A person who had an influence on what the Elizabethans believed was a man named Dionysius. Find out about him and his ideas on how the world was ordered on The Holy Angels site.
What were the four humours? Work out which humours go with which characters in your play, for example, if you are studying Romeo and Juliet, what humour does Mercutio have?
Playhouses: What were the names of some of the playhouses and actors? How did the playhouses differ from present day theatres? What was unusual about the actors then?
Sources of the play Shakespeare's plays are usually based on another story. Find out the source of the play you are studying (hint: look through the beginning of the book your play is in). When you have found out about the source, research some aspect of the background to the story. For example, what can you find out about Verona? Padua? How far apart are they?
