London in Shakespeare’s
Time
The Reformation—The 16th Century
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’
The Elizabethan Era (1558 -1603)
 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.
The Elizabethan Era (1558 -1603)
 Population grew
400% from 1500 to
1600
 nearly 200,000
people in the city
proper and outlying
region
An Overpopulated City
Streets were narrow and
crowded
People moved from the city to
the country
London’s economy grew
Poor Sanitation
 Little or no drainage
 Running water hard to come by
 Bad smells
 Rotting vegetables
 Human excrement
 Bathing not common practice
Lots of People = lots of
problems
1. Disease
2. Poor sanitation
3. Riots
Lots of People = lots of
problems
•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
The Black Plague
 Bubonic plague –
originated in Central Asia
killing 25 million
 Hit London several times
 Rats hosted the disease
carriers
Plague Symptoms:
Sneezing and swelling of the lymph
nodes, bleeding in the lungs.
The Gap Between Rich and Poor
 The poor lived in homes that are little
better than sheds.
 One earthen-floored room downstairs for
living and cooking
 There was an 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
The Rich
The Rich
 Royalty
 Servants and
attendants
 Business men
 Family money
 Wealthy land
owners
 Loan sharks
 Trade merchants
Guilds
 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
Occupations
Occupations
Occupation
Stationer or
Bookseller
Mercer
Product/Service
Milliner
Hatter
Hats, gloves
Books, paper,
quills, ink
Cloth
Occupations
Occupation
Tailor
Product/Service
Seamstress
Shirts/Smocks
Draper
Cloth merchant
Clothing
Occupations
Occupation
Fletcher
Product/Service
Bower or
Bowyer
Farrier
Bows (to go with
Arrows
the arrows)
Horse shoes
Occupations
Occupation
Blacksmith
Product/Service
Armorer
Armor
Limner
Portrait Artist
Other ironwork
Occupations
Occupation
Lawyer
Product/Service
Apothecary
Medication
Barber or
Surgeon
Dentistry
Legal Services
Occupations
Occupation
Cooper
Product/Service
Miller
Grinds Grain
Moneylenders
Bankers
Barrels
Occupations
Occupation
Spinster
Candle maker
Product/Service
Women who spun
wool
Candles
Lower Class Clothes
 Peasants-wool (which was often dyed)browns, and pale yellow, black, pale
green
Lower Class Clothes
 Peasants had to wear multi layered
clothes.
 They used to wear "doublets” doublets
were thick jackets made of wool, soft
leather, heavy linen or canvas.
 Over the doublets, they wore "jerkins",
which were identical to doublets but
loose in fitting.
Lower Class Clothes
 They wore "knickers", which were
pants that buttoned below the knees.
 On the lower half of the leg, they used
to wear knit woolen hose, or, knee
socks to protect them from the
extremely cold weather of England.
Middle Class Clothes
 Middle class-cotton, and layered
clothing. Collars
 Neatly fitted clothes, with a few
ruffled edges
 Weapons—daggers
Middle Class Clothes
Upper Class Clothes
• The Upper Class
wore velvet, cotton,
lace, silk, gold
embroidery. Fancy
shoes and hats
• Color- black, purple,
maroon, gold, white
shirts.
• Weapons—Swords
Upper Class Clothes
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
Entertainment
 Other than
gambling, drinking at
the pub, playing
cards, tennis and
lawn bowling,
watching plays (the
theatre) was the
main source of
entertainment.
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
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.
Sound familiar?
 An evil person who dies because of own wrongdoing
(Macbeth)
 Mistaken identity (A Comedy of Errors)
 Giving a person a taste of their own medicine ( The
Taming of the Shrew)
 Torn between loyalty and revenge (Hamlet)
 Star Crossed Lovers (Romeo and Juliet)
Movies/Plays
 10 Things I hate About You
 Lion King
 West Side Story
 She’s the Man
 Forbidden Planet