London in Shakespeare

1
London in Shakespeares Time

• When Shakespeare was writing Romeo and Juliet,
  most people believed that the sun went around the
  earth!

2
The ReformationThe 16th Century
3
The Tudor Family ruled England
Henry VIII 1509-1547
King Edward VI 1537-1553 (Protestant) The boy
king
Mary Tudor 1553 -1558 (Catholic) Bloody Mary
Elizabeth I 1558 1503 (Protestant) The Virgin
Queen
4
(No Transcript)
5
The Elizabethan Era (1558 -1603)

• A golden age in English history.
• height of the English Renaissance, and saw the
  flowering of English literature and poetry.
• Elizabethan theatre grew and William Shakespeare,
  among others, composed plays that broke away from
  England's past style of plays.
• More people were educated during this time in
  London than ever before.

6
The Elizabethan Era (1558 -1603)

• London in the 16th century underwent a
  transformation.
• Population grew 400 from 1500 to 1600, swelling
  to nearly two hundred thousand people in the city
  proper and outlying region

7
(No Transcript)
8
An overpopulated city
Streets we narrow and crowded The move from
the city to the country Londons economy
Trade Ships
9
Poor Sanitation

• Little or no drainage
• Running water hard to come by
• Bad smells
• Rotting vegetables
• Human excrement
• Bathing not common practice

10
Lots of People lots of problems

• Disease
• Poor sanitation
• Riots

• Common Diseases/Heath Problems in Elizabethan
  England
• Typhoid inflammation of the intestine.
• Gout (rich) Meat diet
• Scurvy (poor) lack of Vitamin C
• Tooth ache (complications)
• Complications in result of amputations
• Measles
• Diseases of the explorers

11
The Black Plague

• Bubonic plague originated in Central Asia
  killing 25 million
• Hit London several times
• Rats hosted the disease carriers

"Doctor Schnabel von Rom" (English "Doctor Beak
of Rome") The beak is a primitive gas mask,
stuffed with substances (such as spices and
herbs) thought to ward off the plague.
Plague Symptoms Sneezing and swelling of the
lymph nodes, bleeding in the lungs.
12
The Gap Between Rich and Poor

• poor live in homes that are little better than
  sheds.
• one earthen-floored room downstairs for living
  and cooking
• the upstairs loft is for sleeping in and storing
  hay.
• Peasants keep animals in the house. Windows are
  shuttered and have no glass.
• Thatched roofs are a fire hazard and a nesting
  place for rats and insects

13
(No Transcript)
14
The Rich

• Royalty
• Servants and attendants
• Family money
• Loan sharks
• Wealthy land owners
• Business men
• Trade merchants

15
The Guild

• The workers guild protected the crafts people of
  the time.
• Insured quality of work
• Worked much like a union
• Membership was mandatory to be successful and
  sought after in London

The Old Market House
16
Occupations
You get... From the...
Books Stationer or bookseller
Cloth Mercer
Hats Milliner or Hatter
Suit of Clothes Tailor
Shirts/Smocks Seamstress
Ready made clothes Draper
Arrows Fletcher
Bows Bowyer
Horseshoes Farrier
Other iron work Blacksmith
Armor Armorer
A Portrait Limner
Legal Service Lawyer
Drugs etc. Apothecary
Dentistry Barber Surgeon
A Stapler Buys and sells raw wool also silk and linen.
A Draper Deals in cloth (wholesale), plus some ready-made garments and dry goods.
17
(No Transcript)
18
Lower Class Clothes

• Peasants-wool (which was often dyed)-browns, and
  pale yellow, black, pale green
• Weaponsknives

19
Middle Class Clothes

• Middle class-cotton, and layered clothing.
  Collars
• The look-new and clean, neatly fitted clothes,
  with a few ruffled edges
• Weaponsdaggers

20
Upper Class Clothes
Layers of Fabric

• The Upper Class wore velvet, cotton, lace, silk,
  gold embroidery. Fancy shoes and hats
• Color- black, purple, maroon, gold, white
  shirts.
• WeaponsSwords

21
Food and Drink

• Ale and Beer (water shortage)
• Wine
• Puddings, pies, cakes
• Gingerbread
• Almond
• Bagels and bread
• Nutmeg
• Eggs
• Meat
• Fish
• Egg Plant
• Cabbage
• Turnip
• Fruit and sugary sauces

22
Entertainment

• Other than gambling, drinking at the pub,
  playing cards, tennis and lawn bowling, watching
  plays (the theatre) was the main source of
  entertainment.

23
Occupations

• Cooper Barrels
• Chandler Candles
• Glover Gloves
• Glazier Glass Windows
• Tiler Tile for the roof
• Saddler Saddles, bridles.
• Cutler Knives
• Joiner Furniture
• Stationer Books
• Mercer Cloth

• Milliner or Hatter Hats
• Tailor
• Seamstress
• Draper Clothes
• Fletcher Arrows
• Bowyer Bows
• Farrier Horseshoes
• Blacksmith Armorer
• Apothecary

24
Why study Shakespeare?

• William helped turn the theatrical profession
  into a gentlemanly profession loved by all
  people, from Kings and Queens to peasants and
  servants. Today, a writer, actor, director, or
  producer is well respected

Words and Phrases created over 2,000 new words
and phrases. They include schoolboy, shooting
star, puppy-dog, football, bandit, partner,
downstairs, upstairs, leapfrog, alligator, and
mimic
25
Sound familiar?

• William's plots are present in movies,
  television shows, and books. They have become so
  common we may not realize they were first
  introduced by William.

an evil person who dies because of their own
wrongdoing (Macbeth)
mistaking the identity of one person for another
person (A Comedy of Errors)
giving a person a taste of their own medicine
(The Taming of the Shrew)
  a person torn between loyalty and revenge
(Hamlet)
two young people from rival families falling in
love (Romeo and Juliet)
26
Lets Go to the Globe!!!

• Across the Thames River, outside the city limits
  you will come to Southwark
• Here you will find more than just the theatre.
• Most of the really low company you may be looking
  for is probably hanging out in across the river.
• Naturally the bear garden (for bear baiting) is
  here, as are the play houses