Research work

The Elizabethan Era and Shakespeare’s Female Characters’

Representation in his Drama
Introduction
Elizabethan era; The specific time period of England’s history that is
considered a time of great prosperity, religious peace, scientific
discovery, and the arts. The Elizabethan Era (1558-1603) is named after
Queen Elizabeth. This time period also led to the success of many
dramatists including one of the greatest dramatists of all time, William
Shakespear.
Timeline of Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era was a time period Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-
1603) and is often considered to be the golden age English history. The
remarkably glorious era began with the birth of Elizabeth the First;
Daughter of King Henry VIII and his second wife, on September 7, 1533.
On May 2nd 1536, Elizabeth’s mother, Anne Boleyn was arrested and
locked in the Tower. On May 15th, she was tied for many shameful acts
(adultery, incest and treason) in the Great Hall of the Tower of London.
As the result of the trial, Elizabeth’s mother was executed on May 19th
and buried in an unmarked grave. 24 hours later, Henry VIII formally
got engaged with Jane Seymour and on 30th of May he got married to
her. On October 12th 1537, Jane Seymour died after delivering her son
Edward VI, the future King of England. Princess Elizabeth was declared
illegitimate. Afterwards, she spent her childhood in Hatfield House,
Hertfordshire. In 1540, King Henry VIII married Catherine Howard,
cousin of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth’s mother. In 1542, Catherine Howard
was executed for adultery. Elizabeth was affected by this incident as
Catherine Howard was kind to her.
In 1547, King Henry VIII, father of Queen Elizabeth died and Edward VI
became the new King of England. Princess Elizabeth was living with
Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, and her new husband
Thomas Seymour, at the time. During 1548 – 1551, Princess Elizabeth
left the household of Katherine Parr due to rumors of a love affair with
Thomas Seymour. She returned to the court of King Edward. In 1553,
King Edward VI died of tuberculosis. He had left the throne to the Lady
Jane and her male heirs. Lady Jane was throned as the Queen of
England. However, she was dethroned nine days later and Elizabeth’s
step-sister Mary I was declared as the Queen of England. Queen Mary I
was an extremist Catholic Christian who killed more than 300
Protestants, getting the title “Bloody Mary”. On November 17th 1558,
Queen Mary I died and Elizabeth I was announced as the Queen of
England, on the same day. On January 13th 1559, Elizabeth I was
crowned as the Queen of England. She re-established the Protestant-
Anglican Church. The Elizabethan Prayer book was introduced for the
first time. On July 6th 1560, Queen Elizabeth signed the Treaty of
Edinburgh between England, France and Scotland. In 1561, Queen
Elizabeth I signed a Treaty at Hampton Court promising to support the
French Huguenots. In 1562, Queen Elizabeth cancelled the meeting
with Mary, Queen of Scots, due to the incident of Queen of Scots
attacking French Protestants. Afterwards, Queen Elizabeth became
gravely ill after being infected by small pox. In 1563, The Queen moved
her court to Windsor Castle, she had erected gallows there. “Black
Death” or bubonic plague affected London. On her command, anyone
who came from London was to be hanged. Elizabeth I imprisoned Mary,
the Queen of Scots, at Fotheringham Castle in 1568, later a conspiracy
against Elizabeth the First by the Nevilles and Percys of
Northumberland, was discovered. Queen released Mary from the
charges that were made against her. In 1570, Queen Elizabeth was
excluded by the Catholic church. On January 2nd 1572, a marriage was
arranged between Queen Elizabeth I and Henry, Duke of Anjou. On
November 14, 1575, Elizabeth declined the approval and acceptance
the Sovereignty of Netherlands. She formed an alliance between
England and Netherlands. On October 7, 1579 the Privy Council failed
to support Queen Elizabeth I in the marriage treaty with the Duke of
Anjou. However, on November 7, 1581, the marriage treaty was signed.
August 14th, 1585, the Queen brought Netherlands under the
protection of the crown. July 1st,1586, Queen of England and King
James VI of Scotland signed the Treaty of Berwick. The same year on
October 25, Mary, Queen of Scots was convicted for her participation in
a conspiracy against Elizabeth I. In 1600, Elizabeth I granted authority to
East India Company. The crown accomplished Elizabethan Poor Law. As
per this Law, community registers for poor were introduced to help the
needy. On February 25th, Queen Elizabeth the First ordered the
execution of Earl of Essex on the basis of treachery. On March 24 th,
1603, Queen of England, Elizabeth the First died of blood poisoning.
Conventions of the Elizabethan Society
People of Elizabethan era were true lovers of customs and traditions.
Customs and traditions played an important role in the life of people in
Elizabethan times. People were expected to attend church every
Sunday in order to remain aware about the customs and festivals
according to the church calendar. During the Elizabethan era, the
society were categorized into upper class and lower class,