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It is not always easy to categorically say whether a William Shakespeare play is a tragedy, comedy, or history, because Shakespeare blurred the boundaries between these genres, especially as his work developed more complexity in themes and character development. But those are the categories into which the First Folio (the first collection of his works, published in 1623; he died in 1616) was divided, and thus, they are useful to start the discussion. The plays can be generally classified into these three broad categories based on whether the main character dies or is bequeathed a happy ending and whether Shakespeare was writing about a real person.

This list identifies which plays are generally associated with which genre, but the classification of some plays is open to interpretation and debate and changes over time.

In Shakespeare's tragedies, the main protagonist has a flaw that leads to his (and/or her) downfall. There are both internal and external struggles and often a bit of the supernatural thrown in for good measure (and tension). Often there are passages or characters that have the job of lightening the mood (comic relief), but the overall tone of the piece is quite serious. The 10 Shakespeare plays generally classified as tragedy are as follows:

Shakespeare's comedies are sometimes further subdivided into a group called romances, tragicomedies, or "problem plays," which are the dramas that have elements of humor, tragedy, and complex plots. For example, " Much Ado About Nothing" begins like a comedy but soon descends into tragedy-leading some critics to describe the play as a tragicomedy. Others debated or cited as tragicomedies include "The Winter's Tale," "Cymbeline," "The Tempest," and "The Merchant of Venice."

Four of his plays are often called his "late romances," and they include: "Pericles," "The Winter's Tale," and "The Tempest." "Problem plays" are so-called because of their tragicomic elements and moral issues, and they don't end perfectly tied up, such as "All's Well That Ends Well," "Measure for Measure" and "Troilus and Cressida." Regardless of all that debate, the 18 plays generally classified as comedy are as follows:

1. "All's Well That Ends Well"

2. " As You Like It"

3. " The Comedy of Errors"

4. "Cymbeline"

5. "Love's Labour's Lost"

6. "Measure for Measure"

7. "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

8. "The Merchant of Venice"

9. "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

10. " Much Ado About Nothing"

11. "Pericles, Prince of Tyre"

12. "The Taming of the Shrew"

13. "The Tempest"

14. " Troilus and Cressida"

15. "Twelfth Night"

16. "Two Gentlemen of Verona"

17. "The Two Noble Kinsmen"

18. "The Winter's Tale"

Sure, the history plays are all about real figures, but it can also be argued that with the downfall portrayed of the kings in "Richard II" and "Richard III," those history plays could also be classified as tragedies, as they were billed back in Shakespeare's day. They would easily be called tragedy plays were the main character of each fictional. The 10 plays generally classified as history plays are as follows:

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How to Know if It's a Tragedy, Comedy, or History

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It is not always easy to categorically say whether a William Shakespeare play is a tragedy, comedy, or history, because Shakespeare blurred the boundaries between these genres, especially as his work developed more complexity in themes and character development.

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Free Study Guide Answers, Book and Literature Notes - Novelguide.com

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Get homework help from novelguide.com. Get free study guide answers, book notes including complete summary analysis, chapter analysis from all authors.

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Elizabethan Societal Classes

The events depicted in The Lost Colony took place during the Elizabethan era in England. The term, "Elizabethan Era" refers to the English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history and it's been widely romanticized in books, movies, plays, and TV series. The Elizabethan age is considered to be a time of English renaissance that inspired national pride through classical ideals, international expansion, and naval triumph.

This English Renaissance saw the flowering of poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for theatre, as William Shakespeare and many others composed plays that we still read and watch today. It was also an age of exploration and expansion abroad to establish colonies under English rule across the globe, including in The New World, to further England's empire.

The era called the Elizabethan England was a time of many changes and developments and was also considered as the Golden Age in English history. This era was led by Queen Elizabeth I, the sixth and last ruler of Tudor. Queen Elizabeth I was considered by many to be England's best monarch. She was wise and a just Queen and chose the right advisers and was not dominated by them. She ruled the Elizabethan era for 45 years and during this time was the height of the English Renaissance and the time of the development of English poetry and literature.

The Lost Colony Western Europe Map Society began to form along new lines during the Tudor years and it was an age of individuality. Nobility and knights were still at the top of the social ladder. These men were rich and powerful, and they have large households. The real growth in society was in the merchant class. Within the nobility class there was a distinction between old families and new. Most of the old families were Catholic, and the new families were Protestant. During Shakespeare's time there were only about 55 noble families in England. At the head of each noble family is a duke, a baron or an earl. This class is the lords and ladies of the land. A person becomes a member of nobility by birth, or by a grant from the queen or king. Noble titles were hereditary, passing from father to oldest son. It took a crime such as treason for a nobleman to lose his title. Many nobles died during the War of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought during the 15th century. The Tudor monarchy, Elizabeth, her father Henry VIII, and her grandfather Henry VII rarely appointed new nobles to replace those who died. They viewed the nobility class as a threat to their power and preferred to keep the number of them small. Being a member of the nobility class often brought debt rather than profit. The expectations of the class and the non paying honorific offices could bring terrible financial burdens. They maintained huge households, and conspicuous consumption and lavish entertainment was expected. Visiting nobles to England were the responsibility of the English nobility to house and entertain at their own expense. Appointment to a post as a foreign ambassador required the ambassador to maintain a household of as many 100 attendants. Most of Queen Elizabeth's council, chief officers in the counties came from the noble families. They were expected to serve in an office, such as being an ambassador to a foreign country, at their own expense of course.

The Gentry class included knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen who did not work with their hands for a living. Their numbers grew during Queen Elizabeth's reign and became the most important social class in England. Wealth was the key to becoming a part of the gentry class. This class was made of people not born of noble birth who by acquiring large amounts of property became wealthy landowners. The rise of the gentry was the dominant feature of Elizabethan society. They essentially changed things, which launched out new paths whether at home or overseas, provided leadership and spirit of the age, who gave it character and did its work during this era. The gentry were the solid citizens of Elizabethan England. Francis Drake, the famous explorer and Sir Walter Raleigh, who led the way to the English colonization of America were of the gentry class. Two of the queen's chief ministers, Burgley and Walsingham were products of the gentry. Francis Bacon, the great essayer and philosopher also came from this class. The gentry were the backbone of Elizabethan England. They went to Parliament and served as justices of the Peace. They combined the wealth of the nobility with the energy of the sturdy peasants from whom they had sprung.

The Tudor era saw the rise of modern commerce with cloth and weaving leading the way. The prosperous merchant class emerged from the ashes of the Wars of the Roses. The prosperity of the wool trade led to a surge in building and the importance cannot be overstated. Shipping products from England to various ports in Europe and to the New World also became a profitable business for the merchants. Prices for everyday food and household items that came from other countries increased as the merchants gained a monopoly on the sales of all goods under the pretence it would benefit the country where it really benefited the pocket of the merchants.

This was the "middling" class who saved enough to live comfortably but who at any moment, through illness or bad luck be plunged into poverty. This class included the farmers, tradesmen and craft workers. They took their religion very seriously and could read and write. This class of people was prosperous and sometimes their wealth could exceed those of the gentry, but the difference was how they spent their wealth. The yeoman's were content to live more simply, using their wealth to improve their land and expand it.

The last class of Elizabethan England was the day laborers, poor husbandmen, and some retailers who did not own their own land. Artisans, shoemakers, carpenters, brick masons and all those who worked with their hands belonged to this class of society. In this class we can also put our great swarms of idle serving-men and beggars. Under Queen Elizabeth I, the government undertook the job of assisting the laborers class and the result was the famous Elizabethan Poor Laws which resulted in one of the world's first government sponsored welfare programs. This era was generally peaceful as the battles between the Protestants and the Catholics and those between the Parliament and the Monarchy had subsided.

Historical Figures featured in The Lost Colony

Queen Elizabeth was probably England's most popular sovereign. In March 1584 she granted Sir Walter Raleigh a patent entitling him to occupy such lands as he may discover in the name of the crown of England. As a result of this patent, she was the benefactor of Virgina. In honor of her, the "Virgin Queen," the name Virginia was given to the territory claimed by Raleigh's men in the New World. Elizabeth I has been credited with the devotion to duty and love of her country that has made "England" stand forever.

An English navigator was sent by Walter Raleigh to explore the North American coast of the New World. On April 27, 1584, he and Captain Arthur Barlowe set sail and commanded one of the two barks that made the first English voyage to Roanoke Island. He was trained in navigation by Thomas Harriott, English scientist and mathematician. Amadas returned to Roanoke Island in 1585 as "Admiral of Virginia." His reports to Walter Raleigh provided "glowing accounts" of new found land in the New World.

An English navigator also trained by Thomas Harriott, sent by Walter Raleigh to explore the North American coast of the New World. He was second captain to Amadas on the 1584 voyage to the North American coast. He accompanied Amadas on the visit to Chief Wingina village on Roanoke Island. On their return back to England in September 1584, they took back with them two Indians, Wanchese and Manteo, who were taught English and served as propaganda for the second voyage back to the New World. Barlowe is also known for his entertaining report to Walter Raleigh describing their discoveries and experiences of the 1584 Virginia voyage.

An English tiler and bricklayer, was the father of Virginia Dare, the first English child born on Roanoke Island. He was married to Eleanor White and was the son in law of Governor John White, who was appointed by Sir Walter Raleigh to lead his Roanoke colony. His name was third on the list of thirteen men to whom Sir Walter Raleigh granted certain privileges for establishing a colony in Virginia. Dare was also the first scientific illustrator appointed by Queen Elizabeth to illustrate everything in particular that he observed that was different from English eyes. It is believed that Ananias Dare lost his life while defending the fort on Roanoke Island from the local Native Americans.

One of the sixteen women who left England in 1587 as part of the Roanoke expedition. She was the daughter of Governor John White and wife of Ananias Dare. Eleanor gave birth to Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents born on August 18, 1587 in North America shortly after their arrival from England. She disappeared with the colony while her father Governor White returned to England for supplies.

The first child to be born in America of English parents on August 18, 1587. The infant, Virginia Dare vanished along with all of the other Roanoke colonists while awaiting supplies ships from England who was in the middle of the Spanish Armada. It is believed that what survivors of the "Lost Colony" there may have been were absorbed into the Croatan tribe.

Simon Fernandez was a Portuguese navigator from Azores Island. He piloted the Roanoke Voyages from 1584 to 1587. Fernandez was by trade a privateer in the escalating war between England and Spain. The Chesapeake Bay area was originally the decided area for the 1587 voyage with Governor White and his colonists. By the time the caravan arrived at Roanoke Island to check on the fifteen men that were left a year earlier, he had grown inpatient with Governor White and anxious to resume the hunt for Spanish trading. He ordered the colonists ashore on Roanoke Island and abandoned the idea of taking the colonists to the Chesapeake Bay area. Ten days later, Fernandez departed for England taking along the anxious John White, who reluctantly decided to return to England for supplies.

From Northampton, Ralph Lane may have served in the Parliament before engaging in various maritime activities and in the struggle against Spain. He was Governor for Sir Walter Raleigh's first Roanoke colony in 1585 which consists of 107 military men which last approximately ten months from August 17, 1585 to June 18, 1586. Lane was knighted in 1593 and is buried in Dublin where he died.

Manteo was the Chief of a local Native American tribe that befriended the Ralph Lane colony that arrived on Roanoke Island in 1585. Arriving too late in the year to plant crops and harvest for food, Manteo helped the colonists to avoid starvation until they were able to provide food for themselves. He made two trips to England and was listed among those sailing for the New World in 1587 with Governor White and his colonists. By the command of Sir Walter Raleigh, Manteo was christened on Roanoke Island and invested with the title of a feudal baron, Lord of Roanoke and Dasamonqueponke on Sunday, August 13, 1587. This was the first peerage elected by the English in America. Manteo was also the first Native American to be received into the Church of England. It was Manteo and his people at Croatoan that the colonists expected to turn to in case of need until Governor White returned from England with supplies.

Born to a protestant family in Devon he is one of the most colorful characters in English history. Navigator, historian, soldier, poet and explorer, he initiated the Roanoke voyages and English colonization of the New World. Raleigh never visited the New World. He is credited with having introduced both the potato and tobacco to England from America. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1585. It is historically true that the episode of the cloak thrown in the puddle for Queen Elizabeth I did indeed happen. It was from this incident that Raleigh's favor with the Queen grew.

Wanchese was a Native American chief of Roanoke Island and probably a member of the eastern division of the Algonquian tribe. He returned to England with Captain's Amadas and Barlowe's expedition and became bitter towards the English.

English artist and one of several early English colonists who sailed with Sir Richard Grenville's expedition in 1585. During his time at Roanoke Island he made numerous famous drawings with watercolors of the landscapes and native people. His superb watercolors of native plants, animals and Indian life, give us an insight into what the English found during their explorations. White was described as a "Gentleman of London" became Governor of the second Roanoke colony in 1587. He led a band of settlers sent out by Sir Walter Raleigh under the authority of the Virginia Company. He was the father of Eleanor Dare and grandfather of Virginia Dare, the first English born child in the New World. He returned back to England for much needed supplies and was not able to return in 1590 finding the colony empty. He spent the remainder of his life in England and Ireland.

Very little is known about the vast majority of the colonists explorers who were not leaders. What little is known is interesting simply because it is a first step toward understanding who the colonists might have been and in trying to guess why they wanted to come to the New World.

Mark Bennett and William Berde both "Lost Colonists" are described quite simply as husbandman and a yeoman. Richard Berry, also a member of John Whites colonists was described as a "gentleman" and was a muster captain in 1572. Anthony Cage, another 1587 colonist, had been sheriff of Huntington in 1585. Two other "Lost Colonists," James Hynde and William Clement, had been in prison together in Colchester Castle for stealing.

Thomas Ellis of the "Lost Colony" was at the other end of the social ladder. Before leaving home in Exeter, he had been a member of the vestry of his parish church, St. Petrock, which still stands today on the main business street of Exeter. It is believed that John Hewet was the "Lost Colonist" lawyer. He held a bachelor of civil law from Oxford. John Spendlove, later a "Lost Colonists" was described on a 1585 muster list as a "gentleman" and reported present with his horse.

It is also believed that there were three men who returned with Governor John White in search of the "Lost Colonists" who had the same or similar surnames as some of the members of the vanished expeditions. Robert Coleman, Henry Millett, John Taylor were in search of Thomas Colman and his wife, Michael Mylett and Clement and Hugh Taylor.

Economic and Social Class Availability of Food

The availability of food during the Elizabethan Era was based on economic and social class standing. Home grown produce was used to feed the majority of the English. Poor harvests which occurred during the 1590's, had a bad effect on the economy and led to starvation in some areas. The booming wool trade changed the face of agriculture and the land enclosures led to and increase of the number of people living in poverty and the introduction of the 1601 Poor Law.

Social class played a very important role in Elizabethan England in almost every aspect of life. Food and drink were no exception to this rule; it varied according to status and wealth. The availability of food to the people of England also depended on the social classes. The food available to the Upper Class differed considerable to the food available to the lower class. The Upper Class also enjoyed various spices imported from abroad.

Presentation of food was also important during the Elizabethan era especially for the nobility. It was important that their feasts and banquets had a great visual effect. Colors, different serving methods, and various "props" also used to enhance the presentation of a meal. Peacocks were not raised just for the meat of the poultry but also for its feathers. The feathers were used to decorate the foods that were served during the banquets. Any imported foods were expensive and out of the reach of Lower classes and used primarily by the monarch and nobility classes.

Meat was the primary food consumed by the wealthy and privileged class. It was the most popular food and usually sold a large livestock markets. The rich of Elizabethan England ate well. Meats such as lamb, beef, mutton, pork, goat, bacon, veal, rabbit, and fowl such as peacocks, swans, herons, and goose were served. Chicken were believed to be introduced to England by the Romans. Only Lords and Nobles were allowed to hunt deer, boar, hares and rabbits. They also ate different kinds of freshwater and ocean fish such as herring, salmon, eel, whiting, cod, trout and pike. Shell fish including crab, oysters, mussels and cockles were also featured in Elizabethan recipes.

Meat, fishes and poultry were cooked in varied ways as well. Some of the more common methods were spit, roasting, baking, boiling, smoking, salting and frying. Smoking of the meat was very popular and was intended to preserve the food. The people during this era mostly preferred cooking that done over an open flame. Meat was cooked on a spit which was sometimes turned by a dog running on a circular treadmill attached to the end of the spit. Other useful cooking utensils for cooking over an open flame were pots, pans, skillets and cauldrons. Food preparation was made possible with the use of ladles, knives, meat forks, and scissors. Baking trays made from hardened pastry called a "coffin" was used for baking. Baking was also done in iron boxes laid on the fire or in a brick oven that was set into the side of a fireplace. The mortar and pestle were essential in grinding nuts and spices for the Elizabethan recipes that was kept in a book by each cook. In the Upper Classes, the kitchens were in large houses or castles some distance from the main house and food was generally served cold.

Improved agriculture techniques and inventions gave way to an increase in herbs, vegetables, and fruits such as turnips, parsnips, carrots, onions, leeks, garlic and radishes, apples, pears, plums, cherries and woodland strawberries. It was common to prepare these by roasting or boiling and serving with bread.

Sugar, honey, and marzipan became popular during this era as the Tudors were very fond of desserts. Sugar was imported to England, having been obtained from sugar cane. They enjoyed pastries, tarts, cakes, cream, custard, and crystallized fruit and syrup. On special occasions such as banquets, all kinds of specialties would be made out of sugar and marzipan such as animals, birds, fruits or baskets. Sometimes wine glasses, dishes would be made out of crisp molded sugar called sugar-plate which would be elaborately decorated.

Food items were generally purchased from small markets and from fairs. In larger cities there were specific markets which sold fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The term "vegetable" was rarely used to describe what we call vegetables today. Instead the term "herb" was used for all green plants, roots, and herbs. Food items that came from the ground were only good enough for the lower classes. Only vegetables such as rape, onions, garlic and leeks were set on a Noble's table.

Food began changing over the course of the Tudor period. More and more foods were being introduced into society as they were discovered in the New World. Tomatoes or "love apples" from Mexico, Turkey from Central America, Kidney Beans from Peru and of course the famous potatoes brought to England by Sir Walter Raleigh. Chili peppers, including red peppers, cayenne, and paprika were also imported from the New World. One of the most sought after spices was pepper. The discovery of Chili peppers in the New World was very encouraging to the Elizabethan explorers. Vanilla, pineapples, lima beans, peanuts, tapioca, pumpkins, corn, avocado, pecans, cashews, squash, coffee, maize, chocolate and tea were also introduced during the Elizabethan era.

The Early Crusaders had brought back to England the element of eastern cooking with spices such as pepper, cinnamon, mace, ginger, cloves, raisins, saffron and sugar. These Medieval recipes were passed down to Elizabethan recipes. Spices were welcomed in the preparation of a meal as their distinctive flavors disguised the strong and dominate taste of salt which was used to preserve the meat. Spices were very expensive and used in these cooking recipes for the Upper Class. It became a matter of both social fashion and prestige and a sign of wealth and high social status. The Oriental Spice Trade was very important and the most profitable in European trade. The drive for profit through new spices as well as the quest for gold and silver was what encouraged the explorations of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh.

Water was not clean during the Elizabethan Era, and thus people drank ale and wine. The Upper Classes drank both and the Lower Classes just drank ale. Honey was used to make a sweet alcoholic drink called mead which was drunk by all classes. Wine was imported, although there were a few fruit wines produced in England. Most of the wines were sweet and rather heavy. They probably had to be strained before they could be drunk, and could still have solid matter floating in them. "Apple-wine", a form of cider was also produced during the Elizabethan era. Ales were brewed with malt and water and were relatively flat, while beer contained hops of a bitter flavor. Bayberries, orris, and long pepper were flavors that could be added to ales and beers for a variety of tastes. It was estimated that a person would consume about a gallon a day of weak low alcohol drinks during the Elizabethan era.

The main parts of the basic diet during Elizabethan times were bread, meat, and fish. Bread was the most important component of the diet. The Upper Classes ate Manchet, a bread loaf made of wheat flour. The Lower Classes ate bread loaves of rye and barley.

Dairy products produced during Elizabethan England included milk, cream, butter and cheese. Milk was used as a beverage, and cream, curds, whey, butter and cheese was a by-product of this commodity. Strawberries and cream was a delightful treat and eggs were abundantly consumed. Several types of cheeses were available during this era.

Hard cheeses were made from skimmed milk, and soft cheeses were made from whole milk. Butter was stored in wooden barrels called firkins and was only used by the Upper Class for cooking food as all dairy products were determined inferior foods and only to be eaten by the poor.

Biscuits, invented by the Crusaders were considered a convenience food during the Elizabethan era. The "Ploughman's Lunch" consisting of cheese and bread was a staple diet of the Lower Class workers. Communal ovens were also available in villages for baking pastries and pies with cooked roasted meat which were sold on the street to the villagers during an outing to the Theatre or a fair.

How many times a day you ate and what you ate with depended on your social class. Upper classes and nobility would eat three meals a day using glass, delft from Holland and silverware. China ware was unknown at this time. Lower classes would eat two to three meals a day using wooden or horn dishes and pewter. Everyone used their own knife, and spoons were rarely used as soup and liquids were drunk from a cup. Forks had just been introduced in the late 14th century and were still evolving around the country.

The Upper Classes would usually eat breakfast consisting of food and drink between 6-7 am. Dinner was the midday meal of food and drink served between noon and 2 pm. Supper was a substantial meal of food and drink served between 6-7 pm along with various forms of entertainment. The Lower Classes meals were far less elaborate than the Upper Classes and did not include entertainment during supper. The average Lower Class citizen consumed at least ½ lb of bread, 1 pint of beer, 1 pint of porridge and ¼ lb of meat daily. This could be supplemented by some dairy products, and vegetables were the main ingredient of their soups. Food for a Tudor soldier would consists of 2 lb. of beef or mutton accompanied with 1 lb. of cheese, ½ lb of butter, 1 ½ lb of bread, and almost a gallon of beer. Beer in the Elizabethan era had a very low content of alcohol. The quantity and content of the food eaten by the Upper Class was considerably different form the diet of the Lower Classes. The number of courses and variety of the foods consumed by the Upper Class included expensive spices and ingredients and exotic recipes.

Food varied according to season as there were no methods of freezing foods in Elizabethan England. For economic reasons, animals were slaughtered in the fall of the year as to not have to feed them during the winter. Salt was used to preserve the meats and thus the food always had a salty taste. Methods were introduced to disguise the salty taste. Spices, including pepper, mustard, saffron, cloves, cardimon and cinnamon were added to recipes and a variety of sauces were used to disguise the salty taste. Stews and potages formed an important element in the diet of Middle and Lower Classes. The introduction of food processing was used to soften meat and vegetables. Soaking roots, leaves, seeds, nuts and berries in cold water for several hours made the food easier to digest. Salted meats and fish were rinsed in several changes of liquid before cooking to weaken the salty taste. Pickling and smoking were also used as methods of preservation.

Fresh flowers and herbs were preserved to use in flavoring winter dishes. The preparation of preserved food took place in the Stillroom. This is where distillations, preserves and delicate floral syrups were prepared. The Stillroom was also used to prepare medicinal tinctures and herbal potions. The most important use if the Stillroom was to produce alcoholic beverages.

The Upper Class could afford to expand the use of sugar and honey as a sweetener in many Elizabethan recipes. Jams, marmalades and curds were made from a variety of fruits.

Elizabethan food and drink did not constitute a good balanced diet. The rich ate few fresh vegetables and little fresh fruit. Fruit was usually served in pies or preserved in honey. Vegetables and fresh fruit were eaten by the poor, usually in some form of stew, soup or porridge. Food items which came from the ground and dairy products were considered only fit for the poor.

The diet of the poor and Lower Classes was better than those of the Nobles and Upper Class. Because of the snobbery of eating fresh vegetables, fruits and dairy products the Upper Classes suffered from lack of Vitamin C, calcium and fiber in their diet. This led to an assortment of health problems for those running the country. Bad teeth, skin diseases, scurvy, and rickets were just a few health problems the rich encountered. Sugar, only affordable to the rich was known to blacken teeth. It became fashionable to have your teeth blackened by applying cosmetics to get this effect if enough quantities of sugar were not available to you.

Religion played an important part in the diet of the Elizabethan people. There were certain times the eating of meat was banned. Certain religious observances banned the eating of meat on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Meat was also banned during the religious seasons of Lent and Advent and on the eves of many religious holidays. Fasting and abstaining from meat was observed for over half the days of the year.

The Elizabethan Royalty, Nobility and Upper Classes were known throughout the country for their lavish and sumptuous banquets and feasts. New foods and spices arriving daily from the New World inspired new recipes using the finest foods and ingredients. The Royal banquets of the Elizabethan Era were the most magnificent. The Tudor Dynasty, especially the father of Queen Elizabeth, King Henry VIII was always in competition with the French King.

Cooks employed by Nobles during the Elizabethan era would endeavor to provide Queen Elizabeth with a feast or banquet of a similar standard and content set by the high standards set by the French. An example of an Elizabethan Banquet is outlined:

Elizabethan Government

The monarch of England during the Elizabethan era was Queen Elizabeth I. The government of Elizabethan England was centralized, well organized and very efficient. It was very much a personal monarch with ministers. Queen Elizabeth's personality determined the style, intensity and efficiency. She ruled and led her people for 45 years, and produced great developments and advancements for England. During her time, monarchs were rulers and not just figureheads. She was the ultimate decider and was able to determine issues of her nation's religion, when Parliament would sit and what it would discuss, when and if her country would go to war, matters of education, welfare of her citizens, what food they would eat and what clothes they could wear. She is considered to be England's best monarch. She was a wise and just Queen and chose the right advisers and never let herself get dominated by these advisers. She dealt with the stubbornly resistant members of Parliament without being tyrannous, and was cleaver at compromising in both religious and political matters. Queen Elizabeth I was the sixth and last of the Tudor dynasty.

The Divine Rights of Kings gave the monarch the image of being a Demigod. The theory of the Divine Right of Kings aimed at instilling obedience by explaining why all social ranks were religiously and morally obliged to obey their government. The strong authority made going against the monarch a sin. By not obeying the queen, you could be accused of treason and sentenced to death. The queen had the power to send one to prison and order execution. Even with all of this power, the monarch was not above the law, and she could also be brought before the court.

All laws required the queens consent in order to be passed. The queen could not write and pass laws herself. She had to draw up a Bill and put it forward to Parliament for consideration and approval. However, the queen could make Royal Proclamations without Parliament's consent.

The Privy Council was Queen Elizabeth's group of advisers and its main purpose was to give numerous different opinions to the queen and she decided on the issue at hand. Too often the advice was often ignored and the Council had to still carry out the queen's wishes. The Council took care of routine administration which involved matters of religion, military, the queen's security, economics, and the welfare of the citizens. The Council dealt with matters of national and individual interest, issued proclamations in the queen's name and supervised law and enforcement. The Council could not may any decisions, they could only advise. The members of the Council were depended on who the queen wanted there. Certain powerful noblemen were also necessary in the Council so that their and their realms' interest were represented so that a rebellion would be avoided. Queen Elizabeth believed the more members of the Council, the more opinions and problems. She dropped the number of Council members from 50 to 19 and eventually to 13. At the beginning of her reign, the Council met three times a week, by the end her reign, they met almost every day.

The Secretary of State, Sir William Cecil led the Council. He was wise, cautious, and cooperative with Queen Elizabeth and trusted by all others. He was also the queen's personal secretary and chief adviser until his death. He had the reputation of one of the greatest English statesmen. His successor, Sir Francis Walsingham, was the mastermind of the English spy network which defended Queen Elizabeth against foreign powers and plots. He was succeeded by Sir Robert Cecil.

A group of representatives called Parliament was divided into two sections. The House of Lords or the Upper House consisted of bishops and aristocrats. The House of Commons or the Lower House consisted of common people. There were no political parties or a Prime Minister associated with Parliament during the Elizabethan era.

The main function of Parliament at this time in history was to deal with financial matters such as taxation and granting the queen money. The monarch paid for daily administration with ordinary revenues from customs, feudal dues and sales of land. Parliament covered extraordinary expenditures such as war with taxation. If taxation did not supply enough funds for military expenditures, more land was sold along with illegal scheming. Parliament was also used for passing laws. During Queen Elizabeth's reign, 438 public and private laws were passed. Public laws applied to everyone, whereas, private laws only applied to certain people. Parliament could undo a law if both houses agreed three times and the queen was also in agreement. The queen could make laws by Royal Proclamation without Parliament's consent. Parliament could also advise the queen, but she was never interested in their advice.

Elections only occurred for the members of the House of Commons. These members were supported by the important local people from their locale. The members of the House of Commons only had voting power if they were male and received a certain annual income. The queen decided when Parliament would be called to session. Queen Elizabeth I only called Parliament to session 10 times during her reign.

Local governments were important to the citizens of Elizabethan England. Every county had royal representatives such as Justices of the Peace, Sheriffs, and Lords Lieutenant. They insured that the queen's command and laws were enforced and obeyed.

Regional governments were responsible for overseeing parts of England that the Privy Council could not supervise. The Council of the North, which resided in York, was responsible for Northern England, and the Council of the Marches, which resided in Ludlow, was responsible for Wales and some border counties.

Manors were run by nobility and gentry. Owning land was what made one powerful, and those with land were wealthy and masters of the tenants on his land, thus they had had a major influence. It was a position of responsibility as they were meant to aid the monarchy by governing their own land. Grievances were taken to the Lord of the manor and the tenants were loyal to him. His political views were greatly impacted on his tenants as well.

Each city and town had its own government, head by a mayor.

The judicial system of Elizabethan England was made up of several courts. The most important courts were the Great Sessions Courts or the Assizes, and the Quarter Sessions Courts which dealt with most crimes. The Great Sessions Courts were held twice a year in each county, and the Quarter Sessions Courts were held four times a year. The Assizes was famous for its power to inflict harsh punishment.

Petty Sessions Courts, Manor Courts, and town courts handled unimportant crimes. Civil cases were dealt by various courts depending on the person's monetary status. The Star Chamber, one of the highest profile courts consisting of mostly Privy Counselors tried the wealthy. The Court of Chancery judged criminal cases, and the Exchequer of Pleas handled the financial suits. The Court of Requests dealt with the poor or "poor man's causes, and the Church Courts handled religious and moral cases. Those who committed high treason and other serious crimes received the death sentence which was often handed down by the queen. Those guilty of lesser crimes were sent to prison or to the stocks.

It was an era of great economic development. Sir Thomas Gresham established the first stock exchange called the Royal Exchange in 1565. This was the first one in England and one of the first institutions in Europe. This relative peaceful and prosperous Elizabethan era was known as the "Golden Age."

Elizabethan Family Life

The people of Elizabethan times believed that families were to become the role models of the society. Families in England were regarded important in its role to society. It was a time of family rules based from Bible sections indicating the responsibility of the parents to raise their children in a proper manner. Love was not considered a reason to marry, but did recognize that love may come during married life. Arranged marriages were mostly between neighbors and friends except for noble classes. Lower social classes were freer to make their own choice in marriage matters.

Wives were regarded as "property" of their husbands and the women were expected to get married and be dependent on the male population all of their life. Men were expected to ask a woman her hand in marriage and marriage was a requirement to be able to take legal command of the household, to be able to work in a public office and to get involved in any position with civic duties. Children were also acknowledged as "property" of their parents, and were commanded to respect them. Family ties were very close knit and well respected and it was regarded that house rules were followed with proper obedience.

The Elizabethans had a high regard for family in the community. They followed a deep respect for the importance of hierarchy. Their customary rulings for the behavior of children were taken from Bible passages, which explained the duty of parents in properly raising their children and likewise explaining the responsibility of children to respect and obey their elders. The life expectancy reached until 42 years old and the richer classes lived years longer than that.

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Elizabethan Era The events depicted in The Lost Colony took place during the Elizabethan era in England. The term, "Elizabethan Era" refers to the English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history and it's been widely romanticized in books, movies, plays, and TV series.

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The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. England consolidated its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and Elizabeth firmly established the Church of England begun by her father, King Henry VIII (following Henry's dispute with the Pope over having his first marriage annulled).

Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world and became the most celebrated English sea captain of his generation. Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh sent colonists eastward in search of profit. European wars brought an influx of continental refugees into England, exposing the Englishman to new cultures. In trade, might, and art, England established an envious preeminence.

At this time, London was the heart of England, reflecting all the vibrant qualities of the Elizabethan Age. This atmosphere made London a leading center of culture as well as commerce. Its dramatists and poets were among the leading literary artists of the day. In this heady environment, Shakespeare lived and wrote.

London in the 16th century underwent a transformation. Its population grew 400% during the 1500s, swelling to nearly 200,000 people in the city proper and outlying region by the time an immigrant from Stratford came to town. A rising merchant middle class carved out a productive livelihood, and the economy boomed.

In the 1580s, the writings of the University Wits (Marlowe, Greene, Lyly, Kyd, and Peele) defined the London theatre. Though grounded in medieval and Jacobean roots, these men produced new dramas and comedies using Marlowe's styling of blank verse. Shakespeare outdid them all; he combined the best traits of Elizabethan drama with classical sources, enriching the admixture with his imagination and wit.

Shakespeare's Peers: English Renaissance Playwrights

Shakespeare was hardly the only working playwright in London back in the day. Here's a quick guide to his competition.

A Very Shakespeare Christmas

It's another holiday season of eating, gift-giving, and festivity. But how would Shakespeare and everyone else in England have celebrated Christmas back in the day?

British History Online

Digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust.

Description Of Elizabethan England, 1577

The Modern History Sourcebook presents William Harrison's contribution to Holinshed's Chronicles. Arguably one of the best contemporary accounts of life in Elizabethan England.

Elizabeth I: An Overview

The BBC presents a very good history of Elizabeth I as part of their online "Church and State" series.

Elizabeth I and Elizabethan life in England

An article on architecture, literature, and daily life in Elizabethan England. From the Britain Express site.

Elizabethan Era History

From the website of North Carolina's longest-running outdoor drama, The Lost Colony. Includes background information on the historical figures, food, government, and family life during Elizabeth's reign.

The Elizabethan's Hornbook

The Web version of Walter Nelson's fine handbook, this is a basic primer on the historical background that a participant in an Elizabethan Renaissance Faire should know or have at hand.

The Elizabethan People

The Web version of the 1910 book by Henry Thew Stephenson, available through Wikisource.

Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge:1558-1603

This is just an incredible site by Maggie Secara and Paula Kate Marmor. More information than you could wish for about everyday life in Shakespeare's time.

The Royal Encyclopædia: Elizabeth I

From the official Web site of the British monarchy. This is an excellently presented resource on the kings and queens of Britain, Scotland, and the UK from the original Anglo-Saxon kings to present day.

Sixteenth Century Renaissance English Literature: Background Information

Links to background information sources for studies in Renaissance English literature. Includes a lot of historical sites.

St. Ives Historical Society

This nonprofit California association has a number of good essays on Elizabethan life.

Tudor England

A fine site by Lara E. Eakins that comprehensively covers every conceivable historical aspect of Tudor/Elizabethan England.

United Kingdom National Archives

The official archive of the UK government. The National Archive's vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone.

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The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. The reign of Elizabeth (1558 - 1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. Elizabeth I's England consolidated its position with the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and firmly established the Church of England (begun by her father, Henry VIII, after a dispute with the Pope).

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What was Shakespeare's family like?

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Why is Shakespeare still important today?

William Shakespeare, Shakespeare also spelled Shakspere, byname Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon, (baptized April 26, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England-died April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon), English poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time.

Shakespeare occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers, but no writer's living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read more often and in more countries than ever before. The prophecy of his great contemporary, the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson, that Shakespeare "was not of an age, but for all time," has been fulfilled.

It may be audacious even to attempt a definition of his greatness, but it is not so difficult to describe the gifts that enabled him to create imaginative visions of pathos and mirth that, whether read or witnessed in the theatre, fill the mind and linger there. He is a writer of great intellectual rapidity, perceptiveness, and poetic power. Other writers have had these qualities, but with Shakespeare the keenness of mind was applied not to abstruse or remote subjects but to human beings and their complete range of emotions and conflicts. Other writers have applied their keenness of mind in this way, but Shakespeare is astonishingly clever with words and images, so that his mental energy, when applied to intelligible human situations, finds full and memorable expression, convincing and imaginatively stimulating. As if this were not enough, the art form into which his creative energies went was not remote and bookish but involved the vivid stage impersonation of human beings, commanding sympathy and inviting vicarious participation. Thus, Shakespeare's merits can survive translation into other languages and into cultures remote from that of Elizabethan England.

Shakespeare the man

Life

Although the amount of factual knowledge available about Shakespeare is surprisingly large for one of his station in life, many find it a little disappointing, for it is mostly gleaned from documents of an official character. Dates of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; wills, conveyances, legal processes, and payments by the court-these are the dusty details. There are, however, many contemporary allusions to him as a writer, and these add a reasonable amount of flesh and blood to the biographical skeleton.

Animals in Shakespeare Quiz

Early life in Stratford

The parish register of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, shows that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564; his birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a burgess of the borough, who in 1565 was chosen an alderman and in 1568 bailiff (the position corresponding to mayor, before the grant of a further charter to Stratford in 1664). He was engaged in various kinds of trade and appears to have suffered some fluctuations in prosperity. His wife, Mary Arden, of Wilmcote, Warwickshire, came from an ancient family and was the heiress to some land. (Given the somewhat rigid social distinctions of the 16th century, this marriage must have been a step up the social scale for John Shakespeare.)

Stratford enjoyed a grammar school of good quality, and the education there was free, the schoolmaster's salary being paid by the borough. No lists of the pupils who were at the school in the 16th century have survived, but it would be absurd to suppose the bailiff of the town did not send his son there. The boy's education would consist mostly of Latin studies-learning to read, write, and speak the language fairly well and studying some of the Classical historians, moralists, and poets. Shakespeare did not go on to the university, and indeed it is unlikely that the scholarly round of logic, rhetoric, and other studies then followed there would have interested him.

Instead, at age 18 he married. Where and exactly when are not known, but the episcopal registry at Worcester preserves a bond dated November 28, 1582, and executed by two yeomen of Stratford, named Sandells and Richardson, as a security to the bishop for the issue of a license for the marriage of William Shakespeare and " Anne Hathaway of Stratford," upon the consent of her friends and upon once asking of the banns. (Anne died in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare. There is good evidence to associate her with a family of Hathaways who inhabited a beautiful farmhouse, now much visited, 2 miles [3.2 km] from Stratford.) The next date of interest is found in the records of the Stratford church, where a daughter, named Susanna, born to William Shakespeare, was baptized on May 26, 1583. On February 2, 1585, twins were baptized, Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet, Shakespeare's only son, died 11 years later.)

How Shakespeare spent the next eight years or so, until his name begins to appear in London theatre records, is not known. There are stories-given currency long after his death-of stealing deer and getting into trouble with a local magnate, Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, near Stratford; of earning his living as a schoolmaster in the country; of going to London and gaining entry to the world of theatre by minding the horses of theatregoers. It has also been conjectured that Shakespeare spent some time as a member of a great household and that he was a soldier, perhaps in the Low Countries. In lieu of external evidence, such extrapolations about Shakespeare's life have often been made from the internal "evidence" of his writings. But this method is unsatisfactory: one cannot conclude, for example, from his allusions to the law that Shakespeare was a lawyer, for he was clearly a writer who without difficulty could get whatever knowledge he needed for the composition of his plays.

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William Shakespeare | Plays, Poems, Biography, Quotes, & Facts

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William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet, crafted timeless works that continue to entertain audiences worldwide with their profound insights into human nature and enduring literary brilliance.

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What was Shakespeare's family like?

How many plays did Shakespeare write?

How many sonnets did Shakespeare write?

Why is Shakespeare still important today?

William Shakespeare, Shakespeare also spelled Shakspere, byname Bard of Avon or Swan of Avon, (baptized April 26, 1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England-died April 23, 1616, Stratford-upon-Avon), English poet, dramatist, and actor often called the English national poet and considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time.

Shakespeare occupies a position unique in world literature. Other poets, such as Homer and Dante, and novelists, such as Leo Tolstoy and Charles Dickens, have transcended national barriers, but no writer's living reputation can compare to that of Shakespeare, whose plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small repertory theatre, are now performed and read more often and in more countries than ever before. The prophecy of his great contemporary, the poet and dramatist Ben Jonson, that Shakespeare "was not of an age, but for all time," has been fulfilled.

It may be audacious even to attempt a definition of his greatness, but it is not so difficult to describe the gifts that enabled him to create imaginative visions of pathos and mirth that, whether read or witnessed in the theatre, fill the mind and linger there. He is a writer of great intellectual rapidity, perceptiveness, and poetic power. Other writers have had these qualities, but with Shakespeare the keenness of mind was applied not to abstruse or remote subjects but to human beings and their complete range of emotions and conflicts. Other writers have applied their keenness of mind in this way, but Shakespeare is astonishingly clever with words and images, so that his mental energy, when applied to intelligible human situations, finds full and memorable expression, convincing and imaginatively stimulating. As if this were not enough, the art form into which his creative energies went was not remote and bookish but involved the vivid stage impersonation of human beings, commanding sympathy and inviting vicarious participation. Thus, Shakespeare's merits can survive translation into other languages and into cultures remote from that of Elizabethan England.

Shakespeare the man

Life

Although the amount of factual knowledge available about Shakespeare is surprisingly large for one of his station in life, many find it a little disappointing, for it is mostly gleaned from documents of an official character. Dates of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and burials; wills, conveyances, legal processes, and payments by the court-these are the dusty details. There are, however, many contemporary allusions to him as a writer, and these add a reasonable amount of flesh and blood to the biographical skeleton.

Animals in Shakespeare Quiz

Early life in Stratford

The parish register of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, shows that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564; his birthday is traditionally celebrated on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a burgess of the borough, who in 1565 was chosen an alderman and in 1568 bailiff (the position corresponding to mayor, before the grant of a further charter to Stratford in 1664). He was engaged in various kinds of trade and appears to have suffered some fluctuations in prosperity. His wife, Mary Arden, of Wilmcote, Warwickshire, came from an ancient family and was the heiress to some land. (Given the somewhat rigid social distinctions of the 16th century, this marriage must have been a step up the social scale for John Shakespeare.)

Stratford enjoyed a grammar school of good quality, and the education there was free, the schoolmaster's salary being paid by the borough. No lists of the pupils who were at the school in the 16th century have survived, but it would be absurd to suppose the bailiff of the town did not send his son there. The boy's education would consist mostly of Latin studies-learning to read, write, and speak the language fairly well and studying some of the Classical historians, moralists, and poets. Shakespeare did not go on to the university, and indeed it is unlikely that the scholarly round of logic, rhetoric, and other studies then followed there would have interested him.

Instead, at age 18 he married. Where and exactly when are not known, but the episcopal registry at Worcester preserves a bond dated November 28, 1582, and executed by two yeomen of Stratford, named Sandells and Richardson, as a security to the bishop for the issue of a license for the marriage of William Shakespeare and " Anne Hathaway of Stratford," upon the consent of her friends and upon once asking of the banns. (Anne died in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare. There is good evidence to associate her with a family of Hathaways who inhabited a beautiful farmhouse, now much visited, 2 miles [3.2 km] from Stratford.) The next date of interest is found in the records of the Stratford church, where a daughter, named Susanna, born to William Shakespeare, was baptized on May 26, 1583. On February 2, 1585, twins were baptized, Hamnet and Judith. (Hamnet, Shakespeare's only son, died 11 years later.)

How Shakespeare spent the next eight years or so, until his name begins to appear in London theatre records, is not known. There are stories-given currency long after his death-of stealing deer and getting into trouble with a local magnate, Sir Thomas Lucy of Charlecote, near Stratford; of earning his living as a schoolmaster in the country; of going to London and gaining entry to the world of theatre by minding the horses of theatregoers. It has also been conjectured that Shakespeare spent some time as a member of a great household and that he was a soldier, perhaps in the Low Countries. In lieu of external evidence, such extrapolations about Shakespeare's life have often been made from the internal "evidence" of his writings. But this method is unsatisfactory: one cannot conclude, for example, from his allusions to the law that Shakespeare was a lawyer, for he was clearly a writer who without difficulty could get whatever knowledge he needed for the composition of his plays.

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William Shakespeare | Plays, Poems, Biography, Quotes, & Facts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet, crafted timeless works that continue to entertain audiences worldwide with their profound insights into human nature and enduring literary brilliance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest writers to ever use the English language. He is also the most famous playwright in the world, with his plays being translated in over 50 languages and performed across the globe for audiences of all ages. Known colloquially as "The Bard" or "The Bard of Avon," Shakespeare was also an actor and the creator of the Globe Theatre, a historical theatre, and company that is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

His works span tragedy, comedy, and historical works, both in poetry and prose. And although the man is the most-recognized playwright in the world, very little of his life is actually known. No known autobiographical letters or diaries have survived to modern day, and with no surviving descendants, Shakespeare is a figure both of magnificent genius and mystery.

This has led to many interpretations of his life and works, creating a legend out of the commoner from Stratford-upon-Avon who rose to prominence and in the process wrote many of the seminal works that provide the foundation for the current English language.

Life Before the Stage

The exact date of Shakespeare's birth is unknown, but it is accepted that he was born in April of 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, England, and baptized in the same month. He was the son of John Shakespeare, an alderman, and Mary Arden, the daughter of the family's landlord and a well-respected farmer. He was one of eight children and lived to be the eldest surviving son of the family.

Shakespeare was educated at the King's New School, a free chartered grammar school that was located in Stratford. There he studied the basic Latin text and grammar, much of which was standardized across the country by Royal decree. He was also known to partake in the theatre while at the school as was the custom at the time. As a commoner, Shakespeare's education was thought to finish at the grammar school level as there is no record of him attending university, which was a luxury reserved for upper-class families.

In 1582, an 18-year-old Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who, on the occasion of her wedding, was 26 years old and already with child. Hathaway gave birth to the couple's first child six months later, a daughter named Susanna, with twins, named Hamnet and Judith, following two years later in 1585. Hamnet died at the age of 11 from unknown reasons.

After the birth of his twins in 1585, Shakespeare disappeared from public record until 1592, when his works began appearing on the London stage. These seven years are known as "Shakespeare's Lost Years," and have been the source of various stories that remain unverified, including a salacious story involving Shakespeare escaping Stratford prosecution for deer poaching. This story, among others, are solely entertainment and are not considered as part of the canon that makes up the playwright's personal life.

Career and Creation of the Globe

William Shakespeare first made his appearance on the London stage, where his plays would be written and performed, around 1592, although the exact date is unknown. He was, however, well known enough to be attacked by critics in newspapers, and thus was considered to be already an established playwright.

After the year 1594, Shakespeare's plays were solely performed by a company owned by a group of actors known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which became London's leading company. After Queen Elizabeth's death in 1603, the company was given a royal patent that renamed it the King's Men, named so after King James I.

Shakespeare, along with a group of players that acted in his play, created his own theatre on the River Thames in 1599 and named it the Globe Theatre. After that, a record of property purchases and investments made by Shakespeare showed the playwright had become a very wealthy man, so much so that he bought properties in London and Stratford for himself and his family, as he spent most of his time in London.

It was in 1594 that the first known quartos of Shakespeare's plays were published, solidifying his reputation by 1598 when his name became the selling point in new productions. This led to his success as both an actor on stage and a playwright, and his name was published on the title page of his plays.

Shakespeare continued to work with his company of men at the Globe Theatre until around 1610, the year that he retired from working on the stage. He, however, continued to support the Globe Theatre, including buying apartments for playwrights and actors to live in, all of which were near to the theatre.

Retirement and Death

Shakespeare retired from public life in 1610, right after the bubonic plague began to subside its attack on London. This act was unusual for the time, but he was by no means less active. In fact, the playwright continued to make frequent trips to London to collaborate with other playwrights, such as John Fletcher, and to spend time with his son-in-law John Hall, who married his elder daughter Susanna in 1607.

The playwright was an active dramatist and writer up until 1613 when the last of his great works was finished. From then on, Shakespeare spent most of his time in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he had purchased the second-largest home in town for his family.

William Shakespeare died on April 23, 1616, and was buried at the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford two days later, with a curse written on his tombstone to ward off those who would disturb his bones. He was 52 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, Anna, and their two daughters. There are no direct descendants from Shakespeare's line, as both daughters had children who did not make it to adulthood.

The Shakespeare Canon

Shakespeare was noted both for poetry and plays, with both mediums serving different needs; the plays were related to the theatrical fashion that was on trend while his poetry served to provide storytelling in erotic or romantic ways, culminating in a canon of work that is as diverse in language as the issues of human nature that the works portray.

Plays

William Shakespeare wrote at least 37 plays that scholars know of, with most of them labeled is comedies, histories, or tragedies. The earliest play that is directly attributed to Shakespeare is the trilogy of "King Henry VI," with Richard III also being written around the same time, between 1589 and 1591. The last play was a collaboration, assumed to be with John Fletcher, known as "The Two Noble Kinsmen."

Shakespeare often wrote play in a genre that was in vogue at the time, with his plays beginning with the histories, including the above-mentioned works as well as "Pericles," "King John," the dual volumes of both "Henry IV" and Henry V, which were written at later dates.

From histories written in the late 1580s to the early 1590s, Shakespeare moved into comedies, which were described as such for their comic sequences and pairs of plots that intertwined with each other. Among the most well known are A Midsummer's Night Dream, Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night. Interestingly, two tragedies bookend Shakespeare's comedic era - Romeo and Juliet were written at the beginning of the 1590s, and Julius Caesar was written at the end of the era.

For the last portion of his writing career, Shakespeare focused his work on tragedies and "problem" plays. In this era, which is acknowledged as the playwright's best era, he wrote the works called Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Coriolanus, and Macbeth, among others. These are the works that are most in production today, both on stage and in film.

When looking at a chronology of Shakespeare's plays, it is clear that Shakespeare changed the subjects of his plays as he grew in prominence and then returned to a more serene life. Moving from historical subjects to a more playful side and then, finally, into plays where plots would result in a sense of forgiveness and serenity, Shakespeare's evolution as both a man and a writer is evident. In fact, the playwright's devotion to the English language and his rebellion against it has led to fascinating studies done by leading literature scholars.

Poems and Sonnets

There are two volumes of poetry and over 150 sonnets that are attributed to Shakespeare. It is thought that although Shakespeare was a poet throughout his lifetime, he turned to poetry most notably during 1593 and 1594 when a plague forced theatres in London to shut down.

The volumes of narrative poems that Shakespeare released during those years were called Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece. Both volumes focused on the problems surrounding uncontrollable lust and the guilt associated with it afterwards and were very well received during his lifetime, partially for their erotic tone. In this vein, Shakespeare also wrote A Lover's Complaint, which was included in the first edition of Shakespeare's sonnets, which were released in 1609.

Shakespeare's sonnets were a collection of over 150 works that were published late in his life and without any indication of when each of the pieces was composed. It is widely thought that the sonnets were a part of a private diary that was never meant to be read publicly but nevertheless were published.

The sonnets have a contrasting set of subjects - one set chronicles the poet's lust for a married woman with a dark complexion, known as The Dark Lady, while the other describes a conflicted or confused love for a young man, known as the "fair youth." While it is not known or confirmed, many in literature circles believe that the sonnets accurately portray the heart of the poet, leading the public to speculate on Shakespeare's views on religion, sex, marriage, and life.

Critics have praised the sonnets as being profoundly intimate and meditating on the values of love, lust, procreation, and death. Now a day, Shakespeare is ranked as all-time most popular English poets on history, along with Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Walt Whitman.

The Shakespeare Influence

Shakespeare's influence on art, literature, language and the vast array of the creative arts has long been known and documented. He is the most-read playwright in the Western Hemisphere, and the English language is littered with quotes and phrases the originated from his works. He is also the inventor of the iambic pentameter, a form of poetry that is still widely used today.

He is also one of the most influential figures in English literature, having had a profound impact on everyone from Herman Melville and Charles Dickens to Agatha Christie and Anthony Burgess. But his influence did not stop at just the arts - the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud used Hamlet as the foundation for many of his theories on human nature, and his influence can be felt in painting and opera as well, particularly from the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and the whole community of Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite painters.

But Shakespeare was, and still is, the most prominent influential figure in language. Phrases such as "breaking the ice" or "heart of gold" are colloquial now, but are also known to have originated in Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. There are over seven dozen examples that can be taken from common life and be directly attributed to Shakespeare, meaning that much of how people speak to each other now has a history that dates back to the 17th century.

Aside from phrases, it is also common knowledge that the dramatist introduced upwards of 1,700 original words to the English language, which, during the 16th and 17th centuries, was not standardized. In fact, words such as lonely, frugal, dwindle, and more originate from Shakespeare, who transformed English into the populist language that it is today.

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William Shakespeare: 20 Facts, 37 Plays, 375 Poems, 100 Quotes & Bio

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William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright who is considered one of the greatest writers to ever use the English language. He is also the most famous playwright in the world, with his plays being translated in over 50 languages and performed across the globe for audiences of all ages.

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Who Was William Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor of the Renaissance era. He was an important member of the King's Men company of theatrical players from roughly 1594 onward.

Known throughout the world, Shakespeare's writings capture the range of human emotion and conflict and have been celebrated for more than 400 years. And yet, the personal life of William Shakespeare is somewhat a mystery.

There are two primary sources that provide historians with an outline of his life. One is his work - the plays, poems and sonnets - and the other is official documentation such as church and court records. However, these provide only brief sketches of specific events in his life and yield little insight into the man himself.

When Was Shakespeare Born?

No birth records exist, but an old church record indicates that a William Shakespeare was baptized at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 26, 1564. From this, it is believed he was born on or near April 23, 1564, and this is the date scholars acknowledge as Shakespeare's birthday.

Located about 100 miles northwest of London, during Shakespeare's time Stratford-upon-Avon was a bustling market town along the River Avon and bisected by a country road.

Family

Shakespeare was the third child of John Shakespeare, a leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a local landed heiress. Shakespeare had two older sisters, Joan and Judith, and three younger brothers, Gilbert, Richard and Edmund.

Before Shakespeare's birth, his father became a successful merchant and held official positions as alderman and bailiff, an office resembling a mayor. However, records indicate John's fortunes declined sometime in the late 1570s.

Childhood and Education

Scant records exist of Shakespeare's childhood and virtually none regarding his education. Scholars have surmised that he most likely attended the King's New School, in Stratford, which taught reading, writing and the classics.

Being a public official's child, Shakespeare would have undoubtedly qualified for free tuition. But this uncertainty regarding his education has led some to raise questions about the authorship of his work (and even about whether or not Shakespeare really existed).

Wife and Children

Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582, in Worcester, in Canterbury Province. Hathaway was from Shottery, a small village a mile west of Stratford. Shakespeare was 18 and Anne was 26, and, as it turns out, pregnant.

Their first child, a daughter they named Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. Two years later, on February 2, 1585, twins Hamnet and Judith were born. Hamnet later died of unknown causes at age 11.

Shakespeare's Lost Years

There are seven years of Shakespeare's life where no records exist after the birth of his twins in 1585. Scholars call this period the "lost years," and there is wide speculation on what he was doing during this period.

One theory is that he might have gone into hiding for poaching game from the local landlord, Sir Thomas Lucy. Another possibility is that he might have been working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire.

It's generally believed he arrived in London in the mid- to late 1580s and may have found work as a horse attendant at some of London's finer theaters, a scenario updated centuries later by the countless aspiring actors and playwrights in Hollywood and Broadway.

The King's Men

By the early 1590s, documents show Shakespeare was a managing partner in the Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting company in London with which he was connected for most of his career.

Considered the most important troupe of its time, the company changed its name to the King's Men following the crowning of King James I in 1603. From all accounts, the King's Men company was very popular. Records show that Shakespeare had works published and sold as popular literature.

Although the theater culture in 16th century England was not highly admired by people of high rank, some of the nobility were good patrons of the performing arts and friends of the actors.

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Actor and Playwright

By 1592, there is evidence Shakespeare earned a living as an actor and a playwright in London and possibly had several plays produced.

The September 20, 1592 edition of the Stationers' Register (a guild publication) includes an article by London playwright Robert Greene that takes a few jabs at Shakespeare: "...There is an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger's heart wrapped in a Player's hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country," Greene wrote of Shakespeare.

Scholars differ on the interpretation of this criticism, but most agree that it was Greene's way of saying Shakespeare was reaching above his rank, trying to match better known and educated playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe or Greene himself.

Early in his career, Shakespeare was able to attract the attention of Henry Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, to whom he dedicated his first and second published poems: "Venus and Adonis" (1593) and "The Rape of Lucrece" (1594).

By 1597, Shakespeare had already written and published 15 of his 37 plays. Civil records show that at this time he purchased the second-largest house in Stratford, called New House, for his family.

It was a four-day ride by horse from Stratford to London, so it's believed that Shakespeare spent most of his time in the city writing and acting and came home once a year during the 40-day Lenten period, when the theaters were closed.

Globe Theater

By 1599, Shakespeare and his business partners built their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River, which they called the Globe Theater.

In 1605, Shakespeare purchased leases of real estate near Stratford for 440 pounds, which doubled in value and earned him 60 pounds a year. This made him an entrepreneur as well as an artist, and scholars believe these investments gave him the time to write his plays uninterrupted.

Shakespeare's Writing Style

Shakespeare's early plays were written in the conventional style of the day, with elaborate metaphors and rhetorical phrases that didn't always align naturally with the story's plot or characters.

However, Shakespeare was very innovative, adapting the traditional style to his own purposes and creating a freer flow of words.

With only small degrees of variation, Shakespeare primarily used a metrical pattern consisting of lines of unrhymed iambic pentameter, or blank verse, to compose his plays. At the same time, there are passages in all the plays that deviate from this and use forms of poetry or simple prose.

William Shakespeare's Plays

While it's difficult to determine the exact chronology of Shakespeare's plays, over the course of two decades, from about 1590 to 1613, he wrote a total of 37 plays revolving around several main themes: histories, tragedies, comedies and tragicomedies.

Early Works: Histories and Comedies

With the exception of the tragic love story Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's first plays were mostly histories. Henry VI (Parts I, II and III), Richard II and Henry V dramatize the destructive results of weak or corrupt rulers and have been interpreted by drama historians as Shakespeare's way of justifying the origins of the Tudor Dynasty.

Julius Caesar portrays upheaval in Roman politics that may have resonated with viewers at a time when England's aging monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, had no legitimate heir, thus creating the potential for future power struggles.

Shakespeare also wrote several comedies during his early period: the whimsical A Midsummer Night's Dream, the romantic Merchant of Venice, the wit and wordplay of Much Ado About Nothing and the charming As You Like It and Twelfth Night.

Other plays written before 1600 include Titus Andronicus, The Comedy of Errors, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew, Love's Labour's Lost, King John, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Henry V.

Works after 1600: Tragedies and Tragicomedies

It was in Shakespeare's later period, after 1600, that he wrote the tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. In these, Shakespeare's characters present vivid impressions of human temperament that are timeless and universal.

Possibly the best known of these plays is Hamlet, which explores betrayal, retribution, incest and moral failure. These moral failures often drive the twists and turns of Shakespeare's plots, destroying the hero and those he loves.

In Shakespeare's final period, he wrote several tragicomedies. Among these are Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale and The Tempest. Though graver in tone than the comedies, they are not the dark tragedies of King Lear or Macbeth because they end with reconciliation and forgiveness.

Other plays written during this period include All's Well That Ends Well, Measure for Measure, Timon of Athens, Coriolanus, Pericles and Henry VIII.

When Did Shakespeare Die?

Tradition holds that Shakespeare died on his 52nd birthday, April 23, 1616, but some scholars believe this is a myth. Church records show he was interred at Trinity Church on April 25, 1616.

The exact cause of Shakespeare's death is unknown, though many believe he died following a brief illness.

In his will, he left the bulk of his possessions to his eldest daughter, Susanna. Though entitled to a third of his estate, little seems to have gone to his wife, Anne, whom he bequeathed his "second-best bed." This has drawn speculation that she had fallen out of favor, or that the couple was not close.

However, there is very little evidence the two had a difficult marriage. Other scholars note that the term "second-best bed" often refers to the bed belonging to the household's master and mistress - the marital bed - and the "first-best bed" was reserved for guests.

Did Shakespeare Write His Own Plays?

About 150 years after his death, questions arose about the authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Scholars and literary critics began to float names like Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere and Francis Bacon - men of more known backgrounds, literary accreditation, or inspiration - as the true authors of the plays.

Much of this stemmed from the sketchy details of Shakespeare's life and the dearth of contemporary primary sources. Official records from the Holy Trinity Church and the Stratford government record the existence of a Shakespeare, but none of these attest to him being an actor or playwright.

Skeptics also questioned how anyone of such modest education could write with the intellectual perceptiveness and poetic power that is displayed in Shakespeare's works. Over the centuries, several groups have emerged that question the authorship of Shakespeare's plays.

The most serious and intense skepticism began in the 19th century when adoration for Shakespeare was at its highest. The detractors believed that the only hard evidence surrounding Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon described a man from modest beginnings who married young and became successful in real estate.

Members of the Shakespeare Oxford Society (founded in 1957) put forth arguments that English aristocrat and poet Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford, was the true author of the poems and plays of "William Shakespeare."

The Oxfordians cite de Vere's extensive knowledge of aristocratic society, his education, and the structural similarities between his poetry and that found in the works attributed to Shakespeare. They contend that Shakespeare had neither the education nor the literary training to write such eloquent prose and create such rich characters.

However, the vast majority of Shakespearean scholars contend that Shakespeare wrote all his own plays. They point out that other playwrights of the time also had sketchy histories and came from modest backgrounds.

They contend that Stratford's New Grammar School curriculum of Latin and the classics could have provided a good foundation for literary writers. Supporters of Shakespeare's authorship argue that the lack of evidence about Shakespeare's life doesn't mean his life didn't exist. They point to evidence that displays his name on the title pages of published poems and plays.

Examples exist of authors and critics of the time acknowledging Shakespeare as the author of plays such as The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and King John.

Royal records from 1601 show that Shakespeare was recognized as a member of the King's Men theater company and a Groom of the Chamber by the court of King James I, where the company performed seven of Shakespeare's plays.

There is also strong circumstantial evidence of personal relationships by contemporaries who interacted with Shakespeare as an actor and a playwright.

Literary Legacy

What seems to be true is that Shakespeare was a respected man of the dramatic arts who wrote plays and acted in some in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. But his reputation as a dramatic genius wasn't recognized until the 19th century.

Beginning with the Romantic period of the early 1800s and continuing through the Victorian period, acclaim and reverence for Shakespeare and his work reached its height. In the 20th century, new movements in scholarship and performance have rediscovered and adopted his works.

Today, his plays are highly popular and constantly studied and reinterpreted in performances with diverse cultural and political contexts. The genius of Shakespeare's characters and plots are that they present real human beings in a wide range of emotions and conflicts that transcend their origins in Elizabethan England.

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William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor of the Renaissance era. He was an important member of the King's Men company of theatrical players from roughly 1594 onward. Known throughout the world, Shakespeare's writings capture the range of human emotion and conflict and have been celebrated for more than 400 years.