8-4OliverCromwell

WHO WAS OLIVER CROMWELL? WHAT IS HIS LEGACY? //Answer prepared by Nathan G.//

Oliver Cromwell was an important figure during Shakespeare’s time. He was the leader of a powerful religious group called the Puritans. According to the website William Shakespeare Info, the Puritans were “'those who wanted to completely change the Church of England, with its Roman Catholic type of structure and traditions, for another reformed and plain church model.” They wanted to remove all features of Christian worship that weren’t in the bible; such things included bishops, church clothing, elaborate ceremonies, and decorated crosses. In 1642, after Oliver Cromwell was elected to Parliament, he came into a conflict with the Royalists who were led by King Charles I. The Royalists were the group of people who didn’t rebel with Cromwell and who were on the side of the Royalty (Queen and Parliament) of the time. This conflict led to the English Civil War.

During this war, many things occurred that effected Shakespeare’s life directly. First, the Puritans were against plays because of their strict beliefs. According to the website “In Search of Shakespeare”, Puritans believed that “all forms of entertainment, especially the theatre, served as a graphic illustration of the moral decline of the country.” Second, because of these beliefs, many plays were shut down, theaters were burned, and actors, if caught performing plays, were beaten. In 1644, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater was burned. Lastly, anyone who was caught attending a play could be charged five shillings. This greatly decreased the number of people attending Shakespeare’s plays. Just before his death, he was ordered to be hanged. In 1658, Cromwell died and the Puritans’ power slowly faded away. Oliver Cromwell was most known for destroying Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. Many people think that he is a very bad person because he ordered the deaths of many and revolted against the leaders of the time. All in all, Oliver Cromwell was a very important figure during Shakespeare’s time and had a huge impact on Shakespeare and plays in general.

Works Cited Alexander, Catherine. Shakespeare: The Life, The Works, The Treasures. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

Laroque, François. The Age of Shakespeare. New York: Abrams, 1993.

Love, Mark. "Puritan." In Search of Shakespeare. 2003. PBS. 5 Apr 2009 <[]>.

Macauley, Thomas. "Modern History Sourcebook: Thomas Macauley: On Oliver Cromwell." Modern History Sourcebook. 1998. 16 Apr 2009 <[]>.

Mowat, Barbara, and Paul Werstine. A Midsummer Night's Dream. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.

Porter, Roy. London: A Social History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1995.

Pritchard, Louise. Shakespeare. 1. New York: DK, 2002.