6.1.1
Elizabeth I & Succession
The Reign of Elizabeth I and the Issue of Succession
The Reign of Elizabeth I and the Issue of Succession
As Shakespeare wrote Hamlet sometime in the years 1599 and 1600, the reign of Queen Elizabeth I was coming to an end (she would die in 1603).
Elizbeth I: unmarried/childless
Elizbeth I: unmarried/childless
- Elizabeth was unmarried and childless, so there was no clear successor as King or Queen.
- This uncertainty over succession added to the atmosphere of political tension prevalent in England when Shakespeare was writing Hamlet.
Henry VIII's reign
Henry VIII's reign
- The issue of succession had caused political and social turmoil in England throughout the 16th century.
- Henry VIII had broken with the Roman Catholic Church to marry Ann Boleyn so that she could lawfully produce a male heir to the throne.
- Although Henry was unsuccessful in his quest for a male heir, England had become a Protestant country and now faced hostility from powerful Catholic nations such as Spain.
Persecution under Mary I
Persecution under Mary I
- The five-year reign of Queen Mary I (1553-8) was a time of religious persecution, with Mary (nicknamed ‘Bloody Mary’ by her Protestant enemies) burning 280 religious dissenters opposed to her plan to return England to Catholicism.
Succession after Elizabeth
Succession after Elizabeth
- The accession of Queen Elizabeth I to the throne after Mary’s death eventually stabilised the country but, as her reign began to draw to an end, many feared future upheaval caused by a disputed succession.
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
Jump to other topics
1Introduction
2Plot Summary
2.1Act 1: Key Events & Ideas
2.2Act 2: Key Events & Ideas
2.3Act 3: Key Events & Ideas
2.4Act 4: Key Events & Ideas
2.5Act 5: Key Events & Ideas
3Character Profiles
3.1Hamlet
3.3Gertrude
3.4Ophelia
4Key Themes
4.1Regicide in Hamlet
4.2Madness in Hamlet
4.3Guilt & Punishment in Hamlet
4.4Settings in Hamlet
5Writing Techniques
6Context
6.1Social & Historical Context
6.2Literary Context
6.3Performance & Textual History
7Critical Debates
7.118-19th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.220th Century Responses to Hamlet
7.3Feminist Readings of Hamlet
7.4Marxist/Political Readings of Hamlet
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