Elizabethan Age
Shakespeare lived during a remarkable period of English history, a time of relative political stability that followed and preceded eras of extensive upheaval. Elizabeth I became the Queen of England in 1558, six years before Shakespeare's birth. During her 45-year reign, London became a cultural and commercial center where learning and literature thrived.
When Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, there were violent clashes throughout Europe between Protestant and Catholic leaders and their followers. Though Elizabeth honored many of the Protestant edicts of her late father, King Henry VIII, she made significant concessions to Catholic sympathizers, which kept them from attempting rebellion.
When Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne, there were violent clashes throughout Europe between Protestant and Catholic leaders and their followers. Though Elizabeth honored many of the Protestant edicts of her late father, King Henry VIII, she made significant concessions to Catholic sympathizers, which kept them from attempting rebellion.
But when compromise was not possible, she was an exacting and determined leader who did not shy away from conflict. With the naval defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, England was firmly established as a leading military and commercial power in the Western world. Elizabeth supported and later knighted Sir Francis Drake, the first sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She also funded Sir Walter Raleigh's exploration of the New World, which brought new wealth to her country in the form of tobacco and gold from Latin America.
Queen Elizabeth also recognized the importance of the arts to the life and legacy of her nation.
Queen Elizabeth also recognized the importance of the arts to the life and legacy of her nation.
She was fond of the theater, and many of England's greatest playwrights were active during her reign, including Christopher Marlowe, Ben Johnson, and William Shakespeare.With Queen Elizabeth's permission, professional theaters were built in England for the first time, attracting 15,000 theater-goers per week in London, a city of 150,000 to 250,000.
The Shakespearean sonnet and dramatic blank verse also came into practice during the period. Upon the death of Elizabeth, King James I rose to power in England. A writer himself, he displayed a great love of learning, particularly theater. At the king's invitation, Shakespeare's theater company, Lord Chamberlain's Men became known as the King's Men. King James also commissioned the translation of the Bible from Latin into English so that it might be more readily available to those who had not studied the Latin language of the educated class. Completed in 1611 by a team of scholars and monks, the King James Version of the Bible has become the best selling and arguably the most-influential book in the world.