Anne Boleyn’s 2nd cousin
• Anne of Cleves’ maid in waiting
• She has affairs• Beheaded 1542
Catharine Parr(1543-1547)
• Henry’s last wife• Acts as Henry’s nurse
when he becomes sick
England After Henry• When Henry dies, Edward
comes to the throne (he was 9!)
•Edward dies when he’s 16, and “Bloody Mary” takes the throne
Queen Elizabeth I (Ruled England 1558-1603)
• Mary (a Catholic) dies and Elizabeth (a Protestant) comes to the throne in 1558
• Under Elizabeth, the arts flourished and educational institutions were established.
• England also became a military force -Defeat of the Spanish Armada 1588
• Never married, so known as the “Virgin Queen”
• Followed by King James (1603-1625)
Defeating the Spanish Armada
Life in Elizabethan EnglandPublic Life•Gossip: Those who are “in the
know” are popular.•Crowds and public squares were
volatile --> anything could set them off!
•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
Heart of England = LONDON
Tower Of London
•Fort for protecting the city from invasions
•Royal Palace
•Prison
London: SanitationHorrible!• 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
• Men walked in the middle of street to protect the ladies
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:One Side
The Court
•Elizabeth and James totally supported theater
•Shakespeare’s company, “The King’s Men,” were named for King James
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
Shakespeare’s Theater: The Globe• Variety of tickets, from the pit
(groundlings) to the gallery
• Loud, obnoxious, intelligent crowds
• Performances lasted “at least two hours,” and started around 2 PM (the middle of the working day)
• Trumpet blew to signal the start
• Public - open to all, though could not be advertised
• Showed type of play by color of the flag• White = Comedy
• Red = History
• Black = Tragedy
A Tour of the Globe
William Shakespeare:The Bard Himself
England-A Spiritually Divided Country
•When Henry starts his own church, that splits the country into Catholic and Protestant•Shakespeare’s family has Catholic roots, but he supports the Queen
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
Stratford On Avon:
Shakespeare’s Hometown
Shakespeare’s Grammar SchoolTrinity Church
London: The Big City
Shakespeare in London• Became a leading actor and
playwright by 1592• In 1594, Romeo and Juliet
was first performed -- all male actors!
• By 1595, he’s the hottest playwright in London
• Writes 37 plays (2 per year)• Performed plays in theaters,
palaces, inns, and homes of nobility
• 1610 -- returned to Stratford
How Shakespeare Changed Theatre
After --
• Professional• Adds sets, lighting,
multiple stages, and the box office.
• Theater is new, akin to the start of TV
Before --
•Performed by roaming troupes for a meal or bed.
•Actors considered vagrants
• Performed lewd plays to religious ones.
William Shakespeare, according to many scholars, has made
the greatest contribution to the
English language of any writer, ever.
Sources:• www.bantams.demon.co.uk/ henry%20-%20holbein.jpg• www.marileecody.com/ seymour-min.jpg• laracorsets.com/ period_gowns.htm• www.guggenheim.org/.../ sugimoto_bottom_index.html• www.pijlsnel95.nl/images/ anne%20boleyn.jpg• www.costumes.org/.../boehn/ janeseymour.jpg• www.englishhistory.net/tudor/ monarchs/howard.html• www.britannia.com/ bios/cparr.html• ntap.k12.ca.us/whs/projects/ history/elizabeth.htm• www.tudorhistory.org/ cleves/clevesnew.jpg• www.englishhistory.net/tudor/ monarchs/eliz1.html• www.barking-dagenham.gov.uk/.../ eh-qe1-art.jpg• www.calrevels.org/graphics/ ermine.jpg• www.bju.edu/.../dramatour/ images/shakespeare.jpg• www.macalester.edu/~sisk/ mind/shakespeare.jpg• www.stratford-upon-avon.org/ images/Arial%20vi...• www.nmm.ac.uk/uploads/jpg/BHC0261.jpg• Photos and postcards acquired by Ms. Larsen in London, 2002