How Did Shakespeare Change Over Time

There were four major causes for the the decline of feudalism by the early fifteenth century. They were economic changes as more countries gained strength, the religious reasons were greed in the Catholic Church looking for riches, the third was the Black Death or

In this essay I'll be talking about the difference between Shakespeare's world and age and ours today. There are many differences that we have today then back then. Some of the differences are that the actors in his day weren't always appreciated and they got yelled insults and spit at and thrown orange peels. Today the difference for actors is very different. We also have the difference of things being more safe to use and also we have more people who can choose who they want to marry. Shakespeares plays have been around for a very long time and so there are going to be many differences between our world and age today than his and I'll go more into depth with those reasons. If you want to know some of the differnces between Shakespeares world and our own then continue reading.

Queen Elizabeth came to be known as one of the greatest rulers of the English empire. Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a more efficient government was created. The church was unified, the English empire was expanded, and language, literature, and theater flourished to a greatness that would be impossible for almost any other period of English history, or any other European empire, for that matter, to match. Although there was a great rise in literature,it was theater that catapulted to greatness during Elizabeth's reign. Out of Elizabeth's era came Elizabethan theater. Elizabethan theater has such a variety of topics, that would make it virtually impossible to talk about in ten pages.

If every playwright in Shakespeare's time aspired, as he did, to paint a portrait of an age in their works, his would have been the Mona Lisa, leaving the most lasting impression on generations to come and at the same time, one of the world's most baffling mysteries. Surely it is no coincidence that the world's most celebrated dramatist would've lived during the time when one of the world's most powerful rulers in history reigned. Or was it?

Many Elizabethan bedsides were haunted from “the terrors of the night”. Back then their ghosts were nothing like the pasty blobs we call ghosts now. Theirs were quite gruesome. Ghostly visitations were claimed to have been very unpleasant. Not only this, but they claimed it cast them into a state of spiritual confusion.

When the plague struck lots of the population of slaves and peasants died, which meant that there was a huge struggle for landowners to find workers for their fields. This meant that peasants could demand higher wages and had lots of bargaining power. This is because if landowners didn’t have workers than they wouldn’t be making any money, which would lead to their loss in wealth. Another way the feudal system was changed is that usually skilled artisans and craftsmen handed down their family business to their sons. However if these descendants were dead then craftsmen and artisans had to employ new workers, which meant peasants and slaves acquired more important skills. And finally, because of these reasons there was a growth in the middle class. The middle class are not slaves, but not nobles. This meant the population became more equal and many different jobs arose for people. Changes to the feudal system allowed Europe to grow closer to what we know it as

The Industrial Revolution was a period where many major technological advances, such as the steam engine, were made. It began in Britain some time after 1750. The technological advances allowed for much higher rates of production, but had several other effects as well. The Industrial Revolution altered the political situation, social structure, and economic standing of Great Britain. Drastic change in technology during the Industrial Revolution led to several political changes.

30% of the people in Medieval Europe were died as a result of the Plague. This led to shortages in labour for landowners and increased demand for labour by nobles and landowners. These shortages got to the point where landowners

Britain could not recover its former societal structure, so British society was forced to change its structure for its preservation in the future. (Tom James) This is shown in primary source one: The Ordinance of Laborers, as the result of a paucity of working people in the region of Kent, the lords and clergy were forced treat their servants with more dignity. They also had to value the hard work of the laborers and servants in the form of bestowing them with more power and higher wages. The higher classes did not enjoy lowering themselves by competing for the few healthy laborers, but they had to raise the standards for laborers to keep their position at the top of British society. This source also details the transferring of agricultural lands to lower class laborers from the large estates of the manorial system. Which, is also very important as British society was being transformed and revolutionized into a society which has the structure and operations to colonize and settle new lands in the future. The Black Plague emboldened the British peasantry as they gained substantial power over the functionings of British society going forward into the subsequent peasant revolts. The aristocracy was at the will of the peasants for the peasants could destroy the aristocracy's elevated position in society because

Because of the high demand for workers brought by population shortages, peasant workers could manipulate their employers into paying higher wages. This alarmed European governments, as the English parliament lamented that “because a great part of the people and especially of the workmen and servants has now died in that pestilence, some, seeing the straights of the masters and the scarcity of servants, are not willing to serve unless they receive excessive wages” in its Statute of Laborers. The Statute of Laborers was designed to suppress the new control peasants had over their wages, exhibiting the weakening economic control of higher class Europeans over peasants during the plague. Peasants held their employers accountable when the demand for work grew, as they could threaten to leave for other work opportunities if wages didn’t rise. Overall, the new ability to manipulate employers into paying higher wages gave peasants more power in the workforce. Furthermore, while wages and prices rose together during the Black Death, wage-rates still “drifted” higher after the Black Death, meaning wages rose much higher than prices did. In England, prices even remained low while wages rose. This meant that the new high wages earned by peasants allowed them to afford more in markets, as prices for food and other necessities did not rise as

The Black Death: Tragedy or Triumph? There have been many events in history before the 1500’s that have shaped and will shape continue to shape the course of the human population and society as we know it. From inventions to downfalls, triumphs to tragedies, the world before the 1500’s will retain its place as a large part of today’s society. Arguably, one the worst physical catastrophes in the history of human mankind was ‘the Black Death’ pandemic which occurred in Europe between 1346 and 1353 (Noymer). In just seven years’ time, the European population suffered approximately 25 million casualties due to the plague (“The Black Death”). To put this into perspective, this loss of human life is equal to the entire population of Australia.

The Black Death - this reduced the population of England by one third. Labour became a valuable commodity

William Shakespeare lived and wrote over 400 years ago, but his wonderful plays continue to entertain and influence the audiences of the Twenty-First Century. Despite the outdated content and language of his works, Shakespeare’s plays remain popular with modern readers and play watchers for another reason. In all of his works, including William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he uses countless literary devices and techniques to affect the mood of the audience and enhance their enjoyment. He utilizes puns and juxtaposition to create a comical or light hearted mood. He also uses dramatic irony and oxymorons for a dramatic or serious mood. Although Shakespeare’s work does not include modern language or modern situations, the literary devices that he uses work to keep an audience of any time feeling involved

William Shakespeare is one of the world 's most influential people to ever live. “BBC audience survey names Shakespeare as Britain 's Man of the Millennium.” (Andrews 2) Shakespeare’s works continue to be evident globally in modern society. Hundreds of years after William Shakespeare’s death, his influence continues to make an effect in the modern day English language, modern movies and film, and authors or artists today.

“In roughly built playhouses and cobblestone inn yards, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s.” (Yancey, 8). At that time, an opportunity combined to produce literature achievement never before witnessed in the history of drama and theater. The renaissance, helped spark this movement by inspiring scientific and artistic creativity throughout the land. Models began writing dramas that portrayed life in both realistic and imaginative ways. This created work later captured the attention of the world that changed the English drama. The many aspects of Elizabethan theater helped to shape the acting and theater world forever.