Shakespeare Timeline & Elizabethan England
Shakespeare Timeline
1564: William Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon
1582: Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
1583: Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is born
1585: Shakespeare’s twins, Judith and Hamnet, are born
1592: Shakespeare is first alluded to as a playwright, in Greene’s Groates-worth of Wit
1593: Shakespeare’s first printed poem, Venus and Adonis, appears
1594: Shakespeare’s first printed play, Titus Andronicus, appears
1596: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, is granted a coat of arms; Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies
1597: Shakespeare purchases New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon
1598: Shakespeare is first mentioned as a sonneteer and author of 12 plays in Palladis Tamia
1599: Shakespeare’s father is granted a confirmation of arms; Shakespeare’s acting company takes down its old theater and uses the timber to build the Globe
1600: Extracts from Shakespeare’s plays and poetry appear in Bel-vedere, the first printed literary commonplace book to include plays
1601: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, dies
1602: The heralds dispute the legitimacy of a group of coat of arms, including Shakespeare’s; Shakespeare ratifies his purchase of New Place
1603: Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, becomes the King’s Men at the accession of James I; Hamlet appears in print
1607: Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna marries John Hall
1608: Shakespeare’s mother, Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, dies; his granddaughter Elizabeth is born
1609: Shakespeare’s Sonnets appears in print
1613: Shakespeare purchases the Blackfriars gatehouse in London; the Globe burns down during a performance of Henry VIII and is rebuilt within a year
1616: Shakespeare writes his will; his daughter Judith marries Thomas Quiney; Shakespeare dies
1623: The First Folio is published; Shakespeare’s widow Anne dies
Source: Shakespeare Documented
Elizabethan England
IN 16TH CENTURY ENGLAND, religion and politics were one in the same. People believed in the “divine right of kings” – that is, monarchs were given their right to rule directly from God, and were subject to no earthly authority.
In 1534, King Henry VIII famously broke from the Catholic Church when they denied him the right to a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who had not produced a male heir. He declared himself head of the new Anglican Church, which eventually became part of the Protestant Reformation.
His actions resulted in a time of bitter and violent religious disputes in England, and the crown changed hands frequently in a short period of time.
BY THE TIME SHAKESPEARE WAS BORN IN 1564, Queen Elizabeth—Henry VIII’s second eldest daughter, born to his second wife, Anne Boleyn—was in power.
Her 44 years on the throne provided the kingdom with more stability than the previous short-lived reigns of her two halfsiblings, Edward VI (crowned at age 9 and dead by age 16) and Mary Tudor (nicknamed “Bloody Mary” for the nearly 300 Protestants she had burned at the stake).
QUEEN ELIZABETH’S REIGN WAS A TIME OF THRIVING CULTURE.
English citizens loved her, nicknaming her “Good Queen Bess”. Because she remained unmarried throughout her rule and did not give birth to an heir, a distant relative, King James VI of Scotland, was named as her successor.
Both Elizabeth and James were great patrons of the theatre, and enjoyed Shakespeare’s plays.
In fact, King James honored Shakespeare’s company of actors with the title of “The King’s Men”, and they performed at court regularly.
What was happening in the 16th Century in India?
The early modern period began in the 16th century, when the Mughal Empire conquered most of the Indian subcontinent, signaling the proto-industrialization, becoming the biggest global economy and manufacturing power, with a nominal GDP that valued a quarter of world GDP, superior to that of Europe.
Source: Classic Stage Company
GROWING UP SHAKESPEARE:
Fun, Games, and School
BOYS AND GIRLS began “petty school” around the age of four in order to learn how to read. Girls left school at age six to be taught at home by their mothers, or, if they were rich, a private tutor. If boys belonged to a middle class or wealthy family, they could continue on to “grammar school” after leaving petty school, or they were sent to work in some sort of trade, such as farming. At grammar school boys would study Latin, drama, poetry, and history for long hours with no desks. Learning Latin was important for any boy wanting to enter a career in law, medicine, or the Church. Because Shakespeare’s father made a sustainable living in public and government jobs, Shakespeare was able to attend grammar school where he likely picked up his love of drama and writing.
Source: Classic Stage Company
FOOTBALL—or soccer, as we know it—was a popular sport for people in the countryside around Shakespeare’s hometown. The balls were made from inflated pigs’ bladders! Shakespeare makes mention of this sport in THE COMEDY OF ERRORS: “Am I so round with you as you with me, that like a football you do spurn me thus?” Other popular sports of the day Shakespeare mentions in his works include tennis, bowling, wrestling, rugby, billiards, and archery.
Source: Classic Stage Company
FESTIVALS occurred at various times of the year. One of the most popular was on May 1st—May Day, the celebration of the arrival of summer! Columns were erected (maypoles) and adorned with ribbons and flowers, traditionally as part of a dance. This tradition is referenced in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: “They rose early to observe the rite of May.”
Source: Classic Stage Company