The United Kingdom（Period 3 Reading and Writing）
in 1596 the patron of the lord chamberlain’s men (henry carey, lord hunsdon, the queen’s chamberlain) died, leaving shakespeare’s company under the patronage of his son, george carey, second lord hunsdon.the next year, shakespeare bought a spacious stratford home, known as new place.shakespeare continued to be noted as an actor; in 1598 he appeared in a performance of ben jonson’s every man in his humor, and was listed as a principal actor in the london performance of the drama.soon after, in 1599, shakespeare and other members of the lord chamberlain’s men leased land for the globe theater, which opened later that year.also in 1599, the poet john weever published a poem (“ad guglielmum shakespeare”) in which he praised shakespeare as a poet and playwright.during this period of his life, from about 1595 through 1600, shakespeare wrote a number of plays, including the second historical tetralogy (richard ⅱ [1595]; henry ⅳ, part one[1596-97]; henry ⅳ, part two[1598]; and henry ⅴ[1599]).this tetralogy deals with the events leading up to the wars of the roses: richard ⅱ is usurped by henry bolingbrook and later assassinated.the new king, henry ⅳ, worries over his role in richard’s death and about the ability of his“madcap”son, hal, to rule.a subplot focuses on hal’s wild adventures with the comical knight, sir john falstaff.hal becomes king henry ⅴafter his father’s death; he conquers france and restores peace.king john, a historical drama dealing with the reign of king john and the tragedy of the young arthur, is estimated to have been written between 1594 and 1596. a midsummer night’s dream and the famous tragedy romeo and juliet were probably written in 1595 or 1596. a midsummer night’s dream, a fantastical comedy complete with fairies and magic, deals with such topics as love, imagination, and art.one of shakespeare’s most popular and well-known plays, romeo and juliet is the story of ill-fated lovers who attempt to escape the disapproval of their feuding families.the comedies the merchant of venice and the merry wives of windsor are believed to have been written between 1596 and 1597.identified by critics as a problem play (one that raises moral dilemmas which it does not resolve), the merchant of venice is like the two gentlemen of verona in that it deals with the relationship between romantic love and masculine friendship; the play also focuses on the theme of mercy. the merry wives of windsor is a farce dealing with middle class life and values; it features the knight falstaff, who was introduced in henry ⅳ, part one as hal’s drunken and wayward companion.other plays written during this period of shakespeare’s life include much ado about nothing (1598-1599); julius caesar(1599); and as you like it(1599-1600). much ado about nothing is the witty comedy featuring beatrice and benedick.the play is sometimes considered flawed by critics due to what they and many audiences see as the insensitive treatment of the female characters, particularly the falsely accused hero.the roman tragedy julius caesar dramatizes the downfall of the title character and examines the nature of political rivalry, ambition, and power. as you like it depicts the beautiful forest of arden as a haven from the trappings of courtly life.