The Elizabethan theater became a central part of social life in Shakespeare’s time and was a form of entertainment that took people’s minds off the daily hardships during the Elizabethan era. The Elizabethan era is known for its English nationalism and advancements of arts during the English Renaissance. Because of this, the Elizabethan era is considered to be the height of the English Renaissance.
England’s working class had a difficult life. Powerful lords owned and governed local districts that were usually made up of a few hundred peasants. Nearly 95 percent of England’s population lived in these types of districts. Almost all of the labor was performed by the peasant farmers. They farmed about one-third of the land for the local lord, a portion for the local church, and the rest for their own usage. They typically worked from sunup to sundown and their daily lives were regulated by the different growing seasons. They rarely traveled beyond their own village. The sick and elderly relied greatly on the kindness of their local lord for survival. The death rate was high and life expectancy was low because of frequent outbreaks of the plague. The life of a peasant was usually fairly stable but there was almost no chance of escaping the rut of belonging to this class of people from one generation to the next.
Elizabethan entertainment was important to people who lived in the Elizabethan era. People used forms of Elizabethan entertainment whenever there was something to
This article’s purpose is to express the danger of breaking the law in England. Most of the punishments of our time are deemed cruel and unusual. The death penalty can no longer be enacted in cases of theft or highway robbery. The following paragraphs will describe the various instruments of punishment (torture) of the period.
Copernicus, Galileo, and William Gilbert are all big names, but they were scientists or philosophers who lived during the Elizabethan Era. There were many more and the all observed the world around them and made studies based on those observations. Subjects varied on what they studied but it all came back to the view of how the world around them worked. They made many amazing discoveries that has impacted the world today. There were many views and discoveries of the world during the Elizabethan Era, though each had an impact on the modern world.
Elizabeth’s personal love for the arts helped the artistic life to become more fashionable and attractive for the wealthy members of the court and by their support and money, the arts could now blossom. This support allowed the arts to flourish as it did. However, Elizabeth didn’t support the artistic life only because of her love for it, it was the perfect way to lead propaganda and keeping the people calm. Theatres was also used as a tool for teach people norms and rules of the society, and that even to the illiterate in the country. She also knew that the people of England were desperate for some entertainment after years of wars, disease and poverty.
The Elizabethan era, named for Queen Elizabeth who reigned from 1558-1603, was a very relaxed time in England because no wars or conflicts were happening at the time (Davis 231). Many people believe that all people lived wonderful lives in the Elizabethan era, yet most people were poor and lived hard lives. “Undeniably the span of life is shorter in the sixteenth century than it will be in subsequent ages” (Davis 162). Important parts of life in London during the Elizabethan era were social classes, living conditions, recreation, education, and gender inequality.
Because of all the little knowledge in the Elizabethan Era, daily lives were impacted, people turned to unusual medical theories which also impacted their everyday lives, and turning points in medicine occur. Little was known about how to treat serious diseases. People turned to different ways to cure themselves based on the kind of sickness they had acquired.
From the violence that was prevalent because of the Black Death, people turned to the theater for many reasons. Elizabethan theatre was popular for its time because Queen Elizabeth encouraged the arts, it was somewhere for every social class to go, and people could relate to the plays. One of the reasons that Elizabethan theatre was so popular was that it was enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth herself. Elizabeth loved learning new things. She would read and study for hours at a time. She also had a lot of knowledge when it came to history. She could read books in Latin and French. When she grew older, she could translate classic works into English. She also enjoyed writing and reading poetry, and a few of her poems still exist today. Elizabeth was also into arts and literature. She loved watching plays and dramatic performances. “She hired her own company of actors called “The Queen’s Players.” The art spread because of the queen. Her
When researching daily life in the Elizabethan Era, there were two prominent social classes throughout most of England. The upper or noble class families were akin to today’s upper class. However, the low-class families were much different from today’s low-class families. The gap between the two classes was so huge and a majority of England was impecunious. Most of the low class was orphans, abandoned wives, widows, the infirm, and the elderly. Each class, even the ones in the middle would despise anyone in a class lower than their own (Forgeng 21). Due to a lack of education, an overload of household responsibilities, and a lack of social acceptance, low-class Elizabethan English children were unable to flourish.
Imagine watching the famous plays of William Shakespeare being performed right in front of yours eyes at the amazing Globe Theater. William Shakespeare was part owner of The Globe Theater. The famous Globe Theater was a place where outstanding plays were performed. This theater held people from all over the world to watch performances. In the article “The Elizabeth Era” states that “often the Queen would come to the Globe Theater to watch Shakespeare’s work “(Alchin). The Globe Theater has great significance to British history because of the building structure, the actors, the performances, the fire accident, and its impact on England and its people.
The theater gained popularity based on the plays they would have showing. In most cases the plays would consist of humor, tragedy, or histories. Shakespeare was one of the most popular playwrights at this time, and many of his plays were performed in the Elizabethan theater. Among him were some other famous play writers,
During the colonial period, the Elizabethan poor laws were adopted to address the social issue of poverty. Residency was a main factor in determining who was eligible for aid. Categories "worthy" and "unworthy" were set to determine who would qualify for assitance. Unfortunately the individuals in the "unworthy" category were the very individuals more in need of assistance.
2. The Elizabethan theater represented a great source of entertainment because it provided what people wanted: dancing, games and plays at an affordable price.
The long, lasting conflict between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots was the fight over the throne. Elizabeth and Mary we second cousins and Mary thought she deserve the crown. The conflict between Elizabeth and Mary ended up leading to Mary’s death.
In an era of cock-fighting and public executions, theater was a well enjoyed event in Elizabethan social life. During her 45 year reign, gaining the throne in 1558, Queen Elizabeth I gave a women a voice in literature. Her gender had no threat to the stability and glory of nation. Her reign was even considered “The Golden Age” in which saw the birth of Shakespeare;the rise of literature. Four hundred years post Queen Elizabeth I’s death she was still one of the most beloved and admired monarchs of all time. She became a legend for her phenomenal abilities and achievements.
The Elizabethan Era is often referred to as the Golden Age of England (A Changing View...). The Elizabethan Era, named after Queen Elizabeth I, was a time of change and discovery (Elizabethan Superstitions). Elizabeth ruled in a time of religious turmoil; both the Catholics and Protestants fought to be the official religion of England. (Elizabethan World View). Many people throughout England struggled to find the “correct” religion (Elizabethan World View). Religion was changing and so did science. During the late 1500’s science began to evolve; new ideas, concepts, and beliefs were starting to emerge (A Changing View). Magic was considered to be very similar to science in this era. The belief in magical creatures served as the roots for
“In roughly built playhouses and cobblestone inn yards, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s.” (Yancey, 8). At that time, an opportunity combined to produce literature achievement never before witnessed in the history of drama and theater. The renaissance, helped spark this movement by inspiring scientific and artistic creativity throughout the land. Models began writing dramas that portrayed life in both realistic and imaginative ways. This created work later captured the attention of the world that changed the English drama. The many aspects of Elizabethan theater helped to shape the acting and theater world forever.