A little bit about Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Era

A Shakespeare's probable authentic image.

Source: guardian.co.uk

Like Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616) is also considered one of the most important writers in the history of English literature. As we saw in class today, he wrote a total of 37 plays – including history plays, comedies and tragedies – and 154 sonnets. He also wrote 5 poems which are much longer in extension than the sonnets. The most well-known of these poems are Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, both with erotic content.

Shakespeare was born in a town called Stratford-upon-Avon, at a time in which the English language was gaining more prestige in Europe between the other European languages. It was the period known as the Elizabethan Era, since England was being governed by Queen Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603), a very important character in the history of England.  

Besides being extremely skillful in the task of ruling the country, Queen Elizabeth I was also a powerful and bright woman who encouraged intellectual activities. Because she was particularly fond of arts in general, this period is known as the one in which drama and poetry flourished in England. This fact was particularly good for William Shakespeare, since he was a playwright who knew how to benefit from this favorable setting and managed to become very successful with his works.       

Here is the complete site for the image I used in this post: 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/mar/15/shakespeare-lost-play-double-falsehood

 

Posted by Fernanda Pedrecal