Did Shakespeare live during the middle ages?

Answer 1

Shakespeare did not live in the middle ages, and so did not write any plays in the middle ages, although he did set some of his plays in the Middle Ages. All of the history plays except Henry VIII deal with events in medieval history, as does Macbeth. Hamlet is somewhat ambiguous: although the legend on which it was based was medieval, elements of the story (particularly Wittenburg University) are much more modern. Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Titus Andronicus, Timon of Athens, King Lear, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida and Pericles all deal with events or legends from before the start of the Middle Ages. A Midsummer Night's Dream has the characters Theseus and Hippolyta, from pre-medieval legend, but the characters in general behave in a much more modern way. The Greek setting of The Comedy of Errors might suggest an ancient model but the action is consistent with a modern setting. The rest of Shakespeare's plays suggest a setting contemporary with their audience, which is to say after the Middle Ages.

Answer 2

No, after.