Popular culture in Elizabethan England

Question 1

why was the elizabethan era considered the golden age of culture

Answer 1

because of the art, music and the literature

Question 2

who were Shakespeares plays enjoyed by

Answer 2

gentry, the middling sort and the labouring poor

Question 3

what were the 3 big changes in popular culture in the late sixteenth century and the early seventeenth century

Answer 3

decline in popular festivals, concerns about witches and the opposition to the theatres

Question 4

when and what was the decline in popular festivals

Answer 4

at the beginning of Elizabeths reign people enjoyed a wide range of popular festivals that were normally put on around a holiday. these festivals normally included drinking, dancing, plays and sports. however by 1603 many festivals had disappeared from villages and towns across England

Question 5

when and what was the concerns about witches

Answer 5

magic and witchcraft were an important part of popular culture in Elizabethan England. witchcraft had existed since the Middle Ages but in the late sixteenth century there was a huge increase in the number of woman accused of being witches and if they were found guilty of being a witch would be hung

Question 6

why and what were the opposition to the theatres

Answer 6

during the 1580s and 1590s several purpose built theatres opened and a large number of people flocked to see the new plays performed there. however other people wanted to close down the purpose built theatres

Question 7

what were the parish feasts

Answer 7

parish feast were sometimes known as parish ales and they were an important aspect of Elizabeth popular culture. these festivals celebrated the saint of the local parish church and these festivals often lasted for several days. the main activities in this feast was eating, drinking and dancing in the churchyard and sometimes traveling plays were performed or Morris dancing.

Question 8

what was Christmas in the elizabethan era

Answer 8

Christmas began with twelve days of celebration with much eating, drinking, singing carols and dancing and in some places ‘mumming plays’ were performed by people wearing masks and disguises

Question 9

what was shrove Tuesday in the elizabethan era

Answer 9

this was a day of feasting before lent began and it was also a time where young men enjoyed a game of shrove tide football

Question 10

what was Whitsun

Answer 10

this was a popular time for parish ales. and in the north of England villagers took part in ‘rush-bearing’ which was when carting rushes to the parish church and spreading them on the church floor

Question 11

what was May Day

Answer 11

this was a time of a lot of merry making and drunkness. maypoles were erected on village greens or in churchyards and ‘summer kings and queens’ were chosen to rule over the May games and young people gathered greenery in the woods and sometimes stayed out all night

Question 12

what was midsummers eve

Answer 12

this was widely celebrated around England. and this was when bonfires were lite and a lot of ale was drunk and in some villages there was a tradition that people sitting in the church porch thought out midsummers night would see apparitions of people who were going to die over the next twelve months

Question 13

what was harvest home

Answer 13

this was celebrated at the end of the farming year in August and this celebration was a time of a lot of feasting, drinking and dancing. however this celebration only went on if the harvest was good

Question 14

what were popular sports in the elizabethan era

Answer 14

bare-knuckle boxing, wrestling, fighting with sticks and football.

Question 15

what were the alehouses

Answer 15

this was very popular culture for the middling sort and the labouring poor because they were going to the pub. the alehouse was also the centre of village life and the number of alehouses increased after 1580s. the alehouses was where people went for beer, good company and singing however for some people they went for drunkenness, gambling and postitution

Question 16

what was the reason for the decline in popular festivals

Answer 16

this culture decreased from the Puritan ministers who began to gain control of some parishes during Elizabeths reign

Question 17

what happened in 1587 in Lancashire

Answer 17

the puritan preacher Edward Fleetwood persuaded the local gentry to ban all music, dancing and drinking on Sundays

Question 18

what happened in 1589 in Oxfordshire

Answer 18

a puritan minister and his uncle (who was a high constable) issued an order banning all maypoles, church ales, may games and Morris dancers in the villages around Banbury

Question 19

what happened in 1589 in Hertfordshire

Answer 19

Willian Dyke, a puritan minster tried to ban one of the church ales. the ale include a Robin Hood play and Dyke objected to maid Marian ( played by a man) who came into the church, kissing people and making them laugh

Question 20

what happened in 1595 in Devon

Answer 20

Parish ales had already been banned on Sundays. Now the justices of the peace abolished Sunday plays and may games. Ales could only take place in daylight and without music of dancing and drinks had to be provided by a licensed alehouse keepers

Question 21

what were the puritans main values

Answer 21

protecting the sabbath- puritans thought that Sundays should be for the rest and prayers and they were particularly keen to stop people dancing, drinking in the alehouse and merry making on the lords day. stopping catholic practices- puritans objected to some popular customs because they were associated with ehe Catholic Church which had existed in England before protestant reformation. stopping pagan practices- some popular festivals such as Christmas candles, feasting, mumming, maypoles and midsummers bonfires could be traced back to the pagan times as the puritans felt they were inappropriate in Christian communities. preventing disorder- sometimes unruly crowds at popular festivities became violent and disorderly. the puritans were concerned about his as they were trying to create orderly ‘godly communities’. preventing unwanted pregnancies- puritan ministers complained that dancing and drunkness could lead people to the sin of sex outside marriage. the may games in particular were a traditional time for love-making and were therefore a particular focus of complaint from ministers

Question 22

when did the prosecution for witchcraft rose dramatically

Answer 22

after the 1586 law against witchcraft however the number of witchcraft trials shot up dramatically in the later years of Elizabeths reign

Question 23

where were the prosecution for witchcraft especially high

Answer 23

essex

Question 24

how did witchcraft prosecutions start

Answer 24

with a neighbours complaint

Question 25

what were the opposition to the theatre

Answer 25

the London authorities- the new theatres were built deliberately beyond the city walls which was outside the area controlled by London mayor and alderman. however, the authorities were concerned that large theatre crowds created disorder in the suburbs of Bankside also the mayor and alderman also argued that that theatres drew servants and apprentices away from their work and attracted the wrong sort of people e.g. rouges thieves and prostitutes. puritan preachers- they wrote pamphlets attacking the theatres as the puritans associated plays with paganism and also they thought that the theatres and other attractions led young people into sinful behaviour e.g. sex outside marriage.