Elizabethan period....what an era!

Are you ready to know more about Shakespeare? In this post we will learn about Elizabethan period and how Queen Elizabeth I inflluenced on literature and on Shakespeare. 

Renaissance period in England

The Renaissance period (1550-1660) or era of New Birth, is an age of transformation in Europe, and specially in England. This rebirth became a huge change in culture, arts and religion. In Shakespeare's period, Elizabethan era, there was a huge development in society, as well as an improvement in education and literature. 

Influence on religion

In this period, Renaissance was very important, so Queen Elizabeth I made attendance to church mandatory (Anglicanism, of course). Anyone who did not go, they would have a fine. Besides, although Catholics were not persecuted for not being Anglicans, people could not go to Catholic masses and practice their faith. Shakespeare wrote many plays in which religion appeared.

Influence on education

Boys and girls were educated differently. Boys were educated to be literate members of society while girls were educated only if they were part of nobility. Boys studied Latin, grammar, literature and vocabulary. A typical day started from 6:00 a.m to 5.00 p.m. and they were very disciplined and strict. In the lower grades, people did not read the poet writers, they only studied Latin and grammar. 

Girls were educated in the house labors, but also they learnt how to read and write, and also to play an instrument or dancing. This improvement made by Elizabeth I led in a rise of education: by 1600, one-third of the male population was at school and they were able to read.


Influence on literature
There was a clear influence on literature, specially in England. In this case, there were a rise of artists and writers such as Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spencer or John Milton, and the most important, William Shakespeare. At schools the classics were read, and in the court, a form of entertainment was to read poems and interpret plays. 

Here is a video of Shakespeare and how he influenced on this period and on the language.

To sum up, Renaissance period, and specially Eizabethan period, was an era of spread of culture, arts and education. This evolution led to the appearance and importance of William Shakespeare in theatres and the attention of the King Jacob I to him. 


----------
Remember the quiz you did on the last post? You can check the answers here. Comment below how were your results!

1. What was the date of death of Shakespeare?   23rd April 1616

2. What was the name of the theatre in which Shakespeare worked? The Globe

3. Shakespeare wrote tragedies. True.

4. Was Shakespeare a member of King’s Men? Yes.

5. Write one of the types of plays that Shakespeare wrote. Tragedies / Comedies / Historical plays

6. Did Shakespeare live in London? Yes.

7. There is one of his plays who is inspired on his dead son Hamnet, what it is? Hamlet.

8. Where did William Shakespeare was born? Stratford-upon-Avon

9. What was the historical period of Shakespeare? Elizabethan era.

10. The film King Lion is inspired on the play The King Lear. Yes.

11. Who was Shakespeare’s patron? Jacob I

12. How many kids did Shakespeare have? Three.

13. Was Shakespeare part of Lord Chamberlain’s Men? Yes.

14. When was ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written? 1597.

15. Is there a film called ‘Shakespeare death’? No.

16. When was ‘Hamlet’ written? 1603.

17. Shakespeare wrote 'Frankenstein'. No.

18. Who is the other famous writer who died the same day as Shakespeare? Miguel de Cervantes.

19. Is ‘Henry V’ one of his most important tragedies? Yes.

20. Who was the main character of ‘The Tempest’? Prospero.

---------------
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Renaissance period
• English literature: the transition from medieval to Renaissance
• Renaissance - A History of English Literature