Context of Shakespeare's plays

In a nutshell

To understand Shakespeare plays, you must first understand their cultural, social and historical context. When were they written? How was life back then? What different beliefs and superstitions influenced Shakespeare at the time of writing? In this summary, you will learn all about it.

Historical and social context

What was England like during Shakespeare's time? The age of Shakespeare was an important time in English history. London, like today, was the heart of England, and it reflected all the vibrant qualities of the Elizabethan age. This atmosphere made London a leading centre of culture.

Shakespeare lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and died while her successor, King James I, ruled. During this time, England saw a rebirth of poetry, literature and theatre. England's first public theatre opened during the Elizabethan period, and going to the theatre was a very popular form of entertainment. Even the Queen enjoyed it! But she never visited the public theatres, having special productions performed to her by the royal court instead.

Shakespeare's theatre company, known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men, built the Globe Theatre in $$1599$$​. It was an open-air theatre that was visited by everybody. If you didn’t have much money, you could buy a “groundling ticket” for a penny and stand to watch the plays with no shelter. If you had more money to spend, you could sit in the galleries closer to the stage.

Something about the performance of the plays that may sound weird to you now is that no women were involved in the process - none at all! They weren’t allowed to perform. That meant all female roles (e.g., Juliet, Portia, Lady Macbeth and Ophelia) were performed by men. Women in this time had very few rights but still managed to have influence, which is reflected in Shakespeare’s plays, such as Portia in The Merchant of Venice or Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.

Cultural context

In Shakespeare’s time people had many different beliefs and superstitions which influenced and shaped some of his plays. These were based on folklore, witchcraft and even astrology.

Folklore

The myths and tales that are passed down within a community are known as folklore. They were widely believed back then and played a significant role in people’s life. For instance, some people thought that goblins and fairies would emerge at night to play pranks.

Example

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, are to be married and great celebrations are planned. Fairies appear as characters in this play. They represent the mythical and magical 'Green World.' This play is a story of order and disorder, reality and appearance and love and marriage.

Witchcraft

In the $$1500s$$​ and $$1600s$$, supernaturalism and witches were common themes. King James I, who succeeded Queen Elizabeth, even wrote a book about witches and thought a witch was responsible for a storm that nearly capsized his ship. This shows that it was quite a common belief even among the nobility.

Example

Macbeth - In this tragedy, three witches visit Macbeth and tell him that he will be the king of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth kills the king and becomes the new king (The witches in this play were possibly included to please James I).

Astrology

Astrology is the idea that the stars' positions have an impact on what happens on Earth, and, during Shakespeare's time, this was widely accepted. Reading horoscopes nowadays shows that this interest is still present. Queen Elizabeth I even had her own personal astrologer since it was thought that astrologers could foretell the future. Many of Shakespeare's plays reflect these ideals.

Example

Romeo and Juliet - This is a tragic story where the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, are supposed to be sworn enemies but fall in love. In the play, they are described as 'star-crossed lovers' meaning that the position of the stars may have had something to do with their tragedies.

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