Elizabethan England and Shakespeare

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Elizabethan England and Shakespeare
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Whats happening in England during this time
period?

• Tudors come to power at the end of the War of the
  Roses (English Civil War) and England is united
  under one monarchy.
• Englands religion is Catholic.
• After this, England has four different rulers in
  under 100 years each ruler has their own agenda.

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The Different Rulers and Their Agendas

• King Henry VIII (1509-1547) cant decide on a
  wife, has six.
• Henrys marital unhappiness causes England to
  break with Catholic church
• Church of England (Protestant Church)established
  so Henry can get a divorce
• This causes split in country between Catholics
  and members of the Church of England
• King Edward IV (1547-1553) brings peace with
  France
• Died at the age of fifteen
• Queen Mary I (1553-1558) re-establishes
  Catholicism
• Persecutes Protestants
• Burned 300 dissenters at the stake, earning her
  the name Bloody Mary
• Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) daughter of Henry
  VIII
• Begins Englands Golden Age and the Renaissance
• Art, Music, Poetry and Drama flourish
• Restores Protestant Church

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In shortthis is what happened

• King Henry VIII (1509-1547) breaks with the
  Catholic Church and establishes the Church of
  England (Protestant Church)
• Queen Mary (1553-1558) re-establishes Catholicism
• Queen Elizabeth (1558-1603) restores the
  Protestant Church

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Who is Queen Elizabeth?

• Ruled from 1558-1603
• Became queen at age 25
• Daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII
• One of the most successful and loved rulers of
  England

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Who is Queen Elizabeth?

• Ruled during the Renaissance Period
• Especially loved music, dance, and the theater
• Nickname the Virgin Queen
• Never married
• Had many marriage proposals
• Never had any children
• Used her flirtatious nature to get what she
  wanted from male rulers of other nations

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Queen Elizabeth and Religion

• Was Anglican (Church of England) like her father
• Completely opposed to Catholicism because she
  blamed the pope for her being called a bastard
• TOLERATED Catholics because she knew that if she
  allowed some religious freedom she would have her
  subjects loyalty

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Structure of Tudor Society
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How did people live?Social Class and the Church

• Life was governed by two important factors-
  religion and social structure.
• England was a largely rural society
• as much as 90 of the population lived in the
  countryside.
• The Gentry owned the majority of land, and were
  by birthright the natural leaders of the
  community.
• This group counted for just 1 of the population
• Queen Elizabeths new laws
• laws regarding religion were established
• Everyone is required to attend church service
  every Sunday and on holidays
• People were fined for not attending church
• Illegal to be a Catholic priest

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How did people live?Dwellings

• Made of wood with straw roofs. If you were rich,
  your house was made of brick.
• Type of house and amount of furniture depended on
  social class.

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How did people live?Food

• The richer you were, the more variety of food you
  had.
• Food was salted or smoked to preserve it, and
  often spices were added to hide the taste of
  rotten food.
• Ale and cider were common drinks, even for the
  children, as the water was dirty.

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How did people live?Clothing

• The type of clothing you wore depended upon your
  social class.
• Poor people wore simple, loose-fitting clothes
  made from woolen cloth.
• Most men wore trousers made from wool and a tunic
  which came down to just above their knee.
• Women wore a dress of wool that went down to the
  ground. They often wore an apron over this and a
  cloth bonnet on their heads.
• Clothing was regulated by Sumptuary Laws
• Dictated what color and type of clothing, furs,
  fabrics, and trims were allowed to persons of
  various ranks or incomes
• Created to control extravagant clothing and to
  make sure people dressed within their social class

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How did people live?Education and Work

• Education
• Few people went to school, those that did were
  the sons of the wealthy (not the daughters)
• The boys would go to grammar school everyday but
  Sunday
• They would learn Latin, religious studies, Greek,
  arithmetic and music.
• Majority of the population was illiterate and not
  educated
• Work
• Most children and adults worked each day tending
  their crops and animals
• Most men and boys worked in the fields, and would
  hunt and keep animals to provide their meat.
• Some men had special jobs such as blacksmiths
  making tools.
• Women and girls looked after the home, cooking,
  washing, making clothes and candles, milking the
  cows and growing herbs for medicines and cooking.

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How did people live?Cities

• London
• largest city in Western Europe
• Most important trading city in England
• City was dangerous and filthy
• Great risk of fire because most buildings made
• of wood
• A large population and the lack of a structured
• sewage system, meant that all waste was simply
• dumped into the River Thames
• There was a lot of disease
• The government didnt help the poor,
• so crime was high

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Elizabethan Theater

• During Elizabeths reign theater changed
• New dramas were called Elizabethan Dramas
• Designed to entertain the masses
• Plays had religious undertones, but were not
  designed to teach religion or morality
• Contained historical allusions that the audience
  would understand

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The Audience

• Commoners (poor) were called groundlings
  because they paid very little money (a penny) to
  stand on the ground to watch plays
• One ticket would pay for a day at the
  theaterusually three plays in one day
• There were no female actors in Tudor times. Boys
  played women's parts.

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The Globe Theatre

• Nicknamed The Wooden O because it was not
  rectangular but oval in shape
• Could hold 2000-3000 people
• Most expensive seats were closest to the stage
• Very important guests were often seated ON the
  stage

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What did Shakespeare contribute to society?

• He wrote tragedies, comedies, and histories that
  are still read, studied, and performed today
• He wrote 154 sonnets about love and life
• He added words and phrases to the English
  language

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Shakespeares Writing

• Tragedy A dramatic play that ends in
  catastrophe, often death for the main character.
• Tragic hero The main character(usually someone
  noble) in a tragedy who has a tragic flaw, which
  is a weakness that leads to their downfall.
• Comic Relief Following a serious scene with a
  lighter, humorous one.