Anyone interested in knowing the royal life style and the character traits of the Elizabethan society, you can read Shakespeare Plays.
Macbeth shows the hierarchy practiced in the kingdom. Knights were allowed to keep their own army and wealth. When a king moves, what are the living and non living accessories accompany him is visible in macbeth. When Duncan moves to Macbeth palace, it is described.
Well, the three witches. It shows the level of black magic accepted in the Elizabethan Age. Macbeth the general, having command over huge army, is highly disturbed by the oracle of witches. Either Macbeth is mentally weak to listen the witches words or it is a society where witches are treated with high reliability.
Macbeth, King Lear, Hamlet, Othello and etc. are written woven around royal characters and their life.
Shakespeare was good in defining a character of his age and makes it common for all the ages.
Well, If you study the works of Ben Jonson a contemporary of Shakespeare, you can come across the pompous of the royal people and the court. He has a satirical flavor in his writings. He writes for the masses of the Elizabethan age. Shakespeare writes for the Royal people of Elizabethan society.
Ben Jonson was more popular than Shakespeare during the Elizabethan age. He is more popular among masses. His comedy can be understood if you know the society and life style when it was written.
So as the age passes, Ben Johnson fades slowly, whereas Shakespeare stand forever because of his everlasting characters.
To be honest, works of Ben Johnson describes the Elizabethan England more than Shakespeare.
Jane Austen novels reflects Victorian age of England. The plots of her novels written woven around marriage market, the hunt for young men with estates, and plight of parents who have more daughters.
The love, romance, and marriage practices of middle and upper class life of Victorian England can be sensed through Jane Austen’s novels.
Look Back in Anger by John Osborne reflected the economic conditions prevailed in England after World War II.
There was no proper opportunity and employment for youngsters of 1950s England. In the history it was written as Allied nations defeated Axis nations in the world war II. But in true both group of countries lost their strength, prosperity in the war. If you study Look back in Anger, you can understand though England won the world war II, but defeated economically. The anger 1950 youths of England is register in the play Look back in Anger.
Today’s novels and literary work will reflect the current culture, society, economy, overall temperament of the people to the next generations.