Sonnet 54

Sonnet 54 Rhythm

O! how much more doth beauty beauteous seem                 A

By that sweet  ornament  which truth doth give.                   B

The rose looks  fair, but  fairer we it deem                              A

For that  sweet odour, which doth in it live.                            B

The canker blooms have full  as deep a dye                            C

As  the perfumed  tincture  of the roses,                                 D

Hang  on such thorns, and  play  as  wantonly                        C

When summer´s breath their masked  buds  discloses:       D

But, for their virtue only is their show,                                    E

They live unwoo´d, and unrespected fade;                            F

Die to themselves. Sweet roses do not so;                            E

Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odours made:              F

And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth,                        G

When that shall vade distills your truth.                               G

The battle between Protestants & Catholics

It was an age of intense religious passions, which Elizabeth managed to tone down in contrast to previous and succeeding eras of religious violence.

In the sixteenth century Catholicism, an international religion based in Europe, was reaching out to the New World. It was conducting a vigorous overhaul of its teaching, its organization and its procedures, to meet the challenge of Protestantism. Its decrees were to be obeyed by all Catholics, whether they lived in Catholic countries or in countries like England where Protestants were in the ascendant.

Battle Lines Drawn

After the first five years, the Elizabethan version of Protestantism was gaining ground. The new Bishops were putting their dioceses in order, vacancies were being filled, the parish churches were being cleared of Catholic devotional objects. The teaching of the Church of England was further clarified in 1563.

In 1570, Pope Pius V declared Elizabeth a heretic who was not the legitimate Queen and her subjects’ no longer owed ​​obedience. The pope sent Jesuits and seminarians to evangelize and support Catholics in secret. After several plots to overthrow her, Catholic clergy were mostly considered as traitors, and were pursued aggressively in England. Often priests were tortured or executed after capture unless they cooperated with the British authorities. People who publicly supported Catholicism were excluded from the professions, sometimes fined or imprisoned.

The Protestant Bishops and clergy meeting in Convocation set out 39 articles of the beliefs of the Church of England, which became law in 1571.

In the same year, the decrees of the Council put great emphasis on the training of priests to recover Protestant lands for the church. It defined the doctrinal differences between Catholics and Protestants and forbade Catholics to participate in heretical worship. 

Some Superstitions During Shakespeare´s times

In Shakespeare‘s time, many people deeply believed in the power and influence of superstition, the power of magic, and in ―other-worldly‖ creatures, such as ghosts and witches. When strange or unexplainable things would happen in the Elizabethan era, many attributed these happenings to the influence of the supernatural, whereas today, we would likely be able to explain things scientifically.

Those in Shakespeare‘s time also whole heartedly believed in superstition. It was believed to be bad luck if they walked under a ladder. According to beliefs of the time, the ladder leaning against a wall was representative of the Holy Trinity. Walking under the ladder was considered breaking the Trinity, and tantamount to blaspheming God. Another strong superstition involved sneezing. If a person opened their mouth to sneeze, this was considered an entry point by which the devil could enter one‘s body. Saying God bless you‖ protected the sneezing person from the devil‘s breach. Elizabethans also believed that if you stirred a pot counter-clockwise, the contents of the pot would be poisoned, and could bring bad luck to everyone who ate the food.

Bad luck could also be brought upon a person by possessing a peacock feather, crossing the path of a black cat, spilling salt, or leaving a door open. Conversely, touching the hand of a prisoner who was about to be hanged, a cow‘s breath, or spitting into a fire could bring good luck as could iron, silver, fire, salt, and running water.

Diferent Social Levels During Shakespeare Times

The classes were:

* Nobility: In Shakespeare's time there are only about 55 noble families in England. At the head of each noble family is a duke, a baron, or an earl. Noble titles were hereditary, passing from father to oldest son.

* Gentry: When Elizabeth I was young, only about 5% of the population would have been classed as gentry: knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen "who did not work with their hands for a living." They were the most important social class in Shakespeare's England.

* Yeomen: The yeomen were prosperous, and their wealth could exceed that of some of the gentry. The difference was how they spent their wealth. 

* The poor: There was far more poverty under Elizabeth than in previous reigns. In earlier times, the church notably the monasteries had cared for the poor. 

The Global Theatre

The Globe was built using timber from an earlier theatre, The Theatre that had been built by Richard Burbage's father, James Burbage, in Shoreditch in 1576. The Globe's actual dimensions are unknown. The evidence suggests that it was a three-story, open-air amphitheatre between 97 and 102 feet (29.6 - 31.1M) in diameter that could house up to 3,000 spectators.

At the base of the stage, there was an area called the pit, where, for a penny, people would stand to watch the performance. Around the yard were three levels of stadium-style seats, which were more expensive than standing room. Large columns on either side of the stage sup

The back wall of the stage had two or three doors on the main level, with a curtained inner stage in the center and a balcony above it. The doors entered into the "tiring house" (backstage area) where the actors dressed and awaited their entrances. The balcony housed the musicians and could also be used for scenes requiring an upper space, such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.

The role of women during Shakespeare´s times

Shakespeare’s presentation of women in his plays demonstrates his feelings about women and their roles in society. As our guide to the types of female roles in Shakespeare demonstrates, women had less freedom than their male counterparts in Shakespeare's Time.

Shakespeare's Women

High-born women are presented as “possessions” to be passed between fathers and husbands. In most cases, they are socially restricted and unable to explore the world around them without chaperones. These women were coerced and controlled by the men in their lives.

Broadly speaking, female characters that sexually aware are more likely to be lower class. Shakespeare allows them more freedom to explore their sexuality, perhaps because their low-status renders them socially harmless. However, women are never totally free in Shakespeare’s plays: if not owned by husbands and fathers, many low class characters are owned by their employers.

What did color mean during Shakespeare´s times?

The meaning of colors worn during the Shakespeare´s times provided instant information about the person wearing them! A man or women who were purple clothes would be immediately recognized as a member of royalty. Gold, silver, crimson or scarlet, deep indigo blue, violet colors and even deep black and pure white colors were only worn by the highest nobility in the land. The colors of Shakespeare clothes provided information about the status of the man or woman wearing them. This was not just dictated by the wealth of the person, it also reflected their social standing.

The ranges of colors used for producing expensive clothes were produced by complicated dyeing processes. Expensive fabrics were imported from abroad. The dyes used for coloring these clothes were expensive. The brightest or darkest colors were more expensive to produce and therefore limited to higher status clothing. The color and its brightness helped determine the dye’s value and the price of the garment. The lower classes wore colors of yellow, russet (a reddish brown color), orange, green, pale blue and pink. The meaning of colors and what they represented during the Elizabethan era covered a variety of elements and issues:

◾The meaning of colors related to status, position and rank.

◾The meaning of colors related to class - upper classes and lower classes.

◾The meaning of colors were so important that the violation of the Sumptuary Laws could lead to death!

◾The Christian and Biblical references gave a symbolic meaning of colors.