A brief overview

The Elizabethan Era

French word meaning “rebirth”Occurred throughout Europe14th – 16th centuriesIntellectual advancesEconomic boom In England, also known as the Elizabethan

Era during Queen Elizabeth’s reign (1558 – 1603)

Renaissance

High society, nobles and their “obligations”Elizabethan progresses and their expensesHouse structure changed

More timber usedBuilt less for defense

Beds!Straw mattress to feather bed4 poster beds = Bequeathed in wills

Every day life

HusbandFarmer Tradesman

WifeHead of householdManaged children, servants, house

Typically 3 – 5 childrenWealthy families as many as 12Children leave as teens

Farm handsDomestic servantsApprentices

Family Life

Prepared over open fireVegetables

Garlic, eggplant, asparagus, onions, leeks, peas, cabbage, lettuce, parsnips, radishes, spinach, carrots, beets, artichokes

Fruits and nutsApples, plums, lemons, oranges, apricots, almonds,

melons, strawberries, limes, grapes, hazelnuts, pomegranates

Meat and fowlBeef, pork, chicken, duck, rabbit, goat, deer, boar,

badger, hedgehog, pheasant, trout, cod, salmon, perch, eels

Food

Most homes do not have an ovenPrepare food in home, pay to have it cooked or

bakedNo meat on Fridays or Saturdays (fishing

industry)Elaborate meals

Breakfast very informal meal (just to break the fast)

Main meal is dinner, 11 o’clock (lasted 3 hours)Small supper around 6 o’clock

Food

Latin = language of literacyPlays performed on inn courtyards

Open air in the center or pitPerformed during the day

Difficulty lighting stageUnsafe travel at night

No females performed in productions

Female roles performed by young boys

Literature and the Arts

This is a picture of the stage of the Globe Theater as it has been rebuilt (completed in 1997).

Theaters

A view of the gallery from the side

TheatersThe groundling area

The Bubonic Plague (also known as the “Black Death”)

Epidemics in 1535, 1545, 1563, 1589, 1603Devastated 30 – 60% of the population of EuropeAlmost 100% mortality rateSpread most rapidly in cities

High concentration of populationVery unsanitary

RatsFleas

People moved to the countrysideEconomic depression

The Plague

WatchmenKept watch over

“infected” housesNo one in or out

(death warrant for all inside)

Sustenance through lowered pail

Cart away bodies of victims

Put in pitsVery well

compensatedHigh mortality rateWorked at night

The PlagueDeath Cart Labourers

The Plague• Symptoms and development:• Buboes (groin, neck, armpits)• Fever and vomiting blood• Red rash (flea bites)• Death within two to seven days of contraction

Ring a-round the rosyPocket full of posies

Ashes, ashes!We all fall down!

Ring around the rosy: rosary beads give you God's help. A pocket full of posies: used to stop the odor of rotting

bodies which was at one point thought to cause the plague, it was also used widely by doctors to protect them from the infected plague patients.

Ashes, ashes: the church burned the dead when burying them became to laborious.

We all fall down: dead.

Ring around the rosy

PhysiciansUniversity training (usually Italy or France)Usually only cared for the wealthyDealt more with theory than actual practice

SurgeonsTreated woundsAmputated limbsSet broken bonesLearned most in the battlefields

ApothecariesDispensed drugs and herbal remediesMost people used – not enough physicians for all

Medical Care

Sumptuary LawsUsed by Elizabeth’s sister and father before

herDictated what people could own, wear, useClear distinctions between classesClothing

Colors confined to class, social status, wealthFabrics determined by place in societyEasy way to identify rank and privilege!

Not very strictly enforced Could result in fine and jail time if not followed

Elizabethan Dress

Elizabethan DressWomen

Dressing could take as long as half an hour

Depended on age, social status, taste, body type

Smock – to protect Stockings Corset Spanish farthingale (skirt

hoop) Bumroll Kirtle and forepart Partlet (shirt) Gown and sleeves Shoes

Elizabethan DressMen

ChemisesClothing adorned with

lace and frillsCravatsSilk stockingsLengthened britches

(ornately decorated)Thigh-high bootsHigh decorative emphasisHats

BroadSometimes trimmed with

gems

Boys can marry at 14, girls at 12Not advised until 22, and 18

BethrothalMarriage was not for love (considered foolish)Bride to be taken care of by man (husband’s

property)Children are expected

Parents and friends find suitable match (older and wiser)

Marriages

Included the Reign of Elizabeth I400% increase in London population Increased interest in the arts (especially

theater!)Advances in medicines and sciencesHumanity comes under the microscopeTime of promise, prosperity

British Renaissance