Shakespeare's London: The Temple, the Tavern, and the Tower (ep 52)

We know London was very important to Shakespeare and his evolution from life in Stratford in the 1580s when he married and had children to the early 1600s when his company became the favored actors of the King and he dressed in the King’s livery. Shakespeare’s London was a place where fortunes were made and lost, where reputations were forged and destroyed, and where life could expand to include appearances and applause at court but could also be extinguished in a street fight or the executioners axe.

London was where Shakespeare lived for 20 years (at least). We know he was there by 1592 when disparaging comments were published by Robert Greene in his A Groat’s Worth of Wit. He wrote and acted in London; his plays were performed there. He lived in Shoreditch and Southwark. He successfully petitioned for the award of Shakespeare family coat of arms in his father’s name. He became a shareholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and was involved in the building of the Globe Theatre. He purchased property in London. His reputation grew as his company was favored by James I. The company acquired Blackfriars Theatre, allowing them to put on indoor plays to a more affluent audience. Sometime around 1608 he returned to live in Stratford, although he kept ties with London and his company and continued writing plays. He retired around 1613, possibly related to the burning of the Globe Theatre—an event which was said to have devastated him. He died in 1616 in Stratford and was buried in the Holy Trinity Church.

The 20 years in London shaped his life and work. His history plays, some of his early successes, were based in London and told the story of the city and the country. The theater allowed Shakespeare to explore the questions of violence, religious chaos, population growth, an influx of foreigners, and new opportunities for economic and social success that were happening around him. Let’s take a look at three of the places that were especially important to Shakespeare and his plays: the Temple, the tavern, and the Tower.

London was more than a home for Shakespeare: it was a library, a laboratory, a playground. He lived and worked and watched and listened. And the world of London, as the examples of the Temple, the tavern, and the Tower demonstrate, shape the essence of his plays.

History shows us what's possible.