The Context of Shakespearean Drama by Jeana

 In Shakespeare's time (1564-1616), he wrote around 38 plays that each had different messages, themes and storylines. The majority of William Shakespeare's plays appear to be set in the Elizabthean era (The Renaissance), which means that his works reflected on Elizabethan England and the political state, their society and the culture. His audience was not limited only to the rich and royal, the poor working class was capable of buying a ticket to see his plays turn into performances. In this era there were so many new ideas going around and Shakespeare came to write in the form of entertainment, printing was a new phenomenon that also allowed him to teach people about concepts from places like Greece and Rome. 

Some of his writings may have been biased towards the monarchy, he wrote some to make Queen Elizabeth 1 ancestors seem better in the eyes of the audience. Other plays were made to satisfy King James 1 which could mean some of his plays are pushed in a different direction than what he would have written. While Shakespeare kept his religious affiliations unknown, he did however include the ongoing comparison of Protestants and Catholics in his work. This was done in some of his work by having opposing characters have different perspectives on religion matters. His plays were so phenomenal that they could blend into their surroundings (theatres, the royal palace or public places) and adjust the act to make the experience easier for the audience to understand. He made sure his plays were intricate while also supplying humour, references and banter to his audience to make his plays appealing. 

Shakespeare didn’t write his plays in 5 acts, instead he wrote scenes and kept continuously writing. Most writers in the Elizabethean and Jacobean era wrote like this and it wasn't until 1709 when playwright Nicholas Rowe edited his plays. Despite not writing in 5 acts, he still wrote a beginning, middle, and end. This was just as Aristotle did when he wrote his essay ‘Poetics’. Shakespeare included drama, tragedy, betrayal, happiness and so many more elements into his play while also adding in modern English into some of his last plays. He was a remarkable poet, innovator and playwright.