Shakespeare’s Era

Did you ever wonder what it was like to live in Shakespeare’s era? What his hometown Stratford upon Avon would have been like in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, or what England’s capital city, London, was like then?

Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616 – the early modern period between the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution. Looking through a British lens, Shakespeare’s lifetime spanned most of the Elizabethan era (1558-1603) and the start of the Jacobean era (1603-1625).

London was gaining importance as a trading city and was beginning its rapid growth to become one of the first metropolises in Europe.

In this section of the website, we place Shakespeare in his historical era, examine how his language evolved into the modern English we all speak and read today, and drill into his contemporaries writing plays for and acting in the London theatre scene.

Discover more articles about Shakespeare’s era:

21 Facts About Shakespeare’s London

Shakespeare’s Historic Stratford Upon Avon

Elizabethan Drama & Theatre

Jacobean Drama & Theatre

Old English & Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Development Of Early Modern English

Shakespeare Contemporaries: An Overview


London in Shakespeare's era
London in Shakespeare’s era

7 thoughts on “Shakespeare’s Era”

  1. Just to be a pedantic bore, Shakespeare lived in the late 16th century and EARLY 17th century… I do this sort of thing just to appear clever of course!

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