During Shakespeare's lifetime, England was moving through a remarkable period unuder the reign of Elizabeth I, moving from medieval times to a modern society. London became a metropolis, its bustling economic, political, and cultural life was a magnet for migrants--like Shakespeare. Opportunities for social mobility became more open by the weakening of baronial fiefdoms and the strengthening of Protestantism. The merchant class grew in power, starting to trade fay beyond England's shores, and scientific discoveries along with a publishing boom expanded the horizons of knowledge.
Along with the rapid and constant changes in the monarchy, England faced a lot of changes in its religious After Henry VIII's death (in 1547), the throne saw multiple occupants. The first was Elizabeth's brother, Edward VI, who was 10 at the time of Henry's passing, who only occupied the throne for six years until he died. Then Henry's great-neice took the throne for a short nine-day reign. Then Elizabeth's older half-sister, Mary Tudor took over. Catholicism was restored and Protestants were persecuted. At age 40, Mary married Philip II of Spain, hoping to produce a Catholic heir. However, Mary died two years later. Finally, Elizabeth took the throne and reigned for the next 45 years. She was constantly proving her mettle in times of national crisis, but her reign was hit with outbreaks of bubonic plague, Catholic and other conspiracies, threats of invasion by both Spain and France, and mounting anxiety that the unmarried queen had no heir. However, she didn't let any of this distract her from rallying her country and showing them that she has what it takes to rule England. In her speech to the troops at Tilbury (one of her most famous), she told them: "I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and a King of England, too." This was able to appeal to the men's worry of her womanhood, and satiate any sexist opinions about her leadership--it reminds me of Lady Macbeth's "unsex me here" speech. If you'd like to read her speech, click here.
After the rebellion of Henry VIII from the Vatican, Edward VI brought Protestantism more openly into the Church. Then Mary brought the Church back to Catholicism during her reign before Elizabeth gained the crown, restoring Protestantism and formalzing the new Church of England. Although, Elizabeth's appraoch was more moderate than that of Edward's, her Anglican church was a hybrid between Roman Catholicism and northern European Protestantism--born of political and religious need for compromise. Religion in England was full of confusion, with some regions practicing Protestantism and others still practicing Catholicism. Catholics were persecuted with heavy fines imposed on those who refused to attend Anglican services. On the other end of things were Puritans, who considered the Church of England's church and structure still too close to that of Rome. Although England was going through a religious upheavel, Shakespeare wisely steered clear of religion in his plays.
During Elizabeth's reign the economy fared badly, weakened by inflation, foor shortages, and high rents for farming land--which were vulnerable to bad harvests. However, there wasn't much Elizabeth could do about this considering there was no national economy as there is today. However, London faced a lot of change during this time. Migration from the countryside and from Europe more than doubled London's population to 200,000 during Elizabeth's reign, unfortunately, making it the perfect crowded and dirty grounds for plague epidemics. Despite bad harvests and intermittent plague outbreaks, culture in London took a turn for the better. Publishing expanded rapidly with poetry of Sir Philip Sidney and Edmund Spenser--and let's not forget Mary Sidney, Aemilia Lanyer, and Elizabeth Cary--who were reaching a wide public as well as the first-time availability of translated European classics. This led to the cutting of a great social barrier in England. Elizabethean theatre gained social power and weight because of its ability to to be accessed by all classes--the same play performed for the Queen in Whitehall was also seen by rich merchants and "groundlings" at the Globe.
Throughout Elizabeth's reign, relations with Spain and France continued to be on the rocks. Relations with Spain deteriorated to the point of open war in 1588--when Elizabeth made her speech to the troops at Tilbury. It was after this speech that the English troops were able to defeat the Spanish Armada in the English Channel. However, the war wasn't done; it continued sporadically for another 15 years with Spain continuously launching new armadas. During this time, England was also being threatened by France. France's campaign was built around the claim of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, to the English throne through her Tudor grandmother (Henry VIII's sister). Mary Stuart represented a palpable Catholic threat. She married a cousin, Henry Stewart, Earl of Darnley, which set in motion a set of events that led to her overthrow. After giving birth in 1566, Mary had an adulterous affair with the Earl of Bothwell, who, it is said, arranged Darnley's murder in 1567. Three months later, they married. However, she was immediately desposed of her crown by the Protestant lords who named her son, James, as king in her place. In 1568 Mary fled to England to seek protection of her cousin, Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth promptly imprisoned her, and she quickly became the focus of English plotting to restore Catholicism. This plot implicated Mary and finally convinced Elizabeth that Mary had to die. Elizabeth hesitated before order her beheading, and even expressed remorse in a letter she wrote to Mary's son, James. Given the turmoil of England at this time, it is no surprise that Shakespeare's history plays (written in the 1590s) constantly evoke the perils of uncertain successions and the need for English unity--as we can also see, somewhat, in Macbeth as Macbeth himself fits for the power to rule by eliminating all other heirs. Once Elizabeth died in 1603, James VI (Mary's son) became the ruler of both Scotland and England, and although he was head of the Presbyterian church, he was tolerant of Catholic factions. England and Scotland had reached a peace.
The traumas of royal successions in Shakespeare's plays may have echoed conerns about Elizabeth's own succession; the bubonic world evoked in some of his comedies is possibly Elizabethean; his tragedies mirror the country's darkening mood after James I ascended the throne; and his romaces certainly include magical and supernatural effects pleasing to James and Jacobean audiences. However, few contemporary references are found in his plays. For his plots, he drew freely on earlier writers and earlier epochs. Shakespeare did speak for his age in other ways. By registering the turbulence, innovation, excitement, and soul searching of a fast-changing society, he captured the new theatricality of English life. He was able to portray the Egnlish inventing new roles for themselves in their search for a modern identiy through his poetic language and skills. Shakespeare's influence far outlived his era perhaps because he could see beyong Elizabethean and Jacobean England to the enduring quandaries of human existence. Or perhaps it is because, as Ben Jonson said, "he was not of an age, but for all time!"
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