Was there violence in Shakespeare's time?

Answer 1

Sure was, and lots of it too. Among Shakespeare's playwriting pals, Christopher Marlowe was killed in a pub fight when he got knifed, and Ben Jonson killed another guy in a bar. Thomas Kyd was picked up by the authorities and tortured.

This is reflected in the plays, especially the tragedies and histories, which are full of violent action. The comedies have their moments too--don't forget the duel between Viola and Sir Andrew in Twelfth Night, and the wild consequences when people who actually know how to fight get involved. Or what happens to the quack psychologist Pinch in Comedy of Errors.