Early 17th Century1603-1660

Steele, Ondarza, Johnston, Monahan, Dang, Benner

The early 17th century was a time of political and religious transition, literary and scientific progression, and ultimately a time of social development and unrest.

After Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603, James VI of Scotland took reign, thus beginning the Stuart dynasty.

With this change in power came the rejuvenation of Roman Catholicism, and isolation of the Puritan population.

The change back to Catholicism led to a civil war from 1642-1649, ending with King Charles’s death.

Meanwhile, new writers such as John Donne, Robert Burton, Ben Jonson, and George Herbert paved the way in the world of poetry and literature while challenging scientific experiments by Galileo Galilei and Francis Bacon.

Society and towns began to grow much larger, resulting in filth. Fleas soon began transmitting disease, which led to the Bubonic Plague.

Social Statuses During the Early 17th Century -

•Nobility•Gentry (well-off gentlemen)•Yeomen (farmers who owned their own land)•Masses (majority of population; craftsmen, tenant farmers, laborers)

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564.

Before he was a famous author, Shakespeare worked as a successful merchant, alderman, and a high bailiff on Stratford.

Shakespeare never actually attended a university or college after grade school. He went to a local grammar school in Stratford, where he studied Latin rhetoric, logic, and literature (Miller, par 2).

When Shakespeare was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. Together they had three children.

Shakespeare left Stratford for London around 1566. By 1592 he became a successful actor in London.

Many people envious of his success called him “an upstart crow”.

Following his acting career, Shakespeare began writing.

Shakespeare’s first printed pieces were two poems, Venus and Adonis (1593) and The Rape of Lucrece (1594).

In 1594, Shakespeare formed a new theatre company with other fellow colleagues.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon on April 23, 1564.

Before he was a famous author, Shakespeare worked as a successful merchant, alderman, and a high bailiff on Stratford.

Shakespeare integrated intuition of the human condition, historical references, passion for theatre, and emphasis on creative language to create the most renowned works of literature in all time; stretching across various genres, and many different cultural boundaries.

He is the most successful writer of his time, and was the turning point for commercial theatre during the Elizabethan Period.

The English Civil War

Parliament and King Charles both declared they had control of the army.

Parliament tried to seize control of the army.

The King countered raising his own army in August.

When some members of the army chose to obey the king while others chose to obey Parliament, the civil war began.

The first real battle was on October 1642 at Edgehill.

Parliament was willing to compromise with the King in order to bring the civil war to an end.

January 1643 – Parliament tried to negotiate peace, but Charles refused.

Parliament finally won. Charles was now a captive.

Parliament brought the King to trial for treason. He was convicted of treason and beheaded in 1649.

Parliament was now in command of English politics.

Linking both politics and religion was a main topic in literature. Many books (such as Eikon Basilike [The King’s Image]) focused on the issue of sacred kingship. This was written and published very shortly after Charles’s execution.

Macbeth

Macbeth is a timeless classic that was written and directed by English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.

During Shakespeare’s time, however, Macbeth was not performed on record, and is rumored, due to it being a Scottish based play, to have been written directly for King James himself.

During the 18th century, Macbeth exploded into the theatre due to it’s spectacular performance nature.

Today, Macbeth is performed all over the globe by theatres from high school auditoriums to the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem.

Not only is it performed throughout the world, but it is read and studied equally in schools and universities.

Though most people are able to acquire a copy of Macbeth free of charge, the literary value of the piece is immeasurable.

After more than 400 years of existence, Macbeth still thrives as one of the most influential pieces in all of history.

Sources• http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DB6paCPgjGU/TCv5xT8ZmAI/

AAAAAAAAAQQ/Ph2ubN4KHP0/s400/QueenElizabethCoronation.jpg• http://www.inventoland.net/img/blog/GalileoGalilei.jpg• http://www.iep.utm.edu/wp-content/media/bacon-francis1.jpg• http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/black-death-1.jpg• http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0709/shakespeare0913.jpg• http://www.worcestershireregiment.com/img/Militia/

King_Charles_1.jpg• http://users.moscow.com/khakimian/ecw.html• http://www.easytoteach.com/images/books/macbeth-book.jpg