8-4PlagueonTheatre

//This Question was Prepared by Annie R.// The Plague and How it Effected Shakespeare’s life and Career The plague was said to claim over 200 million lives worldwide. According to the __ Internet Shakespeare’s Edition __, the Plague, “The Elizabethans had no idea that the plague was spread by fleas that had lived on rats; though there were many "cures" for the plague, the only real defense--for those who could afford it--was to leave the crowded, rat-infested cities for the country.” It started out as just a fever, having the chills, feeling achy, swelling, and even rashes. But these minor things where actually the symptoms of what was called the “Black Death.” And the extremely poor sense of hygiene did not help the cause at all. There are three different types of the Plague, the Bubonic, Septicemic, and the Pneumonic. The Bubonic was the most common during Shakespeare’s time. Rats and other rodents where the main carriers of this disease. Fleas transmit the sickness, which goes to the lymph system. This causes the lymph glands to swell and turn black – hence the mane “Black Death”. The Septicemic type is the same as the Bubonic, only the bloodstream gets infected instead of the lymph system. When treated, there is a 40 percent survival rate, but when untreated it is guaranteed fatal. And last, breathing it in catches the Pneumonic disease. Right away the lungs are infected and this is also completely fatal if not treated. But unfortunately he treatment for the plague wasn’t found until later in history. The Bubonic Plague began to become extremely severe and all the theaters where closed between 1592 and 1594. But the temporary close of the theatres actually helped him and gave him more time to work. During this time he wrote his extremely famous poems // Venus and Adonis // and // The Rape of Lucrece // ; which where published in 1593 and 1594. And by 1594 the spead of the disease slowed down and Shakespeare’s life and work had gone back to normal.