The Elizabethan era is perhaps known best for producing one of the greatest writer in the English language: William Shakespeare. The archaic language of Early Modern English, grandiloquent in modern terms, has confused some modern readers, who assign to the Elizabethans high sophistication and a culture of enlightenment. However, this is not necessarily true.
In Shakespeare’s day, the theatre was more akin to a raucous movie theater today or football game than the now-hallowed live theatre. But for those who have never paid attention to the baser text, there is a lot of vice, sex, and perhaps even some rock and roll lifestyles to be found in the immortal bard’s handiwork.
Vice in Shakespeare’s Character Falstaff
How was Desdemona Like a Ship? Because she was moored. It may not be a killer joke these days, but a hundred and fifty years ago it still might have caused a cautious chuckle, and four hundred years ago it would have been perfect for a late-night show opening monologue.
While often overlooked now, a liberal number of jokes about sexuality, race, and other unsavory topics could be found. Frequently references are made to wide-spread STI’s, such as syphilis, as well as the pleasure to be found in various forms of vice.
The character Falstaff, who appears in multiple plays, or any clown found in a Shakespeare play, would frequently be a deviant for comic effect. Falstaff, for example, serves as a foil to the more noble characters seen in plays such as “Henry IV Pt. 1,” and is described even by his friends in the last scene of act two as a demon in the form of an “old fat man.”
While fellow Englishman are dying in battle, Falstaff pretends to die of a heart attack and falls down. He drinks, he lies, he sleeps the days away, and presumes he’ll get a nice pot of gold by hanging on to the prince’s coattails. He also was one of Shakespeare’s most beloved and most reoccurring characters, appearing or at least referenced in four plays, including “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” in which he is the protagonist.
If one wants to see just how unsophisticated the entertainment could get in Elizabethan England, however, only one Shakespeare play will suffice.
Violence in Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus”
One of the most popular forms of theatre in the Elizabethan era was the revenge play. Blood-filled and excessively violent, these plays were the Quentin Tarantino films of the 17th century. Though exceedingly popular in the time, Shakespeare did not write many of these, though “Hamlet” at times shows elements of the form, namely in the quest for revenge and a large number of character deaths.
However, Shakespeare does have one play that sits clearly in this genera. No other play in Shakspearean lore surpasses that of “Titus Andronicus.”
In terms of bloodshed, "Titus" puts “Hamlet” and even “Macbeth” to shame. The story centers around the eponymous hero, Titus, freshly back from war against the Galls. The Roman emperor, Saturninus, decides to make sure Titus stays in his place by killing off some of his family, and unleashing a family feud of “Godfather” proportions.
By the end of the play, despite being one of the shorter plays in Shakespeare’s canon, several hands have been chopped off, a tongue, a violent gang rape, a case of family cannibalism, an affair, and multiple murders sweep through Rome.
By the end of all the carnage, Titus’ last living son is the only clear heir to a throne that has been deprived of dozens of potential rulers. It serves as a shocking contrast to the depth of his later tragedies, but is one of the most hemophilic plays passed down to modern readers from the period.
While “Titus” may seem cruel, it doesn’t have claim to all of the foul characters in Shakespeare, such as the evil Iago or the crafty fairies of "Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Nevertheless, characters found in many of Shakespeare’s plays offer more than long-winded soliloquies and heart-wrenching dramatics.
In times when Shakespeare plays were more popular, and familiarity with Early Modern English was more common, Shakespeare plays were enjoyed by audiences for their bawdy jokes and cheap laughs as well as for the powerful and moving tragic figures. If a reader knows where to look, the gritty side of Shakespeare makes reading the classics a lot more entertaining.
To see for yourself what antics can be found in just two of Shakespeare’s works, check out the following plays, available for free online:
