During the Elizabethan Era, weapons were as common as the cloud, however the distribution in quality was separated by monetary values. The rich, upper class, nobles were well taught, and carried along with them weapons that suited their image. The rapier, for example, as mentioned by Bull ”Are the underlying source of nobles” (pg 72.) However, at the opposite end of the spectrum lies the dagger. A common crass weapon used by many of the lower class individuals.
The Elizabethan Era had many rules and laws, so many that sometimes they were hard to keep track of. The capital offenses included robbery, larceny/theft, rape, and arson (Harrison). The more frequently committed crimes included theft, begging, cutpurses, adultery, debtors, poaching, forgery, fraud, and dice-cogging (Elizabethan Crime). In a desperate effort to control how the less fortunate and homeless behaved, Parliament passed the Poor Laws, which made it illegal to beg for food and money (Harrison). These laws went so far as to make it illegal to live on the streets (Crime and Punishment).
Immediately goods were shipped off to stores for purchase. Consumers were able to easily choose their shirt size off of a rack. It was easy for consumers to buy at their leisure since there was a wide variety and the clothes were cheaper. As for the producers, there was more steady work and a greater income. Arnold Toynbee said, “At first, in fact, machinery raised the wages of spinners and weavers owing to the great prosperity it brought to trade,” in Lectures on The Industrial Revolution of the 18th Century in England.
Shakespearean clothing fits in the Elizabethan category. The Elizabethan Era is also known as the Golden Age due to the European’s growth in power. Elizabethan Era clothing was very fancy, complex, and colorful. Huge, puffy dresses and frilly collars come to mind when thinking about this era’s style. The people considered fashion very important.
During the fifteenth century, one economic continuity in the Americas was the continued establishment of trade and markets throughout the area. In the Aztec empire, specifically during the fifteenth century, production of craft goods increased, which resulted in the rise of trade in the "American web". All types of trade continued to be victorious with food, ornaments, precious stones, and other popular goods moving throughout the region. Pochteca, professional merchants, were originally seen as commoners, but that seemed to change with time. Due to the flourish of trade, the professional merchants wealth in many cases exceeded that of nobles.
The working class struggled in the factories all day, and came home to poor living conditions. Also, the manufacturing of iron in the factories went from 17,350 tons in 1740 to 9 million tons by 1900. Iron production increased greatly during the Industrial Revolution, causing a rise in trade and shipping which in turn increased capital and enterprise, which made entrepreneurs and the British economy wealthy. Although this did increase the wealth of Britain’s economy, only the upper class was benefitting from the working class’ work to produce the iron. The upper class became wealthy and enjoyed many conveniences
There were also various classes of common people. There were farmers, who were very efficient. There were merchants, who would travel and trade. These people had a fair amount of freedom to be independent and wear stylish clothes. There were artisans of different kinds.
The Renaissance lead to the change of the social standings of both the merchants and the middle class in different
The way the people in Elizabethan Era ate in the years of 1550-1600. The kinds of food eaten depended very much on wealth and status. Poor people, in general, had humble and unvaried diets, whereas the rich of Elizabethan England ate well. The upper class people of the Elizabethan Era ate many spicy and sweet foods consisting of expensive spices and ingredients. Poor people could not afford much red meat, like beef or pork, so tended to eat white meat, like chicken, rabbit or hare, and birds they could catch like blackbirds or pigeons.
The peasants often gave chicken, eggs, etc. in payment to their lords. In addition to the serfs, there were also artisans and people who worked in the chapel (Document 2). All of the people within the manor were extremely important for the survival of all the social classes, and everyone depended on the hard work produced by the people who worked the land. Also, as trade and commerce began to grow, the lives of the people in the Middle Ages also changed.
They exchanged products with people from different regions. The merchants came to distant places with items of great value, such as cocoa, gems, cotton or precious feathers. The book displays this aspect when the king was rewarding his artisans for what he ordered them. He said, “Give each of these, my grandfathers, a portion of various rich cloths, and huipiles and skirts for my grandmothers; and cotton, chiles, corn, squash seeds and beans, the same amount to each”
The Act for the Relief of the Poor, primarily known as the Elizabethan Poor Law, was passed in 1601. It was required in order to establish a law system for the poor in England and Wales. In the earlier years, several laws were passed to deal with the increasing poverty. There was an official record maintained for those who fell into the category for ‘poor’ (Bloy, 2002).
Physicians, and Medicine During the Elizabethan Time The Elizabethan time period was from 1558 through 1603 known as the Renaissance. During the Renaissance there was not any running water, so people would have to throw their waste in the streets. With people’s waste in the street came many illnesses including The Plague. Even a minor scrap could kill you in the next minute.
Social class played a key role in the Elizabethan Age; without social hierarchy society would have fallen apart, the people did not know of anything else other than the role of classes. Each class had different situations of life, some were wealthy and had nice homes while others were poor and living off of the streets. The class rankings were given to each individual by situations such as birth, fame, wealth, and known skills(“Elizabethan Era.”). One could only move up a class by the Queen's approval, obtaining sudden wealth, going into debt, losing your job, and many other specific conditions(“Elizabethan Era - The Lost Colony.”). For instance, marriage between two people from separate classes could alter social class and was often frowned upon.
A Comparison of Elizabethan England and Modern-Day England The Elizabethan Era is often considered the ‘Golden Age’ or ‘Renaissance’ of English History. It was called Elizabethan simply because it coincided with Queen Elizabeth I’s rule. It was a generation of expansion of ideas and flowering of poetry, music, and literature and it greatly contributed to the theatre field.
