3.1.1
Leisure & Education under Elizabeth
Elizabethan Theatre
Elizabethan Theatre
William Shakespeare was the leading playwright of the Elizabethan age. He produced many new plays each year which were performed at the Globe Theatre in London.
Actors
Actors
- Acting was a male-only profession.
- Actors such as William Kempe and Richard Burbage were particularly famous and performed roles many times over.
- Theatre troupes, such as Shakespeare’ Lord Chamberlain’s Men, performed the plays.
Theatres
Theatres
- In this era, many of the first permanent theatres were built. Rich and poor attended the same performances for the first time.
- The rich sat in covered galleries. The poor stood in the pit, often heckling those on stage.
- The stage was decorated with scenery and the roof, the ‘heavens’, housed ropes and pulleys for dramatic entrances.
- The Queen had 50 singers in her personal choir and was known to have seen performances of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Theatre for all
Theatre for all
- The theatre was popular because it was affordable for all, exciting to watch, and it also served as a social occasion.
- Many plays carried political messages and hidden critiques of the ruling classes.
- Some disaffected nobles are known to have paid Lord Chamberlain's players 40 shillings to perform Richard III, one of Shakespeare's plays about removing a monarch.
- The Globe was built in the City of Southwark, as the City of London was opposed to the construction of theatres. They were said to encourage crime and create disruption.
Opposition
Opposition
- Some opposed the theatre:
- Puritans believed the theatre distracted people from prayer. Some even thought theatre was sinful.
- Others believed that large crowds could lead to the spread of disease.
- Theatres could be dangerous, as many members of the audience were drunk and crimes were committed.
Other Elizabethan Leisure Activities
Other Elizabethan Leisure Activities
There were very different leisure activities for the nobility in Court and most people in society.
For the nobility
For the nobility
- The roughly one thousand people who attended the royal court took part in hunting, fencing, and tennis.
- Hunting has been historically popular with the English nobility for centuries.
- These sports were expensive and needed leisure time which most people in society didn’t have.
For most people
For most people
- Most Elizabethans worked Monday-Saturday and in the very religious society, went to church on Sunday.
- Feasts, jousts, bowls, archery and dice were all popular pastimes.
Football
Football
- Medieval Football was a popular sport and is thought to have first started in around 1481.
- Local teams would play against each other, but most people didn't have time. They worked and went to church. An inflated pig's bladder was used as a ball and there could be hundreds of players on a team.
- This meant that medieval football matches could often end up as brawls or fights.
Education
Education
Literacy (the ability to read and write) grew in Elizabeth’s long reign.
Early age
Early age
- Children were taught about behaviour and religion at home.
- Aged 6, children then went to Sunday school.
- Rich children may have learned with the help of a private tutor and poor children would have been trained in housekeeping and basic manual labour.
Petty schools (early education from age 5-7)
Petty schools (early education from age 5-7)
- These petty schools taught maths, reading, and writing.
- There was no official curriculum and most schools didn’t have many resources.
- There were no classes or year groups. Students started aged 6, became literate (could read and write) and then left.
- The schools were often run by wealthy people or local priests.
Grammar schools
Grammar schools
- Grammar schools were for upper class children from age 7 to 14.
- Lessons focused on religion, Latin, Greek and arithmetic.
- They often used hornbooks, which were cheap ways to teach children to read and write.
- The best students (male students) went to Cambridge and Oxford (the 2 universities in England). All studies at Oxbridge were in Latin.
1Queen, Government & Religion
1.1Elizabeth I & her Court
2Challenges to Elizabeth at Home & Abroad
2.1The Religious Settlement
3Elizabethan Society 1558-88
3.1Education & Leisure
3.2The Poor & Living Standards
Jump to other topics
1Queen, Government & Religion
1.1Elizabeth I & her Court
2Challenges to Elizabeth at Home & Abroad
2.1The Religious Settlement
3Elizabethan Society 1558-88
3.1Education & Leisure
3.2The Poor & Living Standards
Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring
Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home
Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs
30+ school subjects covered