Topic 3 Flashcards
What did Elizabethans do for fun?
The Elizabethan age was well known as a Golden age for poetry, drama and music
Queen Elizabeth I- a skilled hunter, rider, dancer, poet and musician. She admired proficiency in those areas in Germany courtiers
Hunting- what do you need to know about it?
Hunting was designed for fit men, but both males and females participated
Queen Elizabeth loved to hunt, and it was the most popular team sport during this time
It allowed rich people to show off their horses, hawks, clothing and weapons
‘At Force’- when young, fit and active men worked in teams to hunt wild boars
Elizabethan tournaments- what do you need to know about it?
The Queen enjoyed watching it
For the rich
Recreation of medical jousts
Included sea battles, wrestling/ martial arts
Were part of festivals
Battledore and Shuttlecock- what do you need to know about it?
Rackets were made of solid wood and were called ‘battledores’
For the rich
Needed a court
Like Badminton
Queen liked watching them
Skittles- what do you need to know about it?
It was for all classes, but it was mostly the rich who played it
Like bowling- the aim was to knock a group of distant objects over using a wooden bowl
It can be an indoor or outdoor sport (can be played in long galleries for the rich in rainy days)
Bowls- what do you need to know about it?
It was for all classes, but mostly the rich played it
Get a weighted bowl as near to a specific target
Indoor and outdoor
Queen liked to watch it
Real tennis- what do you need to know about it?
For all upper classes
Closed/ open court
Two players hitting a small bowl to and fro with a racket or their palm of their hand
Indoors
Queen liked to watch it For the
Falconry/ Hawking- what do you need to know about?
Queen liked it, but she never played it
Only for the rich
Trained falcon/ hawk has to fly off trainer’s arm when the blind cap was taken off
Kill selected prey and return
Bells on the bird’s legs so the trainer can keep track of it
Football- what do you need to know about it?
For the lower classes
No pitch, no limit and no proper goals
Injuries, occasional death
Few rules
The Queen doesn’t like it
Animal Baiting- what do you need to know about it?
For the rich and poor
Bears would be chained to the neck/ hind leg (bulls were chained by their horns)
Place bets on which dog would survive the longest
Another variant is when a bear would be blindfolded and whipped by 5 or 6 men
Elizabeth enjoyed bear baiting, but she never went to places to watch
Cock fighting- what do you need to know about it?
For all sections of society
Single pair of birds- but can increase up to 20
Spectators bet on which bird would win
Fight until 1 bird was left
Music and dancing- what do you need to know about it?
For all classses
Lower classes danced traditional country dances, and upper classes danced to foreign music I
Volta was too disgusting- because the lady had to leap into the air
Rich can employ musicians
Queen loved dancing
Chess, gambling and cards- what do you need to know about it?
For all classes
Draughts or checkers
Board games- get all pieces to one side or off the board altogether
Shovelboard/ shove-groat- sliding a disk to the edge of the board without it falling off
The Queen liked to watch it but didn’t play it
How many theatres in London were there when Elizabeth became Queen and how many were there by her time of death?
Became Queen in 1558- 0 theatres
By her death in 1603- there were 6 theatres in London
What was fashion like for the rich?
Elizabethan noblemen and his lady wife wore the latest fashions made out of the finest materials (e.g. silk, linen, velvet) and decorated with fine jewels
What was fashion like for the gentry?
The gentry normally wore modern and stylish houses that didn’t have the fine threads and jewels that nobles had
What was fashion like for the poor?
They had few changes of clothes- often made out of rough twilled cloth
What is a farthingale?
A petticoat
Who were the important playwrights in Elizabethan England?
Shakespeare
Thomas Dekker
OTHERS (Don’t fully need to know)- Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher, John Ford, Thomas Heywood, John Webster, Philip Massinger, Thomas Middleton, Ben Jonson
Shakespeare- what do you need to know about him?
Born in 1564, died in 1616, and retired in 1610
Wrote 37 plays
Included comedies, tragedies and historical dramas
E.g. Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, Hamlet
Thomas Drekker- what do you need to know about him?
Born in 1572 and died in 1632
Was a Dramatist and Pamphleteer
Wrote lots of comedies
E.g. Old Fortunatus and Shoemaker’s Holiday (it was a rowdy comedy based on the daily lives of commoners)
Actors- what gender were they, what did they do and what are 4 examples?
They were all men- women couldn’t act, and men would play female parts
They could sing, dance, play instruments and be multifunctional
E.g. Richard Bubage, Edward Alleyn, Will Kempe, Thomas Pope
What were the theatre designs like in Elizabethan England?
Limewashed walls
Oak pillars that were painted to look like marble
Trapdoor on the floor so ‘demons’ could come out- there were also trapdoors on the ceiling so ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ could do the same
Round or octagonal in shape
Thatched roof, and a roof backstage to protect the actors
Open space in the centre
Inside had a lot of colour
Who were the bands of strolling players?
They were created from the banning of theatre companies
Travelled around towns to perform plays to their audience of townsfolk, children, women, farmers etc.
Normally at an inn or market square
Wealthy people could have private performances
It was banned because of the fear of rebellion (due to the theme)
They were banned in 1572, and could only continue if they had permission from the Lord Chamberlain
A common theme was Robin Hood
What were theatre companies?
Result of a banning created theatre companies
They had financial support and patronage from wealthy noblemen
Performed before the Queen and in the homes of their patrons
What are some examples of theatre companies and when were they established?
Earl of Leicester’s Players- est. in 1574
Queen’s Men- est. in 1583
Lord Admiral Howard’s company- est. in 1583
Lord Chamberlain’s Men- est. in 1594
What is the statistic for the amount of Londoners who saw a play each month?
1 in 3 Londoners saw a play each month
Where would different classes sit in the theatre?
Poor was called the ‘groundlings’- no seats and had to stand
Rich had better seats and were higher up- with a cushion for comfort. They often used it as an event to be seen and would show off and gossip and show off the latest fashions
What are some reasons in support for theatre?
Important for nobility
Plays portrayed Spanish Catholics as bad during Elizabeth I’s conflict with Philip II
Shakespeare had meaningful plays- e.g. loyalty and obedience to the monarch ensured law and order was maintained
What are some reasons people wanted to close the theatre down?
JP’s and local officers said it increased crime (e.g. pickpocketing)
Large crowds caused civil disturbances
Lawlessness worried authorities so they wanted theatre’s to be built outside city walls
Puritans really hated the theatres- they called it the ‘work of the devil’ and that Elizabethans were meant to pray and live a simple and pure life
Plays were boisterous and coarse
