Elizabethan times 1

WEEK 1 - SETTING THE SCENE – LIFE IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND

The Time Travellers Guide to Elizabethan England is a documentary that first aired on the BBC in 2013. It gives insights into life in Elizabethan England. Below is a link to a series of clips on the BBC website which you should watch to gain an insight into life in this period. As you watch the clips and make notes bear in mind the question below.

QUESTION: What sense do you get of what life was like in Elizabethan England? Try to include information on: The population, entertainment, religion, superstition, medicine.

Websites that i used to help: 

https://schoolworkhelper.net/shakespearean-elizabethan-medicine-and-doctors/

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-entertainment.htm

http://www.elizabethanenglandlife.com/elizabethan-era-religion-and-religious-beliefs.html

http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-superstitions.htm

The Population

From watching the documentary i have understood that living in 1558 in the Elizabethan era was only beneficial for those that were wealthy, rich and powerful and if you were unfortunate enough to live in the countryside you would live in unhealthy conditions and 

have minimal belongings. It wasn't unusual to find a house with seven+ people living in it. They would often live in darkness, the inside of the houses were basic there would be one fire in the centre and many small windows, the consequences of this, is smoke would gathers and contaminate and fill up the small space creating an extremely unhealthy environment furthermore although the windows would get rid of some of this it also would bring in a vast amount of cold air meaning the space in which they live in is contaminated. 

Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) is often considered to be a golden age in English history, it is focused mainly on the lives of

the era's wealthy nobles. The nobles held great power and frequently lived colorful and extravagant lives, but they made up only about 3 percent of the population. Although the vast majority of the Elizabethan population was quite poor, few firsthand historical records of their daily lives have survived. Members of the lower classes in England were mainly uneducated, so they did not usually keep journals or written records describing their own lives. Adding on England's farming economy was forever changed by the outbreak of the bubonic plague, or infectious disease, that arrived on the European continent in 1348, killing more than one-fourth of the population in a few years. Continued outbreaks of the plague 

are estimated to have killed from one-third to one-half of Europe's population by 1400. So many people died that many villages were left without lords, fields were left without farmers, and children were left without parents. 

Entertainment

During the Elizabethan Era there was no TV's or games They entertained themselves by reading and doing other activities There was many forms of entertainment, but only for the higher classes, these forms of entertainment include:

• Plays
• Banquets
• Feasts
• Fairs
• Mystery Plays
• Festivals
• Dancing
• Jousting/Tournaments
• Games and Sports
• Animal Sports
• Hawking
• Hunting

Religion and Superstitions

During this era many people were Christian in England, many would go to church on Sunday.Most people believed in Hell as real place, and that the devil was a specific person. Queen Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, broke away from the Catholic Church in Rome and became head of the Church of England. Across Northern Europe at this time groups of people protested against the Roman Catholic Church, they were known as Protestants. They did not obey the pope.

Religion was a big political issue, being the wrong religion could get you imprisoned, tortured or executed. It also affected relations with other countries. Spain, a Catholic country, wanted England to return to Catholicism and the Spanish king sent an Armada. Due to the fact religion was so closely associated with politics, playwrights had to be very careful.Shakespeare avoids talking directly about Christianity, but throughout his plays we see references to Heaven and Hell. An example of this is Hamlet, he  can’t bring himself to kill his uncle while he is praying, because his prayer will mean he will go straight to Heaven which is the opposite of what hamlet wants for him. 

Many superstitions are based on trust in magic or chance. Fear of the supernatural and forces of nature or god resulted in the belief of superstitions during the Elizabeth Era. Women were  those most often accused of being witches. There were 270 Elizabethan witch trials, out of  the 270, 247 of them were women and only 23 were men.During the Elizabethan era people blamed explainable events as the work of witches - the Bubonic Plague, unexplained  deaths or unpleasant illnesses, bad harvests or crop failures, the death of animals and  unexplained fires.Those accused of witchcraft were usually old, poor, or vulnerable.  Superstition 1 - Witches were able to fly  Superstition 2 - A witch was often portrayed as an old crone or hag  Superstition 3 - Witches are closely associated with living alone  Superstition 4 -Witches brewed magic potions over a cauldron The Elizabethans considered an eclipse as an evil omen. A pot stirred counter-clockwise brings bad luck to those who ate the contents. It was during the Elizabethan era the saying “God Bless You” following a sneeze  originated. The Elizabethans used this saying to ward off the devil that could enter  one’s body when you open your mouth to sneeze. The Elizabethans believed a black cat crossing your path would cause a mishap.  Medicine In Shakespearean times the health and medical suggestions were commonly based on superstition and complete guesses. The doctors would commonly prescribe herbal  medicines. Many diseases were not recognized, so the doctors would use the most  powerful herbal drugs. Another common idea was to use leeches to "suck out the bad blood". Other things that were used were minerals to make people healthier and laxatives  ,to get peoples digestive systems to start working. Other ideas were blood letting, purges and using physiology.Most of these drugs were not used for their correct purposes.