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- When Shakespeare wrote in verse, he often wrote in a term called lambic pentameter
- Lambic pentameter is a poetic unit of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable
- Pentameter is a greek word for five
- This contains five iambs, each two syllables long, for a total of ten syllables

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When Shakespeare wrote in verse, he most often used a form called iambic pentameter. Iamb, or iambic foot, is a poetic unit of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (de-DUM.) Pentameter is the Greek word for five. Therefore, iambic pentameter contains five iambs, each two syllables long, for a total of ten syllables.

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William Shakespeare's Life and Times: Iambic pentameter | SparkNotes

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When Shakespeare wrote in verse, he most often used a form called iambic pentameter. Iamb, or iambic foot, is a poetic unit of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (de-DUM.) Pentameter is the Greek word for five. Therefore, iambic pentameter contains five iambs, each two syllables long, for a total of ten syllables.

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- It can hold up to 3,000 people.
- In May 1599, the new theatre was ready to be open
- William Shakespeare's plays were performed in the Globe Theatre
- Shakespeare's company built the globe only because it could not use the special roofed facility

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Third time’s a charm: the when, how, and why behind Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre

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Globe Theatre, famous London theatre in which after 1599 the plays of William Shakespeare were performed.

Early in 1599 Shakespeare, who had been acting with the Lord Chamberlain's Men since 1594, paid into the coffers of the company a sum of money amounting to 12.5 percent of the cost of building the Globe. He did so as a chief shareholder in the company, and by doing so he helped to establish a uniquely successful form of commercial operation for the actors of the time. This investment gave Shakespeare and the other leading actors both a share in the company's profits and a share in their playhouse.

At this time, officially approved playhouses and officially approved acting companies had been in existence in London for only five years. The Lord Chamberlain's Men was one of only two companies licensed to perform within the London city limits. (For more on this subject, see Sidebar: Shakespeare and the Liberties.) The other company used the Rose playhouse, owned by an impresario and his ex-actor son-in-law.

The second best playhouse

Shakespeare's company built the Globe only because it could not use the special roofed facility, Blackfriars Theatre, that James Burbage (the father of their leading actor, Richard Burbage) had built in 1596 for it inside the city. The elder Burbage had a long history as a theatrical entrepreneur. In 1576 he had built the first successful amphitheatre, known as The Theatre, in a London suburb. Twenty years later, when the lease on The Theatre's land was about to expire, he built the theatre in Blackfriars as its replacement. But the wealthy residents of Blackfriars persuaded the government to block its use for plays, so Burbage's capital was locked up. He died early in 1597, his plans for the future of theatre in London frustrated.

Thus, the members of the Lord Chamberlain's Men were forced to rent a playhouse. At the end of 1598, they decided to build one for themselves. Because the inheritance of Burbage's sons, Cuthbert and Richard, was tied up in the Blackfriars, they formed a consortium with Shakespeare and four other actors, who became co-owners of the new Globe. The same shortage of cash made the consortium reluctant traditionalists; they gave up the idea of an indoor theatre in the city. The old playhouse was one of their few remaining resources, but they could not use it in situ because the lease had expired, so they dismantled it, took the timbers (illegally) to make the skeleton of their new amphitheatre, and kept the basic auditorium shape of The Theatre for the new building.

The success of the Globe

For all its hurried construction in 1599, the Globe proved a triumph. Its first decade of use made it a favourite not just with subsequent generations of theatregoers but with the company itself. In later years the troupe paid a lot to keep it going. At least two circumstances provide evidence for this statement. In 1608, when the company could finally fulfill James Burbage's original plan for the Blackfriars, the members chose, extravagantly, to operate the two theatres together, using the open-air Globe in the summer and the roofed Blackfriars in the winter. Had they chosen to, they easily could have rented one of the buildings to another company, since there was a shortage of playhouses in London in this period. But they kept both for themselves. They were given a second chance to transfer full-time to the Blackfriars in 1613, when the Globe burned to the ground, its thatch accidentally set alight by a cannon during a performance of Henry VIII. By then the Blackfriars was already beginning to bring better profits than the Globe, since the smaller house size was more than compensated by its higher prices. Instead, bearing the cost out of sentiment and traditional loyalty, the company members dug deep into their own pockets and rebuilt the Globe more splendidly than before.

Technically, the 1599 Globe and its 1614 replacement span an era in the history of theatre design. The first Globe, based on the skeleton of the original Theatre of 1576, was unique not just as the most famous example of that peculiar and short-lived form of theatre design but because it was actually the first to be built specifically for an existing acting company and financed by the company itself. Shakespeare designed As You Like It, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Pericles, and The Winter's Tale, not to mention Troilus and Cressida and Timon of Athens, for performance there.

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Globe Theatre | Definition, History, & Facts

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Globe Theatre, famous London theater in which after 1599 the plays of William Shakespeare were performed. The Globe was pulled down in 1644, two years after the Puritans closed all theaters. A reconstructed Globe opened at the original's location in 1997.

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- In the family life for women was dominated by the men
- Wealthy wore fur and jewels to church, while poor and middle class dressed more simply
- Wealthy english households ate large quantities of meat
- Women who were not married were regarded with suspicion
- Marriage were often arranged by parents

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Elizabethan Family Life

Elizabethan Family Life
Elizabethan Family Life was extremely close-knit. Many of the major elements of Elizabethan family life were determined by whether the family was poor and belonging to the lower classes or whether the family was wealthy. The main exception to this was religion, whether rich or poor, young or old, everyone in the family was expected to attend a Protestant Church Service every Sunday. Elizabethan family life was determined by the many laws of the land which dictated not only religion but also the types of clothes members of the family were allowed to wear!

A Wealthy Elizabethan Family Life
The major elements of Elizabethan family life revolved around:

Elizabethan Men versus Elizabethan Women. The quality, activities and type of family life was determined by the sex of the family member. The men led a completely different life to the women.

Elizabethan Women Family members

Elizabethan Men Family members

Elizabethan Betrothal and Marriage customs in the family

Elizabethan Children in the family - infant mortality, the role of children and education

Elizabethan Religion in the family

The Clothing worn in every day family life by Elizabethan family members

Health and Fitness in the Elizabethan family - sicknesses, medicines, cures, life expectancy and death

Elizabethan family life and the Food eaten

Leisure, sports, celebrations in the Elizabethan Family life

Elizabethan Family Life for Women

The Elizabethan family life for women was dominated by the men in the family. Elizabethan women were seen as inferior to men. They were subservient to the men in the family all of their lives and expected to obey the men in all aspects of their life. Disobedience was seen as a crime against their religion. Marriages were arranged to suit the family.

Elizabethan women were expected to marry to increase the wealth and position of the family and then to produce children - preferably male heirs. There were no careers for women - and women and there were no schools for girls, so the majority were illiterate. Family and Home life depended on the skills of the women in relation to good house keeping and the health of the family was determined by the ability of Elizabethan women to produce medicines from the herbs available to them.

Elizabethan Family Life for Men

The Elizabethan family life for men was one of power. The men made the decisions and the women were expected to obey them. The men were expected to support the family from a whole variety of occupations. And they were expected to improve the positions of all members of the family through influence and patronage from wealthier people and families than their own.

Elizabethan Family Life for Children

Children were subservient to the adults in the family. They were raised to respect and obey their parents. Infant mortality was high during the Elizabethan era so the children of the family were cherished. They were given toys to play with - dolls, toy soldiers, hobby horses and the like. Wealthy children were taught good manners and would be punished, boys and girls, for any forms of bad behaviour.

Elizabethan Family Life - the Home

The homes of the Elizabethan family were clearly dictated by wealth. The daily hours of Elizabethan families were dictated by daylight - very much early to bed and early to rise. The architecture and building of New Elizabethan homes were built in the distinct half-timbered, black and white styles. The interiors had separate rooms and levels. The flooring was still strewn with rushes in many houses. There were wooden floors but slate or marble floors were only for the very wealthy families. There was no running water (water was obtained from water pumps, this practice caused outbreaks of Typhoid), their heat was produced by fires and their lighting produced from rush lights, candles or torches. The thatched roofs made a good home for rats and mice (the Bubonic Plague was carried by fleas and transmitted normally by rodents). Elizabethan family life was brought comfort by their homes - but also death.

Elizabethan Family Life - Religion

The Religion of the Elizabethans was of huge importance to family life. The religion of the land was decreed by the reigning monarch. Mary Tudor ( Bloody Mary) was a staunch Catholic and so her people were expected to follow her religion - harsh penalties were inflicted on those who did not follow the Catholic religion in the reign of Mary. When Mary died and her sister Elizabeth succeeded to the throne the religion of England changed to the Protestant faith. The 1559 Act of Uniformity laws were passed in which attendance at church became compulsory and non-attendance was punishable by fine or imprisonment.

Elizabethan Family Life - Education

It was only deemed necessary for boys to attend schools or Universities. Girls were not allowed in such places of education. Only the most wealthy families allowed their daughters to be taught at home. The Protestant Anglican Church and its teachings were an important part of the school curriculum.

Elizabethan Family Life - Marriage and Betrothal customs

Elizabethan Betrothal and Marriage customs were an important feature of Elizabethan family life. Elizabethan women were expected to marry to increase the wealth and position of the family and then to produce children - preferably male heirs. Elizabethan women were expected to bring a dowry to the marriage. A dowry was an amount of money, goods, and property that the bride would bring to the marriage.

Elizabethan Family Life - Health, Fitness, Illness and Medicines

The Elizabethan era was literally plagued by the Black Death, also known as the Bubonic plague. The Elizabethans had no idea what caused the spread of the plague ( it was carried by fleas and transmitted normally by rodents). The underlying cause of many of the Elizabethan illnesses was the lack of sanitation, especially in large towns or cities such as London. There were open sewers in the streets which were also filled with garbage. There was no running water. This was obtained from water pumps which helped to spread typhoid. Elizabethan doctors were Physicians, Surgeons, Barbers and Apothecaries. The best doctors were too expensive to employ, many would not attend cases of Typhoid or the plague. Home made potions and cures were often the only medicines available. It was the duty of an Elizabethan housewife to ensure that such medicinal recipes were available to her family. Elizabethan Food - fruit, root vegetables and many dairy products were viewed as unseemly to wealthy families. The family health of poorer families was sometimes better than wealthy families. There were no labour saving devices such as those enjoyed today so the fitness levels and strength of Elizabethan men and women were quite high.

Elizabethan Family Life - Clothing

Elizabethan women and men were not allowed to wear whatever they liked. It did not matter how wealthy they were - the color, fabric and material of their clothes were dictated by their rank, status or position and this was enforced by English Law. English Sumptuary Laws were well known by all of the English people. The penalties for violating Sumptuary Laws could be harsh - fines, the loss of property, title and even life. It was a distinct probability that Elizabethan family life saw examples of the women to pushing their men into higher positions to enable them to wear higher class clothes.

Elizabethan Family Life - Food
A large amount of Elizabethan cooking was conducted over an open flame. Useful cooking utensils for this method of cooking Elizabethan food were pots, pans, kettles, skillets and cauldrons. Just as today, the smells and sounds of the kitchen played a large part in Elizabethan family life.

Interesting Facts and Information about Elizabethan Family Life Some interesting facts and information about Elizabethan Life and Elizabethan Family Life

Elizabethan Elizabethan Family Life
Comprehensive details, facts and information about the specific elements of Elizabethan Family Life can be accessed via the Elizabethan Era Sitemap and the following links:

Elizabethan Family Life

Interesting Facts and information about Elizabethan Family Life

Family Life for Elizabethan Men and Women

Elizabethan Family Life for Children

Elizabethan Family Life - the Home

Elizabethan Family Life - Religion

Elizabethan Family Life - Education

Elizabethan Family Life - Marriage customs

Elizabethan Family Life - Health, Fitness, Illness and Medicines

Elizabethan Family Life - Clothing

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Queen Elizabeth's Coat of Arms

Elizabethan Family Life

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Elizabethan Family Life Elizabethan Family Life Elizabethan Family Life was extremely close-knit. Many of the major elements of Elizabethan family life were determined by whether the family was poor and belonging to the lower classes or whether the family was wealthy.

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- Shakespeare had three children, sadly one of his children died at only age 11.
- Married to Anne Hathaway at 18 and she was 26.
- From 1590-1613 he wrote 37 plays sadly Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday "April 23, 1616."
- He started out as an actor in, "Lord Chamberlains men."

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William Shakespeare - Quotes, Plays & Wife

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William Shakespeare, often called England’s national poet, is considered the greatest dramatist of all time. His works are loved throughout the world, but Shakespeare’s personal life is shrouded in mystery.