How important were theatre and literature from 1564-1616?

Answer 1

These are two different questions. Since you have selected the years of William Shakespeare's lifetime, let's talk about theatre and literature in England where he spent his entire life. Theatre was of enormous importance, particularly in London. There were at least a half-dozen theatres in London from the 1570s on, and each one of them staged performances regularly six days a week, getting audiences in the thousands. There were other forms of entertainment at the time, such as watching animal blood sports or going to church to hear a sermon, but the theatre was everyone's favourite. Theatre was also popular in the country towns, but much less available, since they did not have permanent dramatic companies and only got to see plays when there was an outbreak of disease In London and the theatres were closed. Literature was another story. Anyone who could speak English could understand and enjoy a play, but to appreciate literature one had to be able to read. This was a substantially smaller part of the population: those of middle- or upper-class upbringing who attended schools and, in some cases, universities. This group also consisted largely of men, although some noblewomen (such as Mary Sidney or the Queen) were extremely well-educated. Thus literature was for an elite group, unlike theatre.

Answer 2

really impotant