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Elizabethan England ~ Synopsis I. General Information 1. Referring to the late 16th century. 2. Ironically, Elizabeth was Queen and in a position of power, while the man still ruled the family. 3. Diseases were wide-spread: a. Poverty, famine, and disease were killing thousands b. Bubonic Plague was the #1 disease killing people, followed by small pox and tuberculosis. 4. People left the countryside and traveled (on foot!) to London in hopes of finding work and food. 5. London experienced a huge population growth during this time. 6. Education: a. school was a luxury b. only the richest people would “bother” to educate their daughters c. men would go to school for careers in politics or the Church 7. Entertainment: a. bear-baiting b. cock fights c. public executions d. fights e. the theatre II. Astrology and Superstitions 1. Magical beliefs played a major role in daily life. 2. Religion was losing its footing: a. attendance was poor b. some people didn’t trust priests c. attendees were loud and rude 3. Almanacs were extremely popular. 4. People believed in ghosts: a. would appear just as they had left the world, even bloody and gory b. people believed ghosts could also be the devil in disguise trying to trick people into doing evil deeds. 5. People believed in fairies: a. mean-spirited, life-sized creatures b. blamed for making milk go sour or livestock sick c. would pinch humans in their sleep if they found the human offensive in some way. People would wake with bruises the next morning. d. performed “practical jokes” (not funny jokes, though) 6. People believed in witches and wizards: a. believed “old hags” were witches b. c. d. e. witches were more sinister than fairies witches were used as scapegoats for people’s ailments or bad luck “white witches” provided remedies wizards would act as local doctors III. Women 1. no right to vote and few legal rights 2. domestic skills were the staple of a girl’s education 3. career options: a. marriage b. a wife’s job was to run the household and help her husband in whatever he did c. wet nurse 4. any freedom was given and taken by her husband 5. when married, woman lost all control of her property to her husband (even clothes and jewelry) 6. Queen Elizabeth: a. never married despite requests to do so b. knew that marriage would mean a loss of her power c. used her femininity as a means of control d. “Like her woman subjects, Elizabeth dwelled in a male world, facing the same traditional barriers of inferiority that all Elizabethan women faced…” e. the male world was more accepting of her because she was the exception among females IV. Family Life 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. most important foundation in Elizabethan society death was the biggest home-breaker 1 out of every 5 children didn’t live to age 10 most people had lost a parent by the time they were 25 wet nurses: a. upper-class women worried that breastfeeding would spoil their figures and social lives b. hired a wet nurse (woman who recently had a baby) to nurse their child as well c. one other job available to women 6. parents were obeyed in all matters 7. children of poor families were expected to labor and earn money 8. as a teenager, most left to live with another family under an apprenticeship 9. arranged marriage were NOT allowed 10. matchmaking parents would consider status of wealth and property 11. young brides were not common V. Acting Companies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. organized theatre just beginning acting was considered a trade, but not a respectable one actors treated very poorly theatres became business enterprises and had competing companies woman not allowed to act until 1660 young boys would play the women’s roles The Globe Theatre was built for Lord Chamberlain’s Men and William Shakespeare most prominent theatres were in London audience was often rowdy and loud performed without elaborate costumes, scenery, or effects actors had to literally create the world for the audience