In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died and James VI of Scotland became James I of England.   The Jacobean age was initiated.  Its practical impact was that the Chamberlain's Men, the most popular acting company under the old queen, became the King's Men, receiving royal patronage.  And no company performed more at court over these years.  From November 1, 1604 to October 31, 1605, the King's Men performed 11 performances before the King.  (Seven of the performances were plays by Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Love's Labour's Lost, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Othello, Measure for Measure, and The Merchant of Venice--twice).  In spite of the emphasis on comedy, the new reign was known for its cynicism.  We also see a shift to darkness in Shakespeare's works of this period.

Works.  Will Kemp, the renowned clown, left the Lord Chamberlain's Men, being replaced as chief comedian by Robert Armin, for whom Shakespeare wrote more thoughtful, philosophical parts, like that of Feste in Twelfth Night and the fool in King Lear.  Twelfth Night, or What You Will (probably written in 1600) was also Shakespeare's last "happy" comedy, and even Twelfth Night leaves a lingering shadow of unhappiness with the disgruntled and much put upon Malvolio uttering curses against all the characters and refusing to be reconciled to them in the end.

Sometime between 1599 and 1601 Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, and from Hamlet on, until about 1608 when he began writing the great Romances Cymbeline, Winter's Tale and The Tempest, Shakespeare's vision turned to tragedy.  The comedies he produced over the next couple of years are distinctly un-funny, and have been called "problem plays": All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure (both probably written in the period 1603-1604).  Troilus and Cressida (probably written in 1602) is such a problem play that it has perennially confused audiences and critics, and may well  never have been performed in Shakespeare's life time.  After Measure for Measure Shakespeare's vision seems to turn unrelentingly to the tragic, with his great string of tragedies Othello (probably 1604), King Lear (probably 1605) Macbeth (probably 1605), Antony and Cleopatra (probably 1607), Coriolanus and Timon of Athens (probably 1606-8).  (These last two plays, along with Troilus and Cressida, surely Shakespeare's least liked and performed plays).

What caused the shift in vision, from the sparkling comedies of the 90's, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado, As You Like It, The Merry Wives, and the overheated wit of the Henry IV plays, to the somber period that followed?  Comedy (and this could be extended to most of Shakespeare's history plays as well)  is social--leading to a happy resolution (usually a marriage or marriages) and social unification.  Tragedy is individual, concentrating on the suffering of a single, remarkable hero--leading to individual torment, waste and death.   What were the shifts in his life or in society that caused Shakespeare to abandon the social for the individual--unity for disaster?

Many have been suggested, perhaps all are true:

1. In 1601 (probably the year Hamlet was composed) Shakespeare's father died.  
2. In 1601 the Essex rebellion flared and failed, leaving Essex and Shakespeare's patron Southampton condemned to death in the tower.  Essex--a larger than life, charismatic spirit of the late Elizabethan age--was executed, Southampton reprieved.  In any event, it may have marked an end to Shakespeare's involvement with the Southampton circle.
3. An end of an age malaise afflicted London during the opening of the seventeenth century, accentuated by  the death of the Queen in 1603.
4. Shakespeare's comedies of the late 90's depended very much on a strong woman's part and engage the battle of the sexes--Beatrice in Much Ado, Rosalind in As You Like It, Viola in Twelfth Night. After Twelfth Night, there are no more great women's roles until Cleopatra, seven or eight years later.  Since boys played the women's parts on the Elizabethan stage, perhaps Shakespeare's very talented boy had grown up, or left, or died, and out of necessity he had to change genres to suit the makeup of his company.
5. Tragedies became more popular, along with the growing pessimism of the age, and drew large audiences.
6. A personal psychological crisis, perhaps associated with the stress of writing Hamlet, led to a period of depression and brooding which could not but be reflected in his works.
7. Having the security of being the principal dramatist for the most prestigious acting company in London, Shakespeare could afford to turn to deeper psychological themes that interested him and did not need to write entertainments that catered as much to popular tastes as in his early years.  Since tragedy was considered the "higher" art form, Shakespeare was following his life long proclivities and interests in writing the great tragedies.

Life.  Shakespeare continued in these years investing in Stratford real estate.  In May 1602 he paid £320 for 127 acres in Old Stratford--as suburb of Stratford proper.  Later that year he bought a cottage opposite his great house New Place.  In 1605 he invested £440 in a lease of tithes--an agricultural commodities investment--around Stratford.  Those who see Shakespeare as the lofty artist separated from the hustle-bustle of the world would do well to track his growing portfolio of investments.  After all, a literary genius can also be an astute business man.

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