Years 1602-1603
| Shakespeare's life | contemporary events |
| 1602 | |
|
May 1. Shakespeare buys 107 acres of farm land in Old
Stratford for £320. Sept. 1. Shakespeare acquires one-quarter of an acre of land and a cottage in Chapel Lane, Stratford. Reference is made to Shakespeare and Richard Burbage in The Returne from Parnassus (Part 2). |
Ben Jonson's The Poetaster is
published. Thomas Dekker's Satiromastix is published. The Bodleian Library, Oxford, is opened. Thomas Morley dies. |
| 1603 | |
|
May 19. Shakespeare is mentioned in a royal patent which
renames the Lord Chamberlain's
Men as the King's Men. During the winter season, Shakespeare performs in Ben Jonson's Sejanus, the last record of him acting. Henry Chettle, in his poem "Englandes Mourning Garment," exhorts Shakespeare to write honouring the memory of Queen Elizabeth. |
Sir Walter Raleigh is imprisoned. Queen Elizabeth dies. Plague rages in London (30,561 deaths); theatres remain closed until April 1604. . James I arrives in London. Henslowe ends his Diary. Monteverdi's Madrigals, Book 4, are published. |