King James I

Shakespeare

Jacobean Period
1603 - 1625
Heather, Alison, and Maddie

Life in the village

-common villages usually contained
small houses clustered around a manor
house or church
-farming was the chief occupation
including raising grain and pasteurizing
animals
- any essentials people needed were
located nearby and local (e.g. local
bakeries, blacksmiths and breweries)

-life in smaller poorer villages moved

slowly
-people woke early to start work in the
fields and finished when the sun went
down
-because towns were so small any
drama that happened in the village
everyone knew about
-There wasnt a lot of privacy

Clothing
-clothing was a sign of status during the
jacobean period
-upper class citizens wore elaborates
dresses with intricate designs and
expensive fabrics and silk
-lower class citizens were expected to
dress more plainly and in ratty clothing
that you were able to work in the fields
in

Tobacco
-Tobacco was a very big part of
everyday jacobean period life
-in 1604 King James I published A
Counterblaste to Tobacco
-in this book, James I expressed his
distaste for the use of tobacco but
people still continued to use it

-by 1612 England over 7000

tobacconists and smoking houses

Theatre

Participants and Audience:

Production Elements:

Genres:

1.

2.
3.

Tragedy: Protagonist suffers

loss, avenges, leads to own
downfall
Comedies: Used to portray
daily lives of citizens
Masques: Combination of
drama, music, dance
performances; use of
masques

Costumes: Only given to

main characters ; often
shared
Darkened theatres used to
create sfx and night scenes
Themes involved violence,
evil, witchcraft and madness

Theatres:
Separated by social class.

Creation of theatres

Actors were all men and paid based

on performance revenues.
Playwrights had no rights to play and
often collaborated in response of
pressure to deliver material
Audience members were responsive
and connected with actors, often
participating in masques.

Theatre & Literature

Famous Playwrights:
Shakespeare

John Fletcher

Ben Jonson

Plays and Literature questioned stability of social order & preoccupation of evil
Themes were included to depict English history and politics
Increase of 26 alphabet from 24 alphabet influenced Jacobean English

James 1 New Bible(1611):

Metaphysical Poets:

Translation of Puritan
Bible following conflict.
Direct Access given to
millions

Loose group of British

poets characterized by
unusual similes,
metaphors and
arguments

John Milton

Arts & Science

Technology:

Fine Arts:

Dominated by foreign talent

Often painters were uneducated
due to slow development of native paint education
Marcus Gheeraerts is commissioned as royal painter
A combination of Gothic
period with more consistent
formal design influenced by
foreigners
Features:

Architecture:

3 types: courtyard,
E Shaped,

Rectangular

Long Galleries,
Grand Staircases,
Oak furniture

Development of experimentation process and

cartography

Industrial Development:

Founding of British Colonies in Americas =>

emergence of tobacco industry

Politics/ Hierarchy

He ruled when Reformation was still affecting society

He was Protestant
That put the country into an economic depression from 1620 - 1626
His daughter Princess Elizabeth married Frederick V, Elector Palatine; the
wedding was the social event of the era

Social Pyramid
James I
Reign: 1603 - 1625

Ways people of the time gained status:

{King/Queen + Royal Family

{Aristocracy Class
{Ministers

Money put you higher on the

pyramid

Education gained you gentle

status

What did the people think?

Some of the population did not like that King James I was protestant.
Gunpowder Plot:

These Guys

November 5, 1605 a group of English Catholics attempted to blow up the Houses of

Parliament
The conspirators wanted to kill James, then his Catholic daughter, Elizabeth would be on
the throne
It failed, an anonymous letter was sent exposing the
plot and the 36 barrels of gunpowder that were going
to be used
That date is now known as Bonfire Night

In Conclusion...
The Jacobean Era proved importance in the development of
Englands society, their beliefs, values and influences of theatre and
literature.