Shakespeare Times and its influence on his Writing

Shakespeare spent his childhood and youth in Renaissance period and his mid-life in Reformation period of Europe. Social-economic condition, culture, religious beliefs, level of technological advancement etc must have made profound influence in his writing.

It’s very shocking that during those period life expectancy was less than 30 and half the children died before reaching age of 15. In today’s modern world where even most undeveloped countries in African and Asian region have life expectancy of above 40, it’s an incomprehensive fact. We can imagine that medical science was in primitive stage on those days. The concepts of germs and viruses that cause disease and antibiotics for their remedy was out of question. However if anyone has read Romeo and Juliet there is a character called Fiar Lawarane who prepares some sort of chemicals that acts as anesthesia and makes Juliet faint as dead for a day. This implies that perhaps Shakespeare might have heard about those chemicals or herbs that make us faint. In absence of development of proper medical science, people believe in divine power and witchcrafts for causes of diseases and death. We see that when certain no of people died theaters were closed, - “as to avoid making an angry God still angrier with the spectacle of idleness. Causes and remedy of disease were mystery and that truth reflected in Shakespeare’s plays- for instance in Hamlet, the protagonist Halmet calls, “the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.”

During Shakespeare status of women were inferior to men and were not allowed all the privilege men could possibly have. However position of women were better in comparison to other European countries as they could walk unchaperoned into streets and go to theater, single women after certain age were liable to inherit and manage property-lands, make a will , sing contracts ,sue and be sued etc without men permission. This might have been possible as England that time was ruled for over 40 years by powerful women Elizabeth 1. This possibly might have influence Shakespeare in dealing with women character. Shakespeare women character are often active, more ambitious, witty and cruel as well. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is anchoring the play to boost up her man ambition. As Elizabeth was crowned in England not for her merit or not allowed to rule England for her genius and neither she was prevent from crown on ground of being women. As blood was respected more than age or sex, Elizabeth was made queen. This concept might have influence Shakespeare to deal his noble by birth character like price, princess, knights etc.
Lack of modern electronic media and ads, films, home TV and DVD equipments, the range of entertainment were limited during Shakespeare period. As from Thomas Platter writing, - theater that runs from 2 noon in two or three places in London were few entertainment available. As we are now mould by TV, media , Hollywood and the entire Madison Avenue, the people might also be shaped by theater plays , the language and dress the artist use at those time. When Shakespeare became a successful playwright he must had lead parallel life and made impact on society like today’s entertainment people like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Opera etc and was able to afford grand lavish life later in his life. Being a playwright must had been a profession, unlike ordinary profession like farming and trading, of glitz and glamour and might have affected his later writing of Shakespeare and vice versa.

One shocking event for post modern people like us is about Capital Punishment. In general 20/30 peoples both men and women had been executed on daily basis. The people of Shakespeare time just took those things for granted as punishment for breaking the law. Liberal thoughts of not taking something ( someone’s life ) which we can’t repay was not developed. This might have justified the unnecessary duels and capital punishment that might occurred in Shakespeare plays for simple reason as showing thumb (Rome and Juliet)