Under the Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare will revolutionize the theater.
If he is today the most performed author in the world, his life remains unknown.
In this new episode of the Europe 1 Studio podcast "At the heart of History", Jean des Cars tells the story of the famous English playwright.
Her work is so prolific that you sometimes wonder how a single man could have conceived it in such a short time ...
William Shakespeare's extraordinary erudition in his works contrasts with the level of education in his humble hometown of Stratford-on-Avon. Rumors and legends on the identity of the playwright have punctuated the centuries ... In this new episode of the Europe 1 Studio podcast "At the heart of History", Jean des Cars tries to elucidate the mysteries of life and work by Shakespeare.
At the end of September 1588, it was certain that the Invincible Armada sent by the King of Spain Philippe II to avenge the execution of Marie Stuart and to annihilate England was irremediably dispersed and ruined, much by the storm, a little also by the English Navy, masterfully commanded by Admiral Howard.
Elizabeth I defeated the greatest threat to ever weigh on England.
She becomes a mythical heroine, sung by poets under the name of Gloriana, symbol of national unity and living embodiment of the State.
After ten years of tension and danger, the feeling of being an island under siege is fading.
The following years will be those of a great cultural blossoming, particularly for poetry and theater ...
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1588 is also the year Shakespeare leaves his hometown of Stratford-on-Avon to settle in London.
He is a poet, he wants to write plays, but he will start by being an actor.
It was in 1576 that the first performance hall worthy of the name was built in London: the James Burbage theater.
Its rounded shape recalls that of arenas but also that of inn courtyards where actors used to perform.
Circular galleries allow the elegant public to settle in.
The others are in the pit, where we remain standing.
It's cheaper ... The stage moves forward on the floor, the actors really play in the middle of the spectators.
But this stage is already arranged to allow various effects: there are hatches from which ghosts and demons can emerge and a balcony for the musicians.
Other theaters were to be built: the Swan, Fortune and later the most famous of all, the Globe.
It should also be noted that the performances take place during the day because the theaters are relegated to eccentric neighborhoods.
They must therefore close their doors early enough so that spectators have returned home before nightfall.
Another important clarification: the female roles are interpreted by young boys with hairless or clean shaven faces.
No woman should appear on the scene.
It is in this universe that William Shakespeare arrives.
He is 24 years old.
He left wife and children in his hometown.
He is said to have started his career guarding the horses at the gates of the Burbage Theater.
As always in the life of Shakespeare, nothing is very clear in this period.
The only thing we can be sure of is that he will very quickly become an actor and an author ...
A bourgeois origin
Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, west London.
His mother was descended from an old family of landowners.
His father, John Shakespeare, whose parents were farmers, had come to Stratford and established himself as a glover.
This large town had become a major commercial and industrial center during the 16th century.
The glover, an ambitious man, was also engaged in the trade of wool, skins and cattle.
He had married Marie Arden not because her parents were wealthy landowners but because she was related to the Arden who had been the lords of the county in Saxon times, before William the Conqueror.
John Shakespeare also had some official positions in the city.
Eight children were born from this union, William being the third.
His baptismal certificate is kept in the archives of the parish of Stratford.
He studied at the city's renowned Grammar School.
It still exists.
You can always visit its lower rooms surmounted by a framework with exposed beams.
Students spend hours here studying William Lily's "Authorized Latin Grammar", very famous in Renaissance England.
Summer and winter alike, classes start at seven o'clock and end ten hours later with a two-hour break for lunch.
William also learns a little Greek but it is obvious that when studying, he prefers the spectacle full of life and entertainment in Stratford ...
In summer, he runs with his friends through fields and woods.
In winter, he listens to the fantastic long stories that adults tell by the fireside.
In all seasons, the borough is crossed by travelers heading towards London, sometimes by magnificent processions of nobles but especially by theatrical companies.
The performances take place in a large hall in the village with official authorization.
The theater companies are then under the protection of aristocratic families.
His father takes 4-year-old William to see a play given by a company called "The Earl of Worcester's Men".
Perhaps it is on this day that he has the revelation of the magic of the theater.
Even if it is sometimes said that he took courses at Oxford for one or two terms, it is certain that there is a great contrast between his studies, certainly solid but of the level of a modest village, and the extraordinary erudition which William Shakespeare will demonstrate in most of his works. This is where the Shakespeare mystery lies: Did he write it all himself or was he inspired by a scholar anxious to keep his own identity a secret? In France, later, we will say the same thing about Molière ...
Anyway, initially, William did not dream of devoting himself to the theater since in 1582, at the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway who was eight years older than him.
She belongs to a wealthy peasant family who live very close to Stratford.
William comes to visit him, in a charming cottage which still exists and which contrasts with the bourgeois house of the Shakespeare family.
It is a marriage of love.
On the wedding day, Anne Hathaway is already about three months pregnant.
A girl named Suzanne will be born the following spring.
William leaves his family to go to London
The marital happiness of the young couple will not last long. Two years after little Suzanne, Anne gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl named Hamnet (with an n, not Hamlet!) And Judith. But a few months later, when the children were very small, William suddenly left Stratford to become an actor in London. His departure will scandalize the small town. Admittedly, its inhabitants like the theater but they consider the actors as acrobats and then for these Puritans, it is synonymous with vice and perdition.
Was William's wife a Puritan?
We do not know anything.
In any case, she refused to follow her husband to London with their children.
Shakespeare will therefore live alone in a modest room in order to finally be able to indulge in his passion.
It is not about a complete rupture but it is true that they will not see each other again.
We do not know in which company he did his acting apprenticeship.
What we know is that soon he will befriend James Burbage and his two sons and will work in their theater.
In the fascinating world of theater
Both author and actor, Shakespeare is an exceptional case.
The playwrights are often cursed poets who sell their works for a pittance to companies which ensure their exclusivity.
There is no copyright.
If the play is successful, the company will profit from it and receive the benefits.
In 1592 Shakespeare began to be a well-known actor but may also already be a successful author.
Indeed, that year, an old playwright named Robert Greene, on the verge of death, launches into violent diatribes against the actors whom he calls "monkeys, scoundrels and made-up monsters".
Then he attacks William Shakespeare directly:
"This newcomer, this pretentious crow who adorns himself with our feathers, hiding his tiger heart under the skin of an actor, who imagines he can make the white worm snore as skillfully as the best of us ... This vulgar Jean-sais-tout, who believes he is the only one in this country capable of shaking the scene! "
It's very nasty.
But this proves that Shakespeare is already known and has succeeded in making people talk about him and, indeed, to strongly shake the scene!
The first significant date of his life as a dramatic author is the year 1591. He writes "Henry VI", a long-running play which takes place when the Hundred Years War is raging, when the War of the United Nations breaks out in England. Two Roses.
He devoted a considerable number of pieces to this troubled period.
Then there will be "Richard II", "Henry IV", "Henry V", "Henry VI" reworked and then the famous drama "Richard III".
All these pieces tell of the birth of England, now appeased thanks to Elizabeth I, Gloriana.
There are glorious heroes, traitors, cowards, perfidious women, mistresses but also sacrificed women.
But for the moment, he wrote only "Henry VI", and his career will know a pause because in 1592, all the London theaters close because of an epidemic of plague.
The theaters will be closed for two years, during which the companies will travel the province.
Shakespeare becomes a famous poet
Did Shakespeare do it?
We do not know, but it was at this time that he published two masterpieces of lyrical poetry "Venus and Adonis" and "The rape of Lucretia", printed by Richard Field and published respectively between the years 1593 and 1594 Their success is so great with the literate public that the editions follow one another at an unusual rate for this kind of poetic publication.
According to the custom of the time, Shakespeare dedicated his works to a patron of the nobility, Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton, one of the most prominent gentlemen at Court and godson of Queen Elizabeth 1st.
Very intelligent, graduate of Cambridge, very rich and generous patron, he bonded at that time with Shakespeare of a great friendship.
Encouraged by this success, the printer Richard Field encouraged Shakespeare to devote himself to a purely literary career.
But the latter was too fond of the theater and as soon as the London stages reopened, his name was found in the cast of a play staged by the very famous Compagnie du Chambellan, under the high protection of Lord Hunsdon, chamberlain of the Court.
From then on, the theater will be Shakespeare's entire life.
Shakespeare triumphs in the theater
Shakespeare will continue his series of historical plays, completing them, modifying them but at a certain point, he will locate many of his dramas or his comedies in Italy.
Did he go?
Probably not.
Nevertheless, he documented himself perfectly, probably thanks to a certain Giovanni Florio.
This Italian, living in London, had written Italian conversation manuals, an Italian-English dictionary and translated Montaigne's works into English. Shakespeare meets him at Lord Southampton and the Italian inspiration will give some of his masterpieces: "The tame shrew", "The merchant of Venice" and of course "Romeo and Juliet".
Belonging to the Lord Chamberlain's Company is very helpful to our author who never stops writing and performing dramas.
He also continues his poetic writing.
Queen Elizabeth I greatly appreciates the works of Shakespeare, especially "Sorrows of Love Lost", a comedy of refined elegance with subtle and brilliant dialogues which retrace the vicissitudes of the love that the King of Navarre has for the girl. of the King of France.
In 1596, Shakespeare will experience great sorrow, the death of his only son Hamnet, who died in August while his father was on tour in the provinces.
His emotion is not feigned when, in his tragedies, he deplores the death of a young being.
He lived it and he suffered from it.
In 1599, his troupe had a new prestigious theater: the Globe. Equipped with the most modern equipment and facilities for the time, it is considered to be the best and most beautiful performance hall in London. Shareholder of the theater, the author will then earn a lot of money. He began to buy land around Stratford, then the magnificent New Place house, built at the end of the 14th century, one of the finest and largest in the area.
On January 6, 1601, Elizabeth 1st asked Shakespeare and his troupe to perform for the Feast of Kings. That winter, the shows and entertainment at the Court were particularly brilliant. The Duke of Bracciano, who was visiting England at the time, described to his wife the sumptuousness of this celebration: "The whole Court was dressed in white, with so much gold and jewels that it was a wonder to see. The Queen. wore so much jewelry you wondered how she could stand it. I don't think you can see anywhere in the world such a tidy and wealthy court. "
On this occasion, Shakespeare will give the first performance of "The Night of the Kings", composed especially for this festival.
Elizabeth 1st is enthusiastic about this comedy of humor and fantasy against a backdrop of shipwrecks, lost twins, transvestites, misunderstandings and ambiguous loves.
It is therefore a triumph for the author, but sometimes triumphs can precede disasters ...
Shakespeare compromised in Essex betrayal
The young and handsome Earl of Essex is the Queen's favorite.
He is 34 years younger than her and is very clumsy.
The sovereign sent him to Ireland to put down a revolt.
Not only did he not succeed but, a supreme insult to Elizabeth I, he got married there secretly.
Furious, she strips him of all his dignity and banishes him from the Court.
Essex then decides to take revenge. His aim is to organize a popular demonstration in London, to march on the royal palace and to impeach the Queen, then 68 years old. The day before, February 7, 1601, the conspirators presented themselves at the Globe theater and asked Shakespeare's troupe to perform one of his first historical tragedies "Richard II". The highlight of this play is the scene where King Richard II is forced to abdicate. The conspirators wanted to force Elizabeth I to follow her example and renounce the Crown.
Sensing the danger, Shakespeare and the cast do not want to hear anything, assure that the play is old-fashioned and would not attract anyone. Friends of Essex explain that they will compensate the troops. “Richard II” is thus played and will ignite a good part of the public when the King is deposed. Unfortunately for Essex, the people of London are much less enthusiastic to follow him the next day and walk on the Royal Palace…
Essex and his accomplices are arrested.
Elizabeth 1st signs the death sentence of her former favorite.
He was beheaded the next day.
The Globe Theater is compromised.
Accused of complicity, Shakespeare and his actors told of their reluctance to play the play and the corruption of which they had been victims.
They will be acquitted.
Elizabeth I was magnanimous.
She loves Shakespeare's theater too much to be able to do without it.
She died two years later, in 1603. Will the new king Jacques 1st Stuart have the same taste for the theater as the late queen?
Bibliographic resources:
Michel Duchein, Elizabeth 1st of England (Fayard, 1992)
Shakespeare, Les Géants collection (Special cultural issue of Paris-Match, 1969)
Jean des Cars, The saga of the queens (Perrin, 2012)
"At the heart of History" is a Europe 1 Studio podcast
Author and presentation: Jean des Cars
Production: Timothée Magot
Director: Jean-François Bussière
Distribution and editing: Clémence Olivier and Salomé Journo
Graphics: Karelle Villais