Elizabethan England & Shakespeare
British Civilization
Winter semester 2004/05
Instructor: Dr. M. Pätzold
The Fairies:
Anne-Kathrin Kreft, Rena Ludwig, Helen Münch
Elizabethan Age
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1558 to 1603 (Elizabeth I's reign)
Time of exploration and discovery
Diffusion of knowledge (inventions...)
Renaissance
Male superiority
Return to Protestantism
Improvement of the educational system
English language gains importance
Literary movements and developments
Drama, theatres and Shakespeare
Queen Elizabeth I
 Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
 Succeeded her half-sister Mary (daughter of
Catherine of Aragon)
 Received a humanist education
 Spoke French and Italian fluently; could read
Latin and Greek
 Her status was justified through
 comparisons with other female leaders
 the theory of "the king's two bodies"
 body natural  female gender
 body politic  role as a monarch; timeless & absolute
Queen Elizabeth I
 Believed in royal absolutism
 Rising against her and her laws was not only
criminal but also a blasphemous act
 Had an immense influence over the country;
politically and socially
 Reckless, unpredictable:
 execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
 imprisonment of Sir Walter Raleigh
 Persecution of Catholics
Cult & Popularity
 Exceptional cult of love
 Celebrated by people of all classes
 "The Virgin Queen":
 conservative
 negotiations with prospective husbands
 power over the "male world"
 Died unmarried and childless:
 she did not want to lose her power, independence
and myth
 Succeeded by James Stuart in 1603
Politics
 Elizabeth's power was not absolute!
Queen
Elizabeth
summons and dissolves,
determines topics of discussion,
vetoes bills
appoints
independent!
oath of loyalty
Privy Council
levies taxes,
grants subsidies
Parliament
consists of
House of
Lords
House of
Commons
peerage
gentry
elect
boroughs
The Great Chain of Being
 Elizabethans praised order and harmony
hierarchy
No movement!!
without gaps
archbishop
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Understanding
bishop
Angelic
beings
Human
beings
Existence
Life
Feeling
Sensitive
class
Existence
Life
Feeling
Vegetative
class
Existence
Inanimate
class
Existence
Life
Understanding
water

earth
Elements and Humours
hot,
dry
hot,
moist
elements
Hotspur
humours
(Henry IV)
traits
fire
choleric
short-tempered, thin,
red-haired, ambitious
sanguine
optimistic, red-cheeked,
corpulent, irresponsible
phlegmatic
Richard II
sluggish, pallid,
corpulent, lazy
melancholic
introspective, sallow,
thin
air
world made up
of the
four elements
Falstaff
(Henry IV)
food
cold,
moist
water
(Hamlet)
cold,
dry
earth
Religion - Prehistory
 Early 16th century: Catholicism the only religion
 1517: Reformation in Europe (Martin Luther)
 Henry VIII  Defender of Faith
 Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer become his
new advisors  marriage is declared void  Henry is
excommunicated
 England is a Protestant country now
 Edward ascends the throne  clear Protestant
Church is installed
 Mary becomes Queen  Roman Catholicism is reestablished (“Bloody Mary”)  Elizabeth in danger
Protestant England
 Elizabeth is crowned Queen, but: not accepted by
Roman Catholics (invalid marriage of her parents)
 Elizabeth is Protestant but does not re-establish a
rigorous Protestantism
 Unification of both Catholic and Protestant elements
 Church Of England
 Not accepted by Roman Catholics and Puritans
 1559: Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity
 1570: Excommunication of Elizabeth
 Plans to assassinate her are discovered  execution
of Mary, Queen of Scotland
Education - Petty School
 Derived from the French word “petite école” (“small
school”)
 For boys from five years on
 Conducted by a local housewife
 Preparation for grammar school
 Manners, basic skills and principles are taught
 Lessons in behaviour, learning of some prayers and
the catechism
Grammar School & University
 At the age of seven: public schooling or home tutor
(for boys)
 Girls: Education at home, mainly learn domestic skills
 preparation for being good housewives
 Subjects contain the trivium and quadrivium
 Latin = the international language
 Preparation for university
 Intended for male students
 Girls are not allowed to attend university
Language
 Latin was more important than English
 Almost no English literature
 Romans were admired because of their eloquence
 Their works are translated into English
 Increase in number of books and reading people 
spread of the English language
 W. Shakespeare writes all of his works in English 
The English language replaces Latin and gains a high
reputation
Development of Drama
 "Miracle Plays" and "Interludes" now followed by the
first full-length plays
 Since English became a popular language (
travelling, translation of the Bible): first writings in
English
 Invention of printing  writers sold their manuscripts
to the printer for very low prizes
 Financial rewards from wealthy patrons
 No freedom of the press
Theatres
 playhouses built outside the city walls ( Puritans)
 plays attended by a
numerous audience
 soliloquies, prologues
and epilogues
 no females allowed
to act
 atmosphere:
 no “special effects“
 very few props
 audience close to the stage/actors
Film Sequence:
"Shakespeare in Love"
Some points to observe:
 Distance stage-audience
 Behaviour of the audience
 Prologue
 Signs of religion
 Female characters on-stage