Key Ideas

1.) Under Elizabeth I, England became the leading naval and commercial power of the world, and London was its heart, reflecting all the qualities of the Elizabethan Era.

2.) Though quite popular, the playhouse was criticized a great deal by clergymen and conservatives.

England saw a great leap in power under the Tudor dynasty, though the legitimacy of Henry VIII and his successor’s as rulers of England and the church was under question.  Many qualities of the playhouse were in question as well. It mixed commoners with nobleman, and was a gateway to prostitution. Yet plays were well liked and thus endorsed by Elizabeth I. Her cult of personality grew until national pride and pride in its monarchy became one and the same. Elizabeth solidified England’s place of power in the world by defeating the Spanish Armada. Although Elizabeth did much to answer the question of legitimacy and the church, her actions only served to hush those who would question it during her rule. Rather than deal with the issue head on, Shakespeare asks the question of ruling legitimacy in Henry IV, Part 1.