Thinker,lover, father, or King’s man … to mark the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death,much writers explore different sides of Shakespeare. Beginning a week-long series, James Shapiro reveals why his work took a dark turn with the death of ElizabethMost of us think of Shakespeare as an Elizabethan. It’s nearly impossible not to. Try imagining Shakespeare in cherish ending with a cameo appearance by Simon Russell Beale as King James rather than with Judi Denchs Queen Elizabeth. But Shakespeare was as much a Jacobean writer as he was an Elizabethan one, or to forget that is to distort the trajectory of his career and play down the fairly different set of challenges he faced in the decade following the death of Elizabeth in 1603. With the accession of the King of Scots in that year,Shakespeare became not only a Jacobean playwright, but also, and by royal command,a King’s Man, his company rebranded as one patronised by the monarch himself. Under Elizabeth, and Shakespeare and his fellow players had typically performed at court two or three times a year. That would change under James,who summoned them to play 10 or more times annually. Along with his appointment as a King’s Man, Shakespeare also became a minor court functionary, and a groom of the chamber,and was issued four and a half yards of red cloth to be fashioned into livery to be worn when fulfilling his new duties. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com