Shakesspeare - Elizabethan

1 - Who was Queen of England during the time Shakespeare began to write?  Who ruled after her? Queen Elizabeth the 1st, King James.

2 - Give the approximate dates of the Elizabethan period. 1558-1603 It is quite a definite period, as it sits in between the Catholic reigns of Mary 1 and James 1 (Elizabeth a protestant like her father).

3 - Identify the social classes during Shakespeare's time. Nobility, Clergy, Peasant

4 - Describe the status of women.  How would a young woman respond to a request from her father? Who they must obey men, completely. They were restricted in what they could do - they could not act in Shakespeare's plays for example.

5 - What is primogeniture? Law of inheritance to first born male

6 - What was the Bubonic Plague and how did it affect society during Shakespeare's time? Plague spread by rats which decimated the population indiscriminately - wealthy stood some chance of surviving as they could move away. Read Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year. In london the

Great Fire of 1666 wiped it out.

7 - Describe these aspects of Elizabethan life:

• food
• socialization
• city life, hygiene, crime
• homes
• clothing

Upper class men & woman ate much than the lower class, had more of a variety and every social gathering had food.

Although alot of people we're living in the upperclass, they did socialize together quiet often, and had a lot of parties.

 The hygiene in the Elizabethan period was very bad. Bathing was not quite as simple during the Elizabethan times as it is now. So that ment the lower class citizens (which was most of the Elizabethan era people) would maybe only bathe a few times in a single year. For the upper class, they had a little bit easier and were able to bathe roughly once every couple of weeks. The most common crimes were: High treason Blasphemy Sedition Spying Rebellion Murder Witchcraft & Alchemy.

Upperclass lived in larger, cleaner, and better housing, most having servants and maids, but as for the lower class, they lived in smaller not so clean homes. Clothing wasn't just a thing to wear back in the days of Elizabethan England, in fact it is so significant that there is even a law related to it. These laws stated the colors as well as the type of clothing someone could own and wear. The laws made by the queen herself back in june 1574, were called the "Status of Apparel" laws. It was mainly to maintain a clear social structure.