In these schools children were taught to read and write in Latin. Literacy in Latin prepared them to continue their educations at the university level, where all schoolwork was done in the Latin language. In grammar schools the works of the notable classical Latin playwrights and historians were used only for the purpose of teaching Latin grammar. Subjects like science and music were not taught, and only a small amount of arithmetic was presented. Many of the major elements of Elizabethan family life were determined by whether the family was poor and belonging to the lower classes or whether the family was wealthy.

Tudor law was harsh on the able-bodied poor, i.e., those unable to find work. Those who left their parishes in order to locate work were termed vagabonds and could be subjected to punishments, including whipping and putting at the stocks. The idea of the workhouse for the able-bodied poor was first suggested in 1576. Running, jumping, fencing, jousting, archery, and skittles were also practiced, with fishing as the most relaxing and harmless pastime. English children enjoyed playing leap-frog, blind man’s bluff and hide-and-seek, which are enjoyed by many children throughout Britain today. While Elizabethan England is not thought of as an age of technological innovation, some progress did occur.

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All colours came from natural dyes and so the most common for the aristocracy were red, blue, yellow, green, grey, and brown. As natural dyes tend to fade relatively quickly , wearing the brightest colours clearly showed one had the newest of clothes. Some dyes were expensive to produce such as scarlet and black and so these were another indication of wealth and status. Buttons, typically small in size but large in number, were a similar badge of wealth with the cheapest using wood, bone or horn and the more dazzling made using gold, silver, or pewter.

As Leonard Wheatcroft’s story tells us, marrying late also allowed more time for amorous dalliances. Nor was Wheatcroft alone in pursuing a series of prospective brides. A diary kept during the 1660s by Roger Lowe, a Lancashire mercer’s apprentice, reveals that in one year, he was seriously involved with two girls and showed interest in at least three others. No matter what their ultimate conception of marriage, though, a couple first had to meet and court. Young people of both sexes in early modern England were fairly free to mix at work and at markets, fairs and dances.

Forks were not yet used in England but they were not needed as most food was already cut up before serving. There was a drinking cup which could be an ornate goblet, a simple glass beaker, a lidded tankard in pewter, a ceramic mug, or a ‘black jack’ – a leather mug stiffened with pitch. Hands were washed before starting the meal and napkins were often provided which women placed on their laps while men, curiously, draped over one shoulder. The dating would firstly begin when the couple would speak to one another.

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There were few single people in Elizabethan England—all were expected to marry. In fact, women who did not marry were regarded with suspicion; some were even called witches. Married women were almost always homemakers, though poor women often had to work for pay as well. Except in special circumstances, women could not inherit the family property. They were expected to obey their male relatives and had few rights.

Why Wait for the Wedding?

The system became more and more complicated, but it functioned, in its own way. Interestingly, Shakespeare oeuvre includes few instances of actual infidelity. In ‘A Winter’s Tale’, a jealous King Leontes suspects his wife Hermione of having an affair with his best friend Polixenes. Thus, practically in every romantic relationship in Shakespeare’s world, courtship, seductions, marriages, infidelities stand out as somehow unique, somehow innovative. Silk, ribbons, and lace were luxury items but could be easily added in moderation to even plain clothes to make them more attractive. This was especially so as the English followed the fashion trends set by the French and Italians whose upper classes favoured more ostentatious clothing.

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She felt that dancing was a great form of physical exercise and employed musicians to play for her while she danced. The interests of the Queen were expected to be adopted by her subjects. The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603).

There were many rules in respect of dating which were to be complied with. A Victorian woman was never permitted to go out alone and meet a gentleman. She was always accompanied by some elderly person and it was necessary for the girl to take her mother’s permission before going out. Thus, some or the other kind of supervision was ensured when the couples were meeting. A Devon gentleman farmer, Robert Furse left his heirs careful advice about the choice of a wife. Looks, wealth, and connections were all desirable, but most important were upbringing; reputation; personal qualities such as sobriety, wisdom, discretion, gentleness, modesty, chastity; and the ability to manage a household.

So it comes as a surprise to most people to learn that interracial marriages weren’t unheard of in Elizabethan times. Though they weren’t as common as they are today, Shakespeare’s audiences probably wouldn’t be too shocked or surprised by Othello and Desdemona. England’s capital and largest city, London, underwent remarkable changes, growing to about two hundred thousand people during i loved this Elizabeth’s reign. (The next largest English city, by comparison, was only about fifteen thousand people.) London’s population was divided. It included a small but powerful population of wealthy nobles, a prospering middle class, and a large and impoverished lower class living in miserable conditions. In the filthy, crowded neighborhoods of the poor, raw sewage ran through the streets.