William Shakespeare may never have existed – or at least that is the point some scholars are trying to make. This paper is going to follow the opinion of the vast majority of literary experts and assume that Shakespeare did, in fact, exist. But mere existence is never enough. “No man is an island, entire of itself,” as John Donne liked to put it. The environment you live in and the surroundings that influence and inspire you are utterly significant. Future historians ourselves, we were taught that the present is a time span that doesn’t even last three seconds. After that, it’s the past. But the past is not the same as “history” itself. History is what historiographers have managed to reconstruct of the past, using archaeological, philological, literary, and other sources. As we are happy enough to know a lot about Shakespeare’s times, it would be foolhardy and arrogant to ignore this knowledge and focus on the plays themselves, letting the circumstances that they were
written in slip out of our range of view.
It may be taken for granted that Shakespeare was indeed influenced by his historical environment, but nobody can say for sure to what extent. What if Shakespeare had lived in ancient Roman times or in the Cold War period? Would he have written different plays? To decide to what
extent he was influenced is the task of those scholars who actually do research on the plays. This paper, however, will focus on the actual socio-political, economic, and religious background of Sir William Shakespeare, particularly on the rule of Elizabeth I and James I and on
the Elizabethan World Picture with its various manifestations in the English state during Shakespeare’s lifetime.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 The Tudor Dynasty before Elizabeth I or “Let us sit down and tell sad stories of dead kings”
2.1 Henry VII
2.2 Henry VIII
2.3 Edward VI
2.4 Mary I
3 The Elizabethan Age
4 James I
5 Merry England
6 Golden Age in a Nutshell
7 The Elizabethan World Picture
7.1 The Meaning of Order
7. 2 The Macrocosm
7. 3 The Hierarchical Order – illustrated by Metaphors
7. 3. 1 The Chain of Being
7. 3. 2 The Stairs
7. 4 Analogy and Correspondences
8 The Human Being
9 The Body Politic
10 The Meaning of Sin
11 World Picture: Conclusion
12 And the rest is silence
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This academic paper examines the socio-political, economic, and religious environment of William Shakespeare’s lifetime. The primary research objective is to analyze how the historical context of the Tudor era and the prevailing "Elizabethan World Picture" influenced the cultural and literary climate in which Shakespeare’s major plays were created.
- The historical development of the Tudor Dynasty and the rule of Elizabeth I and James I.
- The concept of the "Elizabethan World Picture" and its emphasis on cosmic and social order.
- Metaphorical frameworks such as the "Chain of Being" and the "Macrocosm" in Elizabethan thought.
- The relationship between the individual, the state ("Body Politic"), and the theological significance of sin.
- The influence of Renaissance ideology and humanist education on the period's worldview.
Excerpt from the Book
7. 3. 1 The Chain of Being
The first image of interest is the chain of being. People gave credence to a linked chain that started at the pedestal of God´s throne leading down to the lowest creature. Except the two extremities, each creature was at the same time smaller and bigger than another one. Sometimes the chain was also regarded to be a ladder leading from earth up to heaven. An excerpt from Sir John Fortescue´s Latin work on the law of nature clearly shows people´s belief:
In this order hot things are in harmony with cold, dry with moist, heavy with light, great with little, high with low. In this order angel is set over angel, rank upon rank in the kingdom of heaven; man is set over man, beast over beast, bird over bird, and fish over fish, on the earth in the air and in the sea: so that there is no worm that crawls upon the ground, no bird that flies on high, no fish that swims in the depths, which the chain of this order does not bind in most harmonious concord. […] God created as many different kinds of things as he did creatures, so that there is no creature which does not differ in some respect from all other creatures and by which it is in some respect superior or inferior to all the rest.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter defines the scope of the study, assuming the historical existence of Shakespeare and arguing for the necessity of understanding the environmental factors that shaped his work.
2 The Tudor Dynasty before Elizabeth I or “Let us sit down and tell sad stories of dead kings”: An overview of the political transition from the Wars of the Roses through the reigns of Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Mary I.
3 The Elizabethan Age: A detailed analysis of the reign of Elizabeth I, highlighting her political pragmatism, religious policy, and the atmosphere of her era.
4 James I: A biographical and political sketch of the first Stuart king, contrasting his public image with his actual impact on national policy.
5 Merry England: Examines the socio-economic structure of England in 1581, including population growth, trade, and the changing status of the country in the global economic landscape.
6 Golden Age in a Nutshell: Critically evaluates the myth of the "Golden Age," arguing that it was a period of transition rather than a simple narrative of cultural peak.
7 The Elizabethan World Picture: Explores the intellectual consensus of the time, focusing on concepts like order, the macrocosm, and the hierarchical nature of the universe.
8 The Human Being: Discusses the position of humans in the cosmic hierarchy, linking body and soul to the humoral theory and the concept of microcosm.
9 The Body Politic: Investigates the correspondence between the state and the physical body, positioning the monarch as the head of a larger social organism.
10 The Meaning of Sin: Analyzes the theological perception of original sin as the cause of cosmic instability and human insecurity.
11 World Picture: Conclusion: Summarizes the preceding arguments on the Elizabethan worldview and reaffirms the connection between these concepts and Shakespearean literature.
12 And the rest is silence: Concludes that while direct influence is hard to extrapolate, the Elizabethan mindset provided the foundational context for Shakespeare's works.
Key Words
Elizabethan Age, William Shakespeare, Tudor Dynasty, Elizabethan World Picture, Chain of Being, Macrocosm, Body Politic, Humoral Theory, Order, Renaissance, Original Sin, Hierarchy, Cosmology, Divine Right, Reformation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on the socio-political, economic, and religious environment of England during the lives of Sir William Shakespeare, specifically under the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I.
What does the term "Elizabethan World Picture" entail?
It refers to a complex system of convictions and categories—such as the Chain of Being and the belief in divine order—that were shared by contemporaries to explain reality and the universe.
What is the central research question or goal?
The goal is to determine the extent to which the historical environment, ideological frameworks, and cultural norms of the Elizabethan period served as a background for Shakespeare's plays.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes historical analysis, literary interpretation, and anthropological perspectives, synthesizing findings from established Tudor-era research and literary studies.
What themes are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the political history of the Tudors, the social structure of "Merry England," the metaphorical models of the universe, and the philosophical conceptualizations of the human being and the state.
Which keywords characterize the essence of this study?
Key terms include Elizabethan Age, World Picture, Order, Body Politic, Hierarchy, Macrocosm, and Tudor Dynasty.
How does the author interpret the concept of the "Chain of Being"?
The author describes it as a hierarchical system created by God, linking all creatures from minerals to archangels, where every entity has a specific, immutable place based on its distance from divine perfection.
In what way does the paper relate the human body to the state?
Through the concept of the "Body Politic," the paper explains that Elizabethan thought viewed the state as a body where the king acts as the head, and disharmony in the kingdom is seen as a physical illness requiring divine or civil restoration.
What significance is attributed to the "original sin" within the Elizabethan worldview?
Original sin is identified as the fundamental reason for the collapse of the initially perfect and stable world order, introducing mutability and insecurity into the cosmos.
- Quote paper
- Christian R. Schwab (Author), 2005, Shakespeare's Historical Background and the World Picture of the Elizabethan Age, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/69941
