Shakespeare's London: Everyday Life in London 1580-1616

by Stephen Porter

Everyday life in the teeming metropolis during William Shakespeare's time in the city. Shakespeare's London was a bustling, teeming metropolis that was growing so rapidly that the government took repeated, and ineffectual, steps to curb its expansion. From contemporary letters, journals and diaries, a vivid picture emerges of this fascinating city, with its many opportunities and also its persistent problems. By far the largest city in the country, it was the centre of government, the law and the church, the focus of politics and culture. It had a vigorous economy, with a range of industries and a lucrative trade in luxury goods for the courtiers and wealthy citizens. Growth produced overcrowding and high mortality, with shockingly high death tolls during the periodic plague epidemics, yet London attracted an endless stream of people, who were absorbed into its diverse communities and economic structures. Here the first playhouses were built, patronised by large audiences, who were treated to a rich and varied diet of plays to keep them, and the court, entertained. The London that Shakespeare knew was an expanding, changing and exciting city.

Genres: History, Shakespeare, London, Nonfiction, Theatre, British Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2009

Reviews

[Liam Connolly]

A gift from my wonderful and beautiful wife Rebecca

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - though not actually much about Shakespeare and his plays in it. Good insight into the lives of the ordinary populace and what made them tick

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this because Lisa Picard's book isn't available as an ebook. The writing is adequate and there are lots of illustrations. For the ebook something weird happened and many of the illustrations are cut in half. It's a good reference for daily life in London around 1600.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, well written and factual

[Desirae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straightforward history of the time period, but it lacked a vibrant narrative style.

[Leanne Albillar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thorough and engaging read! Covers pretty much every aspect of daily life I wanted to know about, and others that I hadn’t even considered

[Margaret Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive look into life in the bustling city of London. Although he mainly focused on 1580-1616 Porter does look ahead and previous to this to really wrap them up nicely. With such areas from crime and safety to entertainment he really gives you a feel to what life was like. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seriously studying this period and in fact to those who are merely interested in it. After all it only took me 2 days to read it was that good!

[Philip Zyg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vivid account of Elizabethan London, its streets, its playhouses, its bear-baiting arenas and other amenities. "The Time of Life is Short" says one of the chapters, but within those short years life was a turmoil. No wonder Shakespeare's plays strike us with larger-than-life characters even today, in a time of high-technological safety and rationality.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much more readable than the one about Chaucer's London (by a different author). Porter managed to find interesting quotes and facts. I realize that Shakespeare's time is better documented but the style is also less dry.

[Annm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really felt I learned about everyday life in Elizabethan England from reading this book, and I thought the pictures were well chosen. Hopefully it will also prove to be fruitful research for my own writing.