Shakespeare’s London was home to a cross-section of early modern English culture. Its populace of roughly 100,000 people included royalty, nobility, merchants, artisans, laborers, actors, beggars, thieves, and spies, as well as refugees from political and religious persecution on the continent.
What was it like to live in Shakespeare’s London?
“London was a violent place in the first half of Shakespeare’s career” (7). The urban rioters were mostly poor apprentices who picked on “foreigners, prostitutes, and gentlemen’s servingmen” (8). City authorities didn’t let disturbances get out of control, but also did not take them too seriously.
What was life like for people in London during the Elizabethan period?
The City of London during the Elizabethan Era was dirty, noisy, crowded and teeming with people. Changes in agriculture during the Elizabethan period led to people leaving the countryside, and their village lives, to search for employment in towns such as London.
What did Shakespeare did in London?
What did Shakespeare do in London? From about 1590 to 1613, Shakespeare lived mainly in London and by 1592 was a well-known actor there. He was also a playwright. His play, Henry VI, was performed at the Rose theatre in 1592.
What was it like to live in Shakespeare’s time?
The vast majority of people during the Elizabethan age was quite poor and uneducated. Because many were uneducated, most of the information we have about daily life during this time comes from records kept by the educated nobility. However, most people spent their lives working hard for a meager living.
Did Shakespeare ever buy house in London?
Shakespeare purchased New Place, one of the largest houses in Stratford-upon-Avon, from William Underhill in 1597. He also purchased other properties, including one in London near the Blackfriars playhouse–the indoor theater where his acting company performed.
What was it like to live in London in the early 19th century?
While the city grew wealthy as Britain’s holdings expanded, 19th century London was also a city of poverty, where millions lived in overcrowded and unsanitary slums. Life for the poor was immortalized by Charles Dickens in such novels as Oliver Twist.
How did Elizabethans treat the poor?
Poor Laws were key pieces of legislation: they brought in a compulsory nationwide Poor Rate system. everyone had to contribute and those who refused would go to jail. begging was banned and anyone caught was whipped and sent back to their place of birth.
What was it like to live in London in the 16th century?
London was a big city even back in the 1660s. A lot of people lived and worked there, but it wasn’t very clean so it was easy to get sick. Overcrowding was a huge problem in London – when people did get sick diseases spread very quickly, and thousands of people died during the Great Plague in 1665-1666.
How did Queen Elizabeth 1 treat the poor?
The Poor Laws passed during the reign of Elizabeth I played a critical role in the country’s welfare. They signalled an important progression from private charity to welfare state, where the care and supervision of the poor was embodied in law and integral to the management of each town.
At what age did Shakespeare go to London?
28
2. London. By 1592, aged 28, Shakespeare was in London and already established as both an actor and a dramatist.
What was one of the most popular attractions in London in Shakespeare’s time?
Southwark Cathedral
In Shakespeare’s time, Southwark Cathedral was the parish church of St Saviour’s and St Mary Overie (‘over the water’).
Did Shakespeare visit his hometown while living in London?
Shakespeare was only ever an intermittent lodger in London, and there are very few references to him there between 1604 and 1612. There were good links between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, so Shakespeare probably commuted to and fro when he had to (a journey that would have taken about three days).
What did Shakespeare do for a living while he lived in London?
For more than two decades, Shakespeare had multiple roles in the London theater as an actor, playwright, and, in time, a business partner in a major acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (renamed the King’s Men in 1603).
What was housing like in Shakespearean England?
Ordinary homes in Shakespeare’s time were built in the traditional way using massive wooden beams filled in with bricks, then usually covered with plaster and whitewash. The style is often called “half-timbering” because up to half of the structure is timber.
What was London like in 1592?
London in 1592 was a partially-walled city of 150,000 people made of the City of London and its surrounding parishes, called liberties, just outside the walls. Queen Elizabeth I had ruled for 34 years and her government struggled with London’s quickly growing population.
Who owns Shakespeare’s birthplace?
the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
The house was owned by the Hart family until the late 18th century, until it went up for sale and was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in 1847. We have cared for it ever since.
What did Shakespeare do before he moved to London?
We don’t know when or why Shakespeare left Stratford for London, or what he was doing before becoming a professional actor and dramatist in the capital. There are various traditions and stories about the so-called ‘lost years’ between 1585 and 1592, a period for which there is virtually no evidence concerning his life.
Where did Shakespeare live most of his life?
Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564, William Shakespeare spent most of his working life in London, but also did a fair bit of traipsing around the provinces while on tour with his various theatre companies.
What did London smell like in the 1800s?
In the 19th century, London was the capital of the largest empire the world had ever known — and it was infamously filthy. It had choking, sooty fogs; the Thames River was thick with human sewage; and the streets were covered with mud.
What do you think London looked like in the 19th century?
London in the 1800s was a compact city where most people worked within walking distance of home. The narrow winding streets were often crowded with people, horses and carts,with only wealthy people able to travel by private carriage.