- Laws that dictated the clothing people of a social class could/couldn't wear.
(ex. Only royalty could wear purple clothes, or clothes of ermine.)
- Elizabeth claimed she made the laws so people won't spend their money buying extravagant clothing
- The main purpose of the laws was to preserve the social structure.
Daily Life in the Elizabethan Era
High Culture
- Theater came to its peak in the Elizabethan era.
Dancing varied according to status
Dances in the higher class consisted of walking steps, hopping, jumping and sliding
Galliard- a quick tempo dance
Dances in the lower class were simple and less intricate
Dancing was for amusement + exercise
- The birth of playwright genuises
Well-known plays:
"The Jew of Malta"
"The Massacre at Paris"
Well- known plays
"Romeo and Juliet"
"Hamlet"
"Julius Caesar"
Please note that the views and impressions here are those of individuals
- Music was added to reflect the mood of the play
- New instruments were made
violins, oboes, keyboard instruments
- Construction of proper theaters made it easier for people to watch plays
and they produced refined sounds
- Combinations of newly created instruments became what we call an orchestra
- Street Music, Town Music, Church Music, Court Music
- Music was taught at school
Paintings made in the Elizabethan era were mainly portraits and miniatures.
Numerous portraits of Queen Elizabeth led to the rise in popularity
- Sports in the Elizabethan Era were rough, like wrestling. Archery, bowling, and hammer-throwing were popular as well. Team sports gained in popularity. Bloody sports like bear fighting, bull fighting, and dog fighting was popular as well.
- Team sports like hunting, lawn bowling, gameball, hurling or shinty, rounders, gained popularity during the Elizabethan Era.
- Sports played like archery, billiards, fencing, hammer-throwing, tennis, and wrestling was popular in the Elizabethan Era
- The upper class enjoyed hunting and hawking.
- The lower class enjoyed quarter-staff contests.
Gender
- Women could not attend Grammar Schools or universities. They could not be inheritors, nor were they allowed to vote, choose their jobs, or become politicians
- "Women in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man." By John Knox
- Women of the upper classes were tutored at home, and were taught subjects like music and foreign languages.
- Women of the lower classes were taught from a young age on how to manage a household.
- Women of the lower class did not have any options of employment but to marry.
- In a mariage, women were expected to bring a dowry to the husband's family. Women were expected to give birth and govern the household.
- Make-up was important for women, and many wore corsets.
Social Status in Everyday Life
Elizabethan Education
Elizabethan Clothing
The Elizabethan Sumptuary Laws
- For every child, education started in their homes.
- Boys (and a few girls) of the age of 5~7 attended Petty Schools.
- Most girls were taught housework from a young age.
- Boys of the age of 7~14 from the middle classes went to Grammar Schools. (Children of the nobility were home-schooled by England's best scholars.)
- Those who were able to afford it went to universities.
Elizabethan Food
Poorer Classes
Wealthy Classes
beef, pork, etc.)
=manchet
- Meat/vegetables were a rarity
- Bread made of rye or barley, eggs, and dairy
Wine, ale, beer were the main beverages