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He was from a middle class family. His mother's family, the Ardens, were minor gentry, but the Shakespeares were tradesmen. His father had made application to have a grant of arms given to him, which would have raised him one level to "gentleman". Although John was not able to follow through with this project, William was. As soon as those arms were granted to the Shakespeare family, Shakespeare was entitled to call himself "William Shakespeare, gent." and was probably able to wear fancier clothing under the sumptuary laws of the time.

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12y ago
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14y ago

Shakespeare's father was a glover, a tradesman, a middle class person. His mother was a member of a petty aristocratic family. Shakespeare worked hard to get a grant of arms for his father which was a status symbol signifying a noble family.

It would be fair to say that Shakespeare was a member of the petty aristocracy. Barely.

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7y ago

His father was a merchant and craftsman; that would make him roughly middle class. However, in Shakespeare's day, there were many more subtle class gradations than we recognize now. Shakespeare's mother was from a slightly higher social class than the Shakespeares. Shakespeare worked very hard to have a coat of arms granted to his father, which he then inherited; this put him in a slightly higher class so he could describe himself as a "gentleman". This class is slightly below the "minor gentry" which is what the Ardens were.

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14y ago

Shakespeare's family was of the wealthy merchant class or petty gentry. His mother's family was gentry and Shakespeare worked hard to raise his father's status by getting him a grant of arms.

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8y ago

No, not at all. He was a middle-class guy who was thrilled when he got his own coat of arms and could call himself a gentleman.

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Q: What social class was Shakespeare in?
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What kind of social class audience did Shakespeare have?

Everyone was his audience. But he did get requests from the nobles, aristocrats, and kings of that time. Shakespeare actually wrote Macbeth for King James VI of Scotland.


What was the class system like in Shakespeare's time?

The class system in Shakespeare's England was very rigid. People were only allowed to wear the clothes permitted to their social class. For example, only the highest classes could wear purple clothes. Shakespeare worked like crazy to get the College of Arms to grant a coat of arms to his father. This pushed Shakespeare up a class, so he could call himself "Mr. Shakespeare" and refer to himself as a "gentleman". Although it doesn't seem important to us, such signs of class were of extraordinary importance to Shakespeare and his contemporaries. On the off-chance that you might have been thinking of classes in school, the classes in Shakespeare's time were very different from what they are now: each school had only one class of all boys aged 7-13.


How was the class discrimination in Shakespeare's time?

England in Shakespeare's day, was as it is now, very class-conscious. Shakespeare, himself, went to great lengths to inch up the social ladder by getting a grant of arms so he could call himself "William Shakespeare, gent." Shakespeare was not very well-disposed to ordinary working-class stiffs, even though they formed a significant part of his audience. Common people are portrayed unsympathetically in Henry VI Part II, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus. Shakespeare pokes fun at the would-be actors in Midsummer Night's Dream. But Shakespeare was a bit of a snob; some of his contemporaries, like Thomas Dekker, were champions of the common man.


What level class did Shakespeare's family belong to?

They were middle class people.


Is Juliet raised like a burgoise or middle class in romeo x Juliet?

In Shakespeare's play, Juliet is a member of the bourgeoisie or middle class, yes. Her parents are rich, very rich in fact, but do not have the social standing that, say, Paris does.

Related questions

Was Shakespeare upper class?

Shakespeare was not born into the upper class; his father was a glove-maker and his mother came from a family of farmers. However, through his success as a playwright and actor, Shakespeare accumulated wealth and social status, allowing him to live a comfortable lifestyle and interact with members of the upper class.


What kind of social class audience did Shakespeare have?

Everyone was his audience. But he did get requests from the nobles, aristocrats, and kings of that time. Shakespeare actually wrote Macbeth for King James VI of Scotland.


How wealthy did Shakespeare become?

We do not know the exact value, in pounds sterling, of Shakespeare's estate. Shakespeare was not only a poet, but an actor, and a very successful businessman. Shakespeare was a very wealthy man for a person of his social class.


What was the class system like in Shakespeare's time?

The class system in Shakespeare's England was very rigid. People were only allowed to wear the clothes permitted to their social class. For example, only the highest classes could wear purple clothes. Shakespeare worked like crazy to get the College of Arms to grant a coat of arms to his father. This pushed Shakespeare up a class, so he could call himself "Mr. Shakespeare" and refer to himself as a "gentleman". Although it doesn't seem important to us, such signs of class were of extraordinary importance to Shakespeare and his contemporaries. On the off-chance that you might have been thinking of classes in school, the classes in Shakespeare's time were very different from what they are now: each school had only one class of all boys aged 7-13.


Was shakespeare a member of aristocracy?

No, he was an aspiring middle-class type. The social event of his life was when he got a grant of arms which allowed him to call himself a "gentleman".


How was the class discrimination in Shakespeare's time?

England in Shakespeare's day, was as it is now, very class-conscious. Shakespeare, himself, went to great lengths to inch up the social ladder by getting a grant of arms so he could call himself "William Shakespeare, gent." Shakespeare was not very well-disposed to ordinary working-class stiffs, even though they formed a significant part of his audience. Common people are portrayed unsympathetically in Henry VI Part II, Julius Caesar, and Coriolanus. Shakespeare pokes fun at the would-be actors in Midsummer Night's Dream. But Shakespeare was a bit of a snob; some of his contemporaries, like Thomas Dekker, were champions of the common man.


What is social class segmentation?

Social class segmentation is the process of dividing a population into different groups based on their incomes, education levels, occupation types, and other socio-economic factors. This segmentation helps marketers and businesses target specific consumer groups with tailored products or marketing strategies that are more likely to resonate with their preferences and buying behaviors.


What level class did Shakespeare's family belong to?

They were middle class people.


What class of people would the court in Shakespeare's plays?

Your question is unclear. If you mean "What class of people would watch Shakespeare's plays at court?" the answer is the upper class--royalty, nobility, and their servants. If you mean "What class of people are portrayed as being at court in Shakespeare's plays" the answer is the same. Indeed you could have asked, "What class of people are at court?"


Is Juliet raised like a burgoise or middle class in romeo x Juliet?

In Shakespeare's play, Juliet is a member of the bourgeoisie or middle class, yes. Her parents are rich, very rich in fact, but do not have the social standing that, say, Paris does.


Why are bees social bees?

To quote Shakespeare: "To bee or not to bee [social], that is the question."


What were the akkadian social classes?

the social classes are upper class middle class and lower class