Introduction
James Shapiro's "A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare: 1599" offers readers a fascinating glimpse into the world of England's most famous playwright. The book focuses on a pivotal year in Shakespeare's life and career, exploring how the events of 1599 shaped his work and cemented his reputation as the greatest dramatist of his time.
Shapiro's approach is unique in that it doesn't attempt to cover Shakespeare's entire life or body of work. Instead, by zeroing in on a single year, the author provides a detailed and vivid picture of the world Shakespeare inhabited. This includes the political, social, and cultural context of Elizabethan England, as well as the day-to-day realities of life in London and the theater business.
The book is not just a biography of Shakespeare, but also a window into a crucial period in English history. It was a time of great change and uncertainty, with England facing threats from Catholic Spain and dealing with rebellions in Ireland. These events had a profound impact on Shakespeare's writing and are reflected in many of his plays from this period.
Shakespeare's London: A Theater-Loving City
One of the most striking aspects of Shakespeare's London was its love affair with the theater. At the close of the sixteenth century, London was a city of around 200,000 people, and its theaters were a major attraction. Two main "playing companies" dominated the theatrical scene: the Lord Chamberlain's Men (Shakespeare's company) and their rivals, the Admiral's Men.
The theaters of the time were impressive structures, capable of accommodating between two and three thousand spectators. If two theaters staged plays on the same day, it's estimated that around three thousand Londoners would attend, even if the theaters were only half-full. Over the course of a week, this could mean that as many as 15,000 Londoners – nearly a third of the city's population – paid to see a play.
This extraordinary cultural scene was what drew Shakespeare to London in 1585. As an ambitious dramatist in his twenties, he recognized the opportunities that the city's thriving theater industry offered. However, the popularity of plays was not without its problems. The city's authorities, particularly the aldermen, viewed theaters with suspicion. They were typically located in seedy areas known for prostitution, petty crime, and heavy drinking. The aldermen worried that funneling thousands of boisterous theatergoers into these neighborhoods was a recipe for trouble.
In the summer of 1597, the aldermen even petitioned the government to close London's theaters, arguing that they contained "nothing but profane fables" and attracted "vagrant persons, masterless men, thieves, horse stealers, and whore-mongers." Despite these concerns, the theaters survived, largely due to the patronage of young gentlemen and aristocrats who were just as fond of playgoing as their less wealthy counterparts.
A Lean Decade for Playwrights
Despite the popularity of theater, the 1590s was a challenging time for playwrights. Many of the best dramatists of the previous generation had died, including Christopher Marlowe, Robert Greene, and George Peel. The new generation of playwrights, which included talents like Ben Jonson, was only just finding its voice.
This situation left Shakespeare in a unique position. He was the only significant playwright to bridge these two generations. The older playwrights had labeled him an "upstart crow," while to the younger ones, he was more like a grizzled veteran. However, it wasn't until 1599 that Shakespeare truly established himself as the finest dramatist of his day.
The Globe: A Wise Investment
In 1599, Shakespeare and his fellow actors made a decision that would secure their financial future: they invested in building their own theater, the Globe. This was a significant departure from the norm. Most theaters were financed by businessmen who kept the lion's share of the profits generated by the playing companies.
The Globe, however, was different. Half of the construction cost – around £700 – was covered by two entrepreneurial brothers, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage. The other half was split between Shakespeare and four other actor-shareholders, with each contributing £70. This was a considerable sum at the time, equivalent to more than ten times a day laborer's annual earnings.
The risk paid off. As part-owners of the Globe, Shakespeare and his colleagues stood to earn as much as £100 a year each from the theater's profits. This was enough to secure their place in the well-to-do middle class. The Globe itself was an impressive structure, a timbered building constructed around a circular stage and topped with a thatched roof. It was located in Bankside, a rough-and-tumble neighborhood outside the city's southern limits.
The opening of the Globe in July 1599 marked a turning point in Shakespeare's career. He needed to write a new play to mark the occasion, and contemporary events would provide plenty of inspiration.
England's Religious and Political Turmoil
To understand Shakespeare's world, it's crucial to grasp the religious and political context of Elizabethan England. The roots of this context can be traced back to the 1530s, a decade that saw profound changes in England's relationship with the Catholic Church.
In the late 1520s, King Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage, a request that was denied by the pope. This led to a series of events that culminated in Henry breaking away from the Catholic Church and establishing himself as the head of the Church of England. This was the beginning of the English Reformation, which would have far-reaching consequences for the country.
Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I, who came to the throne in 1558, completed what came to be known as the "English Revolution." In 1559, she introduced a new Protestant theology, drawing heavily on the ideas of reformers like Luther and Calvin. This put England on a collision course with Europe's largest Catholic power, Habsburg Spain.
The Spanish empire, under King Philip II, saw itself as the defender of Catholicism against the threat of Protestant revolutionaries like Elizabeth. This ideological conflict played out in various ways. Elizabeth supported Protestant rebels in the Spanish-controlled Netherlands, while Philip backed Catholic insurgents in Ireland.
The conflict came to a head in 1588 when Philip sent the Spanish Armada, a fleet of 130 ships, to invade England and depose Elizabeth. Although this attempt was thwarted by bad weather and the English navy's tactics, the threat of Spanish invasion remained very real. By 1599, with English forces engaged in conflicts in the Netherlands and Ireland, England was once again vulnerable to attack.
London Prepares for Invasion
The summer of 1599 was a tense time in London. Rumors circulated about another Spanish armada being prepared, and there were reports of 57 ships carrying 25,000 soldiers readying for departure in Andalusia. Queen Elizabeth responded by dispatching troops to strategic defensive positions, with thousands of soldiers pouring into London.
This atmosphere of anxious anticipation left its mark on Shakespeare's work. His play "Henry V," a celebration of English military glory, would have resonated strongly with audiences at this time. Another play in the Chamberlain's Men's repertoire, "A Larum for London," depicted the fall of Antwerp to Spanish forces in 1576, complete with scenes of civilian butchery and torture. Such performances would have sent shivers down the spines of Londoners fearing a similar fate.
Although the Spanish invasion never materialized, the mood of uncertainty and fear influenced Shakespeare's later works. In "Othello," written a few years later, the opening scene depicts generals anxiously discussing conflicting reports about an approaching enemy fleet. Similarly, the first scene of "Hamlet," written in 1599, shows jittery soldiers standing guard against an invisible enemy, reflecting the mood in London that summer.
The Question of Assassination
One of the first plays staged at the newly opened Globe was "Julius Caesar," which Shakespeare seems to have written specifically for this occasion. The play, while set in ancient Rome, was very much a commentary on the political questions that preoccupied Elizabethan audiences, particularly the issue of political assassination.
In the play, Brutus and Cassius justify their decision to kill Caesar by arguing that he was becoming increasingly erratic and dictatorial. They claim that their actions were necessary to prevent Caesar from leading Rome to ruin. This line of thought, which suggests that subjects only owe loyalty to good rulers and that bad rulers may be justly overthrown, was a key element of republicanism, a political ideology that was gaining traction among radicals in Elizabethan England.
While republican radicals weren't a significant threat to Queen Elizabeth, she did face very real danger from Catholic assassins. Following her excommunication by the pope in 1570, there were several attempts on Elizabeth's life by Catholics loyal to Rome.
However, Shakespeare's purpose in "Julius Caesar" wasn't to take sides in this debate, but rather to comment on the human condition. He shows that even noble acts can have unintended consequences. Brutus and Cassius hoped to be "sacrificers, but not butchers," yet their actions plunged Rome into the very chaos they had sought to prevent. Through this, Shakespeare seemed to be warning his English audience about the potential consequences of political violence.
Shakespeare: The Businessman
While we often think of Shakespeare primarily as a poet and playwright, he was also a savvy businessman. His financial acumen is evident in his investments back in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.
In 1597, Shakespeare purchased a large house called New Place in Stratford for £120. This substantial property boasted ten rooms, three stories, two gardens, two orchards, and two barns. The following year, he made another significant investment, buying 80 bushels of malt. This was an expensive commodity that was only profitable when bought in bulk.
Shakespeare's purchase of malt came at a time of shortage, and the government was trying to force people to sell their stocks on the open market to prevent popular discontent. However, Shakespeare held onto his malt, despite the risk of angering Stratford's poor, who were threatening to hang hoarders "on gibbets at their own doors." He eventually sold the malt at a handsome profit, demonstrating his willingness to take calculated risks for financial gain.
These investments show that Shakespeare was not just a man of letters, but also a shrewd businessman who understood the value of diversifying his income streams beyond his theatrical earnings.
The Globe and Shakespeare's Rising Star
The opening of the Globe in 1599 marked a turning point in Shakespeare's career. At the beginning of the year, he was already a successful playwright, but by the end of the year, he had become a recognized brand. His name alone was enough to draw audiences, and entrepreneurs were even publishing unauthorized collections of his work to capitalize on his popularity.
The Globe played a crucial role in cementing Shakespeare's reputation. Before its opening, London's theaters all staged the same repertoire of plays. But if you wanted to see one of Shakespeare's latest works, like the historical drama "Henry V" or the topical "Julius Caesar," you had to go to the Globe. This wasn't just due to Shakespeare's writing skills, but also his ability to spot talented actors capable of bringing his characters to life.
The success of the Globe and the Chamberlain's Men forced other companies to up their game. The Admiral's Men, for instance, hired the same builder who had constructed the Globe to create their new playhouse. When it opened, it also featured a unique program that couldn't be found elsewhere in the city.
Shakespeare's Later Years
By the end of 1599, Shakespeare was 35 years old and at the midpoint of his life. He had written or collaborated on over 20 dramatic works, averaging two plays a year. With his artistic reputation and financial position now secure, he seems to have slowed down his pace of work.
Between early 1600 and the death of Queen Elizabeth in the spring of 1603, Shakespeare wrote just two plays: "Twelfth Night" and "Troilus and Cressida." In his final years, he added three great tragedies to his body of work: "King Lear," "Macbeth," and "Antony and Cleopatra."
Shakespeare died prematurely at the age of 52 in 1616. The Elizabethan world he had known was soon to vanish. England was plunged into a brutal civil war, bringing hardline Puritans to power. One of their first acts was to close London's theaters and pull down the Globe, marking the end of an era in English theater.
The Legacy of 1599
The year 1599 was pivotal not just for Shakespeare, but for English theater as a whole. It saw the opening of the Globe, which revolutionized the theatrical landscape of London. It was the year Shakespeare wrote some of his most famous works, including "Henry V" and "Julius Caesar," plays that continue to be performed and studied around the world today.
But beyond the realm of theater, 1599 was a year that encapsulated many of the tensions and conflicts that defined Elizabethan England. The threat of Spanish invasion, the religious divide between Protestants and Catholics, the questions of political legitimacy and assassination – all of these issues found their way into Shakespeare's work, making his plays not just timeless explorations of the human condition, but also valuable historical documents that provide insight into the concerns and preoccupations of his time.
Shakespeare's ability to weave these contemporary issues into his plays, while also creating characters and stories that resonate across centuries, is a testament to his genius. His work in 1599 laid the foundation for the plays that would follow in the early 17th century, including his great tragedies.
Final Thoughts
James Shapiro's focus on the year 1599 provides a unique and illuminating perspective on Shakespeare's life and work. By examining this single year in detail, we gain a deeper understanding of the world Shakespeare inhabited and the forces that shaped his writing.
The book reminds us that Shakespeare was not just a solitary genius, but a man deeply embedded in his time and place. He was an actor, a playwright, a businessman, and a shareholder in a theater company. He was affected by the political and religious upheavals of his day, and these in turn influenced his work.
At the same time, Shapiro's book highlights Shakespeare's extraordinary ability to transcend his immediate circumstances. While his plays often dealt with contemporary issues, they also explored timeless themes of love, ambition, jealousy, and power. It's this combination of topical relevance and universal appeal that has allowed Shakespeare's work to endure for over four centuries.
The year 1599 was a turning point for Shakespeare. It saw him take greater control over his financial destiny through his investment in the Globe, and it marked his emergence as the preeminent dramatist of his day. The plays he wrote during this year and in the years that followed continue to be performed, studied, and admired around the world.
In the end, Shapiro's book not only enriches our understanding of Shakespeare and his world, but also reminds us of the enduring power of great literature to speak across time and culture. As we read about Shakespeare's life and work in 1599, we're invited to reflect on our own world and the timeless human experiences that connect us to the past.