Expert Circles

EXPERT CIRCLE 1

Topic 1:

Shakespeare's authorship was first questioned in the middle of the 19th century, when adulation of Shakespeare as the greatest writer of all time had become widespread. Shakespeare's biography, particularly his humble origins and obscure life, seemed incompatible with his poetic eminence and his reputation for genius, arousing suspicion that Shakespeare might not have written the works attributed to him.The controversy has since spawned a vast body of literature, and more than 70 authorship candidates have been proposed, including Francis Bacon, the 6th Earl of Derby, Christopher Marlowe, and the 17th Earl of Oxford.
Supporters of alternative candidates argue that theirs is the more plausible author, and that William Shakespeare lacked the education, aristocratic sensibility, or familiarity with the royal court that they say is apparent in the works.

There are 70 over candidates and four main candidates were  Francis Bacon, Derby, Malowe and Oxford.

Francis Bacon is the most likely candidate because he was a politician and he knows the court.

Topic 2:

Queen Elizabeth I
Born: 7 September 1533
Greenwich Palace

Became Queen: 17 November 1558

Coronation: 15 January 1559
Westminster Abbey

Died: 24 March 1603
Richmond Palace

Buried: 28 April 1603
Westminster Abbey

QN1) Queen Elizabeth I: Shakespeare's Patron
The poet was throughout his life greatly indebted to the patronage and support of royal and noble personages; his royal patrons were Queen Elizabeth and King James I, both of whom gr0eatly loved the drama. Employer- employee relationship.
Shakespeare was ardently attracted to Elizabeth and her Court, and proved a faithful servant to his royal mistress

QN2)  Elizabeth I was the queen of England from 1558 to 1603
She became queen at the age of 25
She died on 24 march 1603 (aged 69)
She was a Protestant. This caused her much trouble with other country because of her strong belief.
She had more power than a modern prime minister or president. Often disagreed with the parliament.

QN3) ALLIANCE
ENGLAND + NETHERLANDS

August 14, 1585 – Queen Elizabeth issues a declaration taking the Netherlands under her protection

·         December 8, 1585 – Robert Dudley, 1st earl of Leicester (close friend of Elizabeth) leads the English army to fight The Spanish Forces who are occupying the Netherlands.

·         In return, Netherlands helped fight the Spanish Armanda when the English fleet was in peril.

 

CONFLICTS

Conflict between ENGLAND and SPAIN.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Triumph of England’s new Protestant church angered the King of Spain, Philip II.

·         Competition in trade Angle-Spanish War from 1585-1604

·         Elizabeth rejected Philip 11’s hand in marriage and cause severe blow to his pride of country

England and Scotland Conflicts.
Protestant and Catholic respectively.

·         Elizabeth cancelled a meeting with Mary, Queen of Scots because of Mary’s continued attacks of French Protestants. Mary was imprisoned by Elizabeth.

·         Many protestants wanted to replace Queen Elizabeth with Queen Mary, by an assassination plan. But it was foiled and Mary was executed, on 8 February.

IRELAND AND ENGLAND CONFLICTS, previously Catholic, had conflicts with Hugh O’Neill’s ambition to control Ireland and england’s advance on Ireland.

·         Ireland + spain, lost. Irish commanders received good terms from the new King, James I.

·         Elizabeth tried to eliminate Ireland’s Catholic churches but Ireland resisted, main religion changed into Protestant.

QN4) Portia:
Lead female in Merchant of Venice play.
Heroine who saves the day.
Independent woman.
Strong headed woman

Elizabeth:
Same as Portia.
Tribute paid to Elizabeth who was a patron of Shakespeare’s work
Famous of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
Strong woman like Portia
Gave England Identity

Topic 3: 



1. There was virtually no hygiene back in the Elizabethan era. Only rich people had soap, used perfume, bathed once every few weeks, and used something that was similar to a modern-day toilet (it’s just a hole in the wood with no flushing). Poor people fling their waste out of their windows. Women covered their body in white powder to make their skin look lighter. Hair was styled with lard and lead powder, and rich people who feasted on sugary sweets had rotten teeth.


2. There are things such as blood sports, such as bear-baiting and bull-baiting. Team sports were also available, like football (similar to American football) and soccer, but these sports were extremely violent as there were few rules. Individual activities consisted of fencing, in which a person had a risk of dying, and hawk-training, where gentlemen train hawks to hunt other birds. Other activities include a game called BOWLS (which is similar to modern-day bowling but much crappier) and of course, there were theatre plays to watch in the open-roof theatres.


3. The rich had numeral country mansions and tudor manors were remodelled for the rich to live in. The poor lived in mud houses within the towns and cities. The rich lived in the west, while the poor lived in the east, where modern fleet streets are.


4. Rich peoples’ diet consisted of sugary sweets, bread and meat, while poor peoples’ diet consisted of bread, cheese and fish. The thing about their diets is that it had almost no fruits and vegetables, therefore scurvy was rampant.



5. Bright colours, elaborate trimmings and excessive padding was the most notable thing in clothing during the Elizabethan era. Padding was so full that all outward semblance to the human form was completely lost, both in men and women.


Topic 4: 

1.Venice in the 14th and 15th century was fighting and acquiring islands and various territories on the way to the Middle East.
During the 16th century, Venice became one of the most important musical centers of Europe, marked by a characteristic style of composition 
The dominant religion in Venice was Roman Catholicism. Jews were evicted from England in the 1290s and were forced out of many countries in Europe in the 15th and 16th century. They were allowed in only certain countries like Venice because they had value and were beneficial to the country. Jews were discriminated by the Christians in the 16th century in Europe, especially in England and Venice. Christians saw Jews as a threat to Christianity and that they were inferior and were excluded from society. In Venice, Jews were restricted from working in certain sectors like in manufacturing. They were not allowed to be bankers, lawyers, doctors or merchants and could only be moneylenders, which were important to the Venetian economy. However, in 1516, there was a set up of a Jewish ghetto in Venice where several thousands of Jews were crammed into the small walled area and were restricted from moving to other parts of the city.

2. Venice became the first and the biggest trading power in the world, before the great expeditions during the fifteenth and the sixteenth century. Venice was also a centre for Renaissance culture in the 15th and 16th century. Architecture, art, music and literature flourished in Venice.

3. The personal travels to Venice allowed Shakespeare to gain a better understanding of life in Venice. Also, The Merchant of Venice had to be set in a place where Jews were allowed, since Jews were not allowed to live in other places of Europe. 


Topic 5:


1. The dominant religion in England during the 15th century were the Christians. The dominant religion in England during the 16th century were the Catholics during 1529-1559, and later the 3. Christians during Queen Elizabeth I era. The dominant religion in Venice in both 15th and 16th century were the Jews.


2. Jews tried to exterminate the Christians which sparked off a bad start. Unhappiness caused among both religions.


3. Many countries banned Jews in Europe during the 15th and 16th century. In countries that did not ban Jews from their country, the Jews were heavily discriminated and they had many restrictions. They were only limited to jobs, land ownership and residential areas that made them seem inferior from the other citizens.


Topic 6:

1.Open Air Theatres with no electricity or lighting


2. No electricity or lighting or sound amplification


3.People with a good memory and coordination for stunts partook in the plays. The general public could watch them.


4.”Queen Elizabeth” liked plays but the authorities did not.


5.Golden Globe theatre was a lot less developed than modern days theatres and the stages were usually bare with little technology