Nubia Figueroa

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Recommended: Introduction on romeo and juliet

Historical Accuracy Shakespeare had on Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Imagine reading one of Shakespeare’s plays and then getting the chance of a lifetime to live in that time period the play was set in, seeing the whole city for all its glory and fascination. Then realizing many of Shakespeare’s descriptions all match up with the buildings, the people, and society. Even the smallest details are all around making the city come to life in that society, time and place. Shakespeare wrote his plays in the 1500’s and depicted many of these features in his writing. He made his readers go back to that time and love how the people of that time period lived and how their society worked. One of the most interesting things about two of Shakespeare’s most famous writings, A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Romeo & Juliet, is that they are historically accurate.
In one case, the lifestyle of upper classman and hierarchy are accurately portrayed in Romeo & Juliet. According to “The Experiences of Life in Early Modern Europe, 1500-1650” the “European society was supposedly divided into two status groups- nobles and commoners. Nobility implied certain privileges, notably the title granted and the right to bear a coat of arms” (The Experiences of… para 4). Shakespeare clearly portrays these classes with the friends and families of Romeo and Juliet. The families thought themselves superior to others, although they did not stand high enough to the Prince, they clearly boasted about their social standing, comparing themselves to others, as Shakespeare shows with many of the scenes in his play, including the scene with the nurse at the Capulet’s party. The nobility also possessed political rights because of this “…there were clear hierarch...

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"Life in Italy During the Middle Ages." Life in Italy. Life in Italy, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014. .
Mabillard, Amanda. “What Inspired Shakespeare?” Shakespeare Online. Microsoft, 1999. Web.
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Thompson, James C. “Marriage in Ancient Athens.” Womenintheancientworld.com. N.p., July 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2014.
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