Expert Circle Group 4

Expert Group Circle 4

Topic 1: Will the real William Shakespeare please stand up?

Q1. Why is William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon  not considered a likely candidate for the authorship of Shakespeare’s works?
  Before Shakespeare, English was spoken in hundreds of dialects often not mutually intelligible. Because of Shakespeare, the writing system became uniform.
  Another reason was that Shakespeare only went to a few years of grammar school. It was impossible that the greatest writer in the history of the English language almost never went to school.
  Further evidence that Shakespeare did not write Shakespeare: the exact date of his birth is unknown. Few documents or verifiable sources of Shakespeare's life exist, much fewer than would be expected of such a prominent figure. Originals of none of his manuscripts have survived. Not one document exists giving evidence of anyone ever seeing him. There is no record of “Shakespeare” actually went to the school. Not even his own family ever referred to him as a famous playwright. Even his will did not mention of any books or manuscripts.
   Finally, there was a good reason for the real author of the works of Shakespeare to keep his identity a secret. The plays of Shakespeare are highly political. Many of them are veiled attacks on the monarchy and the king. Had King James known who the author was, he would have lost his head.

* Who are the possible candidates?
-Francis Bacon
-Christopher Marlowe
-Thomas Middleton
-Edward de Vere , 17th Earl of Oxford
-William Stanley , 6th Earl of Derby

* Who is the most likely candidate to have written Shakespeare's works? Provide reasons to support your view.
It would be Edward de Vere , 17th Earl of Oxford. The case for Oxford relies on historical inferences, literary parallels, and the belief that the plots and characters portrayed in the plays reflect his personal experiences. Looney identified personality characteristics in Shakespeare's works e.g. Hamlet—that painted the author as an eccentric aristocratic poet, a drama and sporting enthusiast with a classical education who had travelled to Italy.He discerned putatively close affinities between the poetry of Oxford and that of Shakespeare in the use of motifs and subjects, phrasing, and rhetorical devices that enabled him to identify Oxford as the true author.





Topic 2: Queen Elizabeth I and the Politics of the Elizabethan Era
* Elizabeth I: Who was she?
A: Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII.
* What were England's international relations like during Elizabeth's reign?
A: In the early years, England was military engaged with Scotland and France. Relationships grew friendly with Scotland after the overthrow of Mary, Queen of Scots, and a military treaty was signed. Relationships was worsened with Spain and Elizabeth sent an army to Netherlands in 1585 to put it under her protection. In 1588, Philip II of Spain responded by sending the Spanish Armada of over 100 ships to go to war with England. However, the English defeated them.

The population of Ireland often rebelled against the authority of the queen. There were many rebellions in the 1570s to 1590s. In the Nine Years War from 1594-1603, the Irish defeated the English in 1598, but were defeated in 1603, after Elizabeth’s death. A peace was then signed between the two nations.

There were friendly diplomatic and trade relations between England and the Barbary States, the Ottoman Empire and Japan during her reign.

* What was Shakespeare's relationship with Elizabeth I?
A: Queen Elizabeth was a huge supporter of the arts in England, mainly she supported plays and masques, in fact she even wrote poetry herself. She attended plays at the Globe theater where Shakespeare wrote and his plays were performed. Shakespeare's plays were admired by Elizabeth and were also popular with the royal family. Shakespeare's group performed several of his plays in front of Elizabeth I. It is believed that Elizabeth suggested the subjects of several of the plays that he wrote. During the last ten years of her reign, the Lord Chamberlain's Men performed at court thirty-two times, compared to thirty-seven performances by all other companies combined. Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler during the time of Shakespeare's life. She enjoyed plays, dances, and other entertainment during her rule. Queen Elizabeth I liked when plays were acted out for her. She was very fond of Shakespeare’s plays. In some of his play, Shakespeare cleverly hinted passages referring to the Queen and other events that affiliated during both of their life time.

The Puritans were not happy with the theaters and shut down all the theatres in London. They claim that the theaters were a major cause of the plague. The real reason why they shut them down was because people were spending time going to plays instead of praying. Queen Elizabeth I reacted to this by forming own group of performers. Her goal was to bring the law of theaters back into business for her people.

William Shakespeare was one of the greatest writers in England at the time and he wrote plays for the general population of England.  Queen Elizabeth supported Shakespeare’s writing and works because she too was concerned with all members of society and not just royalty or wealthy people.  While Catherine Bush explains the Queen’s feelings towards Shakespeare, she does not define Shakespeare’s opinion about Queen Elizabeth’s way of rule. Overall, the Queen Elizabeth’s reign had a positive effect on the production of Shakespeare’s plays.

Queen Elizabeth I had her own acting company called the 'Queen's Men.' When the Queen had an idea for one of his plays, he accepted them. There is no proof that the queen and Shakespeare ever met. In 1603 when Queen Elizabeth I died, people became upset and angry. This horrible event effected Shakespeare’s writing, which caused tragedies to occur in his plays.

* Compare Elizabeth I to Portia from The Merchant of Venice. How is Portia's character a tribute to Elizabeth I?
A: Portia Portia is the lead female in the Merchant of Venice play She is also the heroine who saves the day when she finds a fault in the contract given by Shylock and forces Shylock to drop the charges against Antonio.Portia She is very much like an independent woman who has rose to such high ranks like today’s Michelle Obama or Condolezza Rice. She is a strong-headed woman. Queen Elizabeth I had the same character as Portia. Perhaps Portia was an inspiration drawn from as well as a tribute paid to Elizabeth I who was a patron of Shakespeare’s works. Queen Elizabeth I had been famous for the defeat of the Spanish Armada She had also created an Elizabethan Era in which English dramas and plays had flourished during this period.

Queen Elizabeth I She is celebrated as the ruler of a golden age. Her work on the throne is enormous and helped to give England its own identity. She was a successful monarch and also another strong woman like Portia. The Pope once commented, "She is only a woman, only mistress of half an island." Portia is seen as a witty, rich, powerful, beautiful, romantic, strong-willed, independent and strong-headed individual, much similar to Elizabeth I’s character.

Portia is heiress to Belmont, similar to Elizabeth I who was heiress to the England throne. Elizabeth I controlled the English empire and allowed it to prosper and lead many victorious battles, demonstrating her resourcefulness and independence as a queen.


Topic 3: Customs and Lifestyle
* What was personal hygiene like during the Elizabethan era?
1. During the Elizabethan era, personal hygiene was quite poor. There are quite a lot of diseases present during that era. Two plagues were present during the Elizabethan era which is the bubonic and pneumonic plague. Mosquitoes spread Malaria, and poor diet caused resulted in scurvy and Syphilis was also present. The bubonic plaque and smallpox were the deadliest disease during that era. These diseases were due to overpopulation. The diseases also spread very quickly due to the people living in a close community. The filthy living conditions, crowded cities, and poverty also caused many of the feared diseases. Baths were also not taken regularly. Three baths were taken a year by peasants and the lower classes, while people in the upper class bathed about every week. It was considered unhealthy to wash hair often. There was also no flush toilets. There was no sewage system as running water did not exist.
* Diet?
2. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products are only eaten by the poor as they are deemed inferior food and thus the rich does not eat them. Fruit are served in pies or preserved in honey.Food they came from the ground were considered fit for the poor.

* Recreation?
3.Large crowds of both men and women of all classes flocked to see bear baiting or bull baiting.The average Elizabethan was not sensitive to the spectacle of physical suffering, either in human beings or in animals. hey, too, were rough and violent like the sports involving animals. Common men played football It was extremely violent as there were few rules. Fencing was one of the most popular of sports.
* Accommodations?
4.This new wealth expressed itself in two simultaneous building booms; a great number of small houses were built, and at the same time numerous country mansions were constructed. Many of the earlier medieval or Tudor Manors were remodelled and modernised during Elizabeth's reign.

* Dress/clothing?
This new wealth expressed itself in two simultaneous building booms; a great number of small houses were built, and at the same time numerous country mansions were constructed. Many of the earlier medieval or Tudor Manors were remodelled and modernised during Elizabeth's reign. The living quarters are also very cramped and filthy.Each item of Elizabethan clothing has been designed.  Elizabethan Women's Clothing - gowns, hats, corsets, underwear, collars, ruffs and shoes. Elizabethan Men's Clothing - doublets, breeches, underwear, collars, ruffs, hats and shoes.Elizabethan clothes provided information about the status of the person wearing them. This was not just dictated by the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing. Only Royalty were permitted to wear clothes trimmed with ermine. Lesser Nobles were allowed to wear clothing trimmed with fox and otter and so on and so forth.










Topic 4: The (historical and cultural) Setting of Venice
* What was Venice like during the 15th and 16th century? Comment especially on its demographics and culture.

Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East. Venice started declining in the 16th century after various attacks like the Kingdoms of France and Spain. However, Venice flourished and was an important trading centre and art centre due to its stable political climate. There were over a 100000 people living in Venice in the 15th and 16th century. Venetian craftsmen produced various decorative arts, including sculptures, lace, glassworks, paintings and ceramics. Merchants traded wool and silk and various other products.

At the beginning of the 16th century, theatres appeared and were welcomed. Groups of actors performed in the houses of nobles and even they charged admission.

* Why was Venice important during the 15th and 16th century?

Venice was a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice. The printing of books in the Italian language was initiated in Venice and contributed to the Italian Renaissance. The Venetian School polychoral compositions were famous throughout Europe in the late 16th century.

Trading was also very important in Venice as it was along one of the main trading routes during the Renaissance.

* How is Venice is an appropriate setting for the plot of The Merchant of Venice?

Even though William Shakespeare never visited Venice, other candidates for Shakespeare authorship including de Vere did visit Italy. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice.

The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, and could not be in countries where Jews were forbidden to live in (most countries in Europe). Venice, however, allowed Jews and there were many instances where those who borrowed from Jewish moneylenders fail to repay their loans. Trading was also common in Venice with Antonio being the merchant.




Topic 5: Jews vs Christians
* What was the dominant religion in England and Venice in the 15th and 16th century?

- Mark was not here -

* Why was there such animosity between Jews and Christians?

- Mark was not here-

* In what ways did the Christians discriminate against Jews in 15th and 16th century Europe?
-Mark was not here-

Topic 6: Shakespeare's Theatre
* In what sort of building were Shakespeare's plays performed?
By the late 1500's, Elizabethan plays were being performed in two kinds of theater buildings later called public and private theaters. Public theaters were larger than private ones and held at least 2,500 people. They were built around a courtyard that had no roof. Public theaters gave performances only during daylight hours because they had no lights. Private theaters were smaller, roofed structures. They had candlelight for evening performances. Private theaters charged higher prices and were designed to get richer people.
* How did the physical constraints of the theatre affect the language of Shakespeare's plays?
The theatre was open air and there was no scenery around. To make the play seem realistic, Shakespeare would have to describe the setting and time of each new scene to the audience through dialogue or action in the play. Thus, the language of Shakespeare’s plays are often very descriptive in nature.
* What sort of people acted in plays? What sort of people went to see them?

Only males acted in the plays and no women did. People from all classes went to see the plays as the minimum price of a standing ticket was very cheap and anyone could afford it. Richer people were willing to pay more money for better seats.

* How was "The Theatre" viewed by Elizabethan society?

The theatre is the earliest purpose-built public London theatre known to Shakespeare. The Elizabethan society viewed the theatre as a place to relax to watch plays.  It is also a place for important people to watch plays.

* Compare the modern-day Globe Theatre in London with the theatres that Shakespeare worked in.

Similarities between modern Shakespeare’s Globe and the ancient Globe theater

The modern day theater was based on the 1614 building, about which more information survives.

Much of the way the present performances are performed in the ancient way,  there are no spotlights, plays are staged during daylight hours and in the evenings, there are no microphones, speakers or amplification.Also, all music is performed live on instruments; the actors can see the audience and the audience can see each other.

Both buildings were constructed entirely out of wood.

Differences between modern Shakespeare’s Globe and the ancient Globe theater

The modern version has a larger stage and broader staircases than the ancient theater.

The “pit” (where people would stand to watch the performance) of the modern theater has a concrete surface as opposed to the earthen ground covered with strewn rush in the original theatre.

The seating of the modern theater, at 857, is about 2 times more than the typical audience size of the original theatre.

The modern theater has fire retardents all over the place to prevent another fire, which happend in 1613 and burnt the original theater down.