The author and his times
The author and his timesTHE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMES
William Shakespeare lived in a time of great change and excitement
in England- a time of geographical discovery, international trade,
learning, and creativity. It was also a time of international
tension and internal uprisings that came close to civil war.
Under Elizabeth I (reigned 1558-1603) and James I (reigned
1603-1625), London was a center of government, learning, and trade,
and Shakespeare's audience came from all three worlds. His plays had
to please royalty and powerful nobles, educated lawyers and
scholars, as well as merchants, workers, and apprentices, many of whom
couldn't read or write. To keep so many different kinds of people
entertained, he had to write into his plays such elements as clowns
who made terrible puns and wisecracks; ghosts and witches; places
for the actors to dance and to sing the hit songs of the time; fencing
matches and other kinds of fight scenes; and emotional speeches for
his star actor, Richard Burbage. There is very little indication
that he was troubled in any way by having to do this. The stories he
told were familiar ones, from popular storybooks or from English and
Roman history. Sometimes they were adapted, as Hamlet was, from
earlier plays that had begun to seem old-fashioned. Part of
Shakespeare's success came from the fact that he had a knack for
making these old tales come to life....
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