- The Elizabethan/Jacobean world view
- The Divine Right to Rule
- The state of England under Elizabeth I and James I
- Shakespeare’s education and additional play
SUMMARY + How did they influence Shakespeare?
WORLD VIEW
They viewed the world in ‘The Great Chain of Being’:
God
Angels
Kings/Queens
Commoners
Animals
Plants
Non-living things
Main focus of the chain was ORDER, CONTROL.
The chain dictated society’s hierarchy. The ‘most perfect’ or most important beings reside at the top, while the least important stay at the bottom.
An example of how humans feel the need to categorize each other. Used by royalty to ensure that they had control over the commoners/peasants.
The chain was created by God to keep order in the world.
Shakespeare was influenced by this.
When characters are referred to as animals, this is saying that they are the ‘lowest of the low’ the least important.
Everything in their world was based upon the chain.
Order vs disorder
Shakespeare was clearly influenced by the sociological aspects of the times.
The great chain of being is a huge part of King Lear’s story, it allows the tragedy to take ‘full swing’.
DIVINE RIGHT
Kings and Queens were chosen by God himself to rule. They had ‘divine right’ to control the kingdom, and if this right was disrupted or abused it would anger god.
Shows that it is god who decides the fate of the world/kingdom not the people.
This is explored in King Lear through the inversion of power
Lear has his ‘divine right’ taken away and is made powerless.
Everyone seemed to forget that Lear was an extension of god himself.
Kings are at the top of the chain of being, the mostly important people in the kingdom/world. They have ultimate power, they can have anything, anytime.
For Lear to go from this to the state he reaches by the end of the play is as devastating as it is gut-wrenching. For the common people of the 1600’s the sight of a king falling from such a high level of grace is terrifying because it represents an absolute and violent descent into chaos and disorder. It would be the end of the world as they new it.
ELIZABETH I AND JAMES I
When Elizabeth I died, she was succeeded by James I.
Elizabeth I’s reign is considered one of the greatest of all time.
The church was fully laid down, details of religion were set.
Elizabeth was beloved by her people.
She ruled from 1558 until 1603. Her death was very close to the publishing of the play King Lear (1608)
We do not get much insight into the general populous in King Lear, but from what many of the characters have said, he was well respected and in his prime, very powerful. His image to the kingdom could have been similar to Elizabeth I’s.
James I was the king of both Scotland (1567-1625) and England (1603-1625), he succeeded Elizabeth I after her death. His reign represented union and he was the first monarch to rule both countries.
James I was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who was convicted and executed under the orders of Elizabeth I for complicity.
The first production of King Lear was performed for James I?
James I was trying to unite two kingdoms and watched a play about the dangers of division?
King George III’s rule had the play banned from being performed.
SHAKESPEARE’S EDUCATION & ADDITIONAL PLAYS
Shakespeare
His plays were based on real ideas and themes of his world.
Attended King Edward VI school.
At school he would have studied extended Latin texts of prose and poetry. This would have given him the skills and affinity for composing plays.
Classical plays were routinely put on at school, this would have allowed Shakespeare to explore the world of play writing and acting.
Shakespeare had to leave school at the age of fourteen as his father was struggling with money and could no longer pay for school.
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whatdidshkread.html