Inside Shakespeare’s mind:

The Age of Shakespeare

What went on his mind later, was for us to see and what was before he was born, the history of his time revealed. The impact it had on the literary scene in England and the world at large, was a colossal uprising towards wisdom and the world wiser to follow.

Everyone knows Shakespeare; some about his emergence and the others about his post era.

But what about the age of Shakespeare and its final impact on the writer who seized his lifestyle from their habitats and of the Court and Crown. Also of the architecture, domestic architecture, museums, decorative arts, medicine, education, drama playhouse, music, explorations, etc but above all the Elizabethan influence.

The court and crown

The power was vested by the Queen whose parliamentary democracy was in its infancy. It was Elizabeth’s reign and the Court was both the royal household and government headed by her. She was a unique phenomenon, a Protestant ‘Virgin Queen’ who was not only a multi-lingual scholar and an astute politician but who relished the pleasures of life. Under Elizabeth the court became the focus of intellectual achievement and she was surrounded by a host of talented countries.

The Age of Shakespeare as it were

In the later years, observers witnessed a bitter comedy of an ageing queen objecting to her courtiers marrying. She always wanted to project herself as the eternally youthful maiden and not the bald wrinkled old woman. With the accession of James 1, the tone of the throne changed and became less decorous. James’s reign brought great prosperity for Shakespeare’s Lord Chamberlain’s Men who later became the King’s Men and him and the Queen, a theatrical spectacle reflected.

Architecture and domestic architecture

During Elizabethan reign, there was an upsurge of building activity which cannot be said of James’s reign. The stark contrast between the two reigns reflected in their architecture. The former encouraged to build large houses with spelendour, symmetry and large expanse of glass that are characteristic in Elizabethan houses.

Symmetry replaced making room for long galleries, grand staircases and spacious private apartments. They worked on the traditional Gothic building models which are still seen in England. Some travelled to Europe to get a glimpses of the Renaissance architecture but most ended with what was truly Elizabethan.

Contrary to this building activity under James was less spectacular and decorative but extravagant height was replaced by broader, lower lines windows. Brick became popular again as a building material. Semblance of this is yet found in the Shakespeare city along with heavy timber for greater support. Shakespeare was believed to have been a great admirere of this form of building and maintained his support towards these themes which flourished in his time and later.

Monuments

While portraits were important as state symbols, had to give way for monuments and sculptural works that were richly decorated in fresh harmony of colouring that bore the strains of the separation of England from the Roman Catholic faith. The skills and work manship of monuments was impressive, but excellence lay in the penetrating likeness of figurative forms. As for decorative arts, Elizabethan and Jacobean interiors were richly decorated wall paintings and tapestries.

Furniture and household objects reflected the taste for ornamentation. Dresses and head-dresses were finely embroidered as found among Shakespearear women characters. With time, English craftsmen began to imitate the technical and decorative skills of the continental masters.

It is a foregone conclusion that the English had an appetite for learning. Schools were founded by local communities and some by wealthy benefactors in one such school the Bard had his education. By the end of Shakespeare’s lifetime, there was a school in most towns in England. Young children attended the primary schools where besides studies importantly, they learned the Catechism of the Anglican faith while the church continued to dominate the education. Girls dropped back while boys over ten years stayed in the grammar schools. Because of the scarcity of text books, long hours were spent memorising texts. Modern languages including English was barred from classroom as still Latin was the acknowledged language for scholarship.

By 15 or 15, the clever boys made it to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Queen took interest in the universities that saw brilliant scholars emerging. Shakespeare’s Age saw the endowment saw several new colleges, the University Men, Walter Raleigh and Francis Bacon among many. They all contributed the intellectuality to England.

Drama

This flourished brilliantly in Shakespeare Age and the Bard made the Globe Theatre the most famous in the London playhouse and the centre of entertainment for the ordinary people. Each Elizabethan theatre had its own company under the patronage of a nobleman. The leading company was the Lord Chamberlaine’s Men which included Shakespeare and the actor, Richard Burbage.

Though Shakespeare was recognised as the dominant playwright of his time but was not without rivals. The brilliant Christopher Marlowe who was also born in 1564, died tragically in a tavern brawl. Another near contemporary was Ben Jonson whose wit delighted audiences.

Poetry and language

This was the golden age for English language. There was such a upheavel that people were swept off their feet. The new generation of writers appeared in the 1580s and 1590s and blessed with such unprecedented talent. Shakespeare, Marlow, Sidney and Sponsor were the best with lesser known ones who were equally talented enough to make their own contribution to the literary scene. They were the major figures who surface poetry, prose and fiction that was in its infancy. Love of symbolism and allegory was the characteristic of the Age. Many delightful imagery were drawn from mythology and fables.

Edmond Spenser was Sidney’s protege and like Shakespeare, had a humble beginning. The Elizabethan age was responsible in enhancing the poet’s status. Therefore, it was no accident that Shakespeare’s first published work was Venus and Adonis. Poetry rather than plays brought fame and patronage to the writer.

But as the Age developed, poetry grew more intellectual and less popular in tone.

The impact of music

Music develop the senses; goes the notion and music does. So, the intensity of musical chords caught the imagination of all writers of the Age and became enormously popular in Shakespeare’s England. The Queen set the precedence as well as an example as an accomplished musician (She invited all the gifted musicians into the service of the Chapel Royal.

In particular she singled out to bestow her deep friendship and privileges upon William Byrd, the greatest Elizabethan composer whose allegiance to Roman Catholicism would otherwise have proved a severe handicap.)

In its brief flowering period in the 16th century, some fifty composers including Morley, Byrd, Gibbon, Welkes, and Wilbbye perfected the unique English style.