Life of an Elizabethan - Fenger Academy High School · Overview Throughout history, most people...

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Life of an Elizabethan

COMPREHENSION Directions: Before Reading Preview the text by reading all of the section headings and subheadings. Next, turn each heading into a question; be sure to be specific about the time period or other pertinent information. Use your question starters: who, what, where, when, why, and how. Write your questions here. You should have twelve questions. An example has been provided.

Heading Created Question Type of QAR

The Village

What was the village like in Elizabethan

England?

Think and

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Created by Charray Reilly 5/20/11

COMPREHENSION Directions: During Reading Keep your questions in mind while you read. Highlight or underline AT LEAST THREE SPECIFIC FACTS OR MAIN IDEAS in each section that will help you answer the question. The first section has been done to serve as an example for you.


VOCABULARY Directions: Before Reading Without using a dictionary, use your understanding of context clues to define the following terms. You are being graded on your thoroughness; therefore, use as many details as you can pull from the text and add your own when you can. Be specific!

TYPES OF HELPFUL CONTEXT CLUES Type of Context Clue Description Example Sentence Definition The author provides a direct definition of an

unfamiliar word, right in the sentence.

SIGNAL WORDS: is, are, means, refers to

These needs were satisfied by barter, which is the exchange of goods or services for other goods and services…

Appositive Definition A type of definition context clue. An appositive is a word or phrase that defines or explains an unfamiliar word that comes before it.

SIGNAL WORD: or

SIGNAL PUNCTUATION: set off by commas

With much land held on perpetual, or never-ending, leases from noble families, there was little transfer of property…

Synonym The author uses another word or phrase that is similar in meaning, or can be compared, to an unfamiliar word.

SIGNAL WORDS: also, as identical, like, likewise, resembling, same, similarly, too

The Elizabethans believed that in the “great chain of being,” everything was connected in a hierarchy that ranked people or things one above the other according to status or authority in an order similar to a pyramid shape.

Antonym The author uses another word or phrase that means about the opposite of, or is in contrast with, an unfamiliar word.

SIGNAL WORDS: but, however, in contrast, instead of, on the other hand, though, unlike

Many of the peasants, unlike the wealthy, never got the chance to learn how to do something useful.

Example The author provides several words or ideas that are examples of an unfamiliar word

SIGNAL WORDS: for example, for instance, including, like, such as

News of a calamity in a neighboring county, such as a crop failure or natural disaster, was another matter…

General The author provides some nonspecific clues to the meaning of an unfamiliar word, often spread over several sentences.

The gentry were the next class below the nobility in the hierarchy of Elizabethan England. They were in good social standing, and like the nobility, born into their good fortune.


Word Definition Type of Context Clue

Banish

Barter

Buttery

Calamity

Chaplain

Dowry

Gentry

Gong

Heirs

Hierarchy

Jester

Mercer

Minstrel

Nobility

Peasants

Perpetual

Subservient

Sympathetic Magic

Widdershins

Yeoman


Overview Throughout history, most people have lived and worked in small communities, the rhythm of their lives set by the seasons and the timeless patterns of birth, marriage, and death. These patterns were already becoming disrupted towards the close of the Elizabethan age, but it’s worth taking a moment to consider daily life in that simpler era.

Village Life in Elizabethan England The Village In the Elizabethan age, the average person never traveled further than half a day’s walk for any reason. There was no need; all the necessities of life were available handmade and homemade in their own village. People’s wants during this time were few: produce from the neighboring farms, drink from the village brewer, and firewood from local forests constituted the needs of daily life. These needs were satisfied by barter, which is the exchange of goods or services for other goods and services, since money was scarce, and they could all be met without the dangers of travel on unknown roads and among strange companions. A few times a year, a local market fair might tempt those with a surplus of goods or a few hoarded coins to shop for luxuries, but that trip a few miles was regarded as a great journey, to be recounted at length by the fire for many nights thereafter. Those few peddlers, pilgrims, actors, or soldiers who actually preferred the traveling life were thought unstable and untrustworthy, valued for their tales and trinkets rather than for their

Life of an Elizabethan


wandering nature. The news of Europe they carried was more entertainment than useful information for the most part. Who cared of wars abroad or the fall of kings, when neither would bring one drop more rain to dry fields or encourage a straining plough-ox to greater efforts? News of a calamity in a neighboring county, such as a crop failure or natural disaster was another matter; bearers of such tidings could be assured of a rapt audience over tankards of ale at the local tavern. The village was the center of life. In a world of little mobility and large households, families remained close. With much land held on perpetual, or never-ending, leases from noble families, there was little transfer of property, and generations lived and died in the same homes and in the same circumstances. This era lacked what we in America have termed “social mobility,” or the means of an individual, within their lifetime, to increase their social status and all that comes with this change in position. A Day in the Life of a Peasant The year rolled by with only the seasons, local fairs, and religious celebrations to tell one day from another. Life was an early morning trudge to fields or sheep meadows, a few pints of ale, some cheese and bread at midday, and the evening’s walk home. (Ale was drunk by everyone, even children, and regarded as a healthful beverage.) The villages were quiet after sundown, with those who could afford candles and those who could only afford a single fire both spending their evening in talk and games. Wealthier peasants might while away the evening reading the Bible, Book of Common Prayer, or some other tome: By Elizabeth’s day, it was clear that social mobility and commerce both required literacy, and perhaps half the population could read at least a little. Only on Sunday was there a break in the routine. The townsmen met for church in the morning, with free time for gossip, game, and a few pints of ale when the service was over. Women worked communally at spinning or sewing while men bowled, played skittles or ball games, or enjoyed board games like the nine man’s morris, the ancient Saxon game known as hnaef, or draughts (known as checkers).

The Family In the Elizabethan family, the man ruled over his wife and children, just as the king ruled over the kingdom. Husbands were expected to provide for their families and wives were expected to be obedient and respectful. Children were brought up to fear and respect their parents. Most parents felt that wealth and equality of status, religion, and age were the most important things in a marriage. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, Desdemona’s interracial


marriage to the dark-skinned Moor Othello shocks her father, who feels that an Elizabethan father has the right to decide whom his daughter marries. Teenage brides, such as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, were fairly unusual, even for the upper classes, and unmarried mothers often lost their jobs.

Society: Hierarchy and Order The Elizabethans believed that in the “great chain of being,” everything was connected in a hierarchy that ranked people or things one above the other according to status or authority in a pyramid of order. God was at the top, followed by the angels and spirits, the king and nobility, the lower classes, animals, plants, rocks and minerals. All beings were expected to know their duties and keep their places. Employment: Nobles “Nobility” was the name given to the highest, wealthiest aristocratic class. These were the people who held titles such as “lord” and “lady.” Because they were born into families that already had money and land, nobles didn’t have to officially work. Noblemen stayed busy taking care of their property, specifically their house, land, and inheritance. For leisure, they hunted and traveled around the country. Young noblemen received their education at home and were the best educated people of that time. Noblewomen stayed busy taking care of the household, specifically servants, cooks, and their children. They were also educated, but learned mostly about fine arts: singing, poetry, embroidery, and painting. They also were supposed to do works of charity by assisting the peasantry. Noble families threw big parties for the Queen and her guests; sometimes the Queen sent the head of noble families to other countries to make deals for her.

Employment: Gentry The gentry were the next class below the nobility in the hierarchy of Elizabethan England. They were in good social standing, and like the nobility, born into their good fortune. However, they were not allowed to become nobility. The gentry were well-educated and usually did not have to work with their hands. They often worked as advisors to the Queen; they were also businessmen and merchants. They used their knowledge of money, reading,


and organization to make money. Some of them, therefore, were wealthier than others. Possible jobs held by the gentry were as follows:

Butler: The butler of Elizabethan times was responsible for the castle cellar and the large kegs of beer stored there. The room in the castle called the buttery was intended for storing beverages, especially ale.

Chamberlain: The title originated with an officer of a royal household who was responsible for the chamber, which included the administration of the Queen’s household budget. This occupation was later extended to collecting revenues and paying expenses.

Chaplain: The chaplain was responsible for the religious activities of the castle servants and Men at Arms. The Chaplain was not a Priest, the person who would usually look after the spiritual needs and confessions of the nobility.

Knight: It was the duty of the knight to learn how to fight and so serve the Queen according to the Code of Chivalry. Weapon practice included enhancing skills in the sword, battle axe, dagger, and lance.

Mercer: A mercer was a cloth retailer; the local fabric store, therefore, was called a mercer’s shop. One could be a silk mercer or a wool mercer, for example.

Physician: Physicians were a highly regarded and respected occupation. Bleeding, lancing, and surgical procedures were practiced.

Reeve: The reeve supervised all work on a lord’s property. The reeve ensured that everyone began and stopped work on time.

Squire: A squire was junior to a knight. It was the duty of the squire to learn about the Code of Chivalry, the rules of Heraldry, or communication through signals such as coats of arm and flags, horsemanship, and weaponry use. It was also their duty to enter into court life and learn courtly etiquette, music, and dancing.

Tudor: A tudor was a teacher to wealthy children. They taught them in their home, not in a school.

Employment: Yeomen During the Elizabethan era, almost all of the land was owned by the upper classes. Very few people outside of the nobility or gentry were free from this arrangement; those who were “freeholders” of small landed estates were called yeomen. These hard workers had to ensure that their crops reached a certain value in order to maintain the privileges that came with having profitable free land: serving on juries and voting. The yeomen were also trade workers who made something useful and then sold it. They were not rich, but they were comfortable. Aside from managing their land, some trades that they might be involved with were as follows:

Apothecary: An apothecary dispensed remedies made from herbs, plants, and roots. Elizabethan physicians were expensive, and since a priest usually held the position of apothecary, this was sometimes the only option for sick, poor people.


Blacksmith: The blacksmith was one of the most important occupations in Elizabethan times but considered lowly due to the grimy and hot working conditions. Blacksmiths forged weapons, sharpened weapons, and repaired armor.

Candlemaker: The candlemaker made candles to light a castle or palace. Candles were supplemented by lighting from torches, lanterns, and rush dips. Not everyone could afford candles.

Cordwainer: A cordwainer was a shoemaker or cobbler, a craftsman who made shoes.

Ewerer: An ewerer brought and heated water for nobles. There was no indoor plumbing and no way to get hot water except by heating it over fire. Drawing baths—there weren’t showers at this time—was a laborious task.

Herald or Harker: A herald was a knight’s assistant and an expert advisor on heraldry. The herald or harker would declare announcements on behalf of the Queen or Noble to the public.

Page: The life of a castle page would begin at the early age of seven. A page was junior to a squire. It was the duty of the page t wait at table, care for the lord’s clothes, and assist them with dressing. The page was provided with a uniform of colors and livery of the lord.

Spinster: Spinster was the name of the occupation given to a woman who earned her living spinning yarn. The spinning wheel was invented during the Elizabethan era. Later, the term “spinster” was used to describe any unmarried woman.

Employment: Artisans The artisans were poets, playwrights, musicians, and performers. They were usually part of the yeoman class, but didn’t always have much money. They made their money by entertaining or working for the wealthy nobles or gentry. They were often acrobats; painters; jesters, or comedians of the Queen’s court; minstrels, or singers; or potters.

Employment: Peasantry Many of the peasants, unlike the wealthy, never got the chance to learn how to do something useful. Many did not know how to read, and they were often unhealthy. If they were lucky enough to have a job, it usually wasn’t an enjoyable one. Many of the peasants got stuck doing jobs that others did not wish to do:

Cottar: A cottar was one of the lowest peasant occupations, undertaken by the old or infirm, that had a series of low duties including swine-herder and prison guard.

Gong Farmer: Gong was another word for dung or feces. These people collected human feces from the large houses and carried the waste outside of the city or town, as there was no plumbing at the time.


The Elizabethan Woman Upper-Class Elizabethan Women

Elizabethan women were subservient to men; in other words, they were dependent on their male relatives to support them. Disobedience was seen as a crime against their religion. Women during this time were used to forge alliances with other powerful families through arranged marriages. There was little to dispute over such arrangements as Elizabethan women were raised to believe that they were inferior to men. Elizabethan women were schooled at home; there were no formal schools for girls. Elizabethan women, no matter how intelligent, could not attend universities, become doctors or lawyers, or enter the army. They could not vote or enter into political matters. Additionally, they could not perform in the theater. Elizabethan women

could not be heirs to their father titles. All titles were passed from father to son or brother to brother. The only exception was the monarchy, or the Queen’s family line. The Elizabethan period brought the Renaissance, a time period so named because of new thinking. Elizabethan women from wealthy and noble families were sometimes allowed the privilege of an education. The girls of noble families were taught at home from the age of five or even younger. Various languages were taught, including Latin, Italian, Greek, and French. Music and dancing skills were essential for Elizabethan women. Though they were not allowed to attend universities, they might be sent away to further their education. Manners and etiquette were of prime importance in their educations, as were riding and archery. Lower-Class Elizabethan Women Elizabethan women from the lower classes were also expected to obey the male members of their families without question. Lower-class women would not have attended school or received any formal type of education. They would have had to learn how to govern a household and become skilled in all housewifely duties. Their education would have been purely of the domestic nature in preparation for the only real career option for a girl—marriage. Single Elizabethan women were often looked upon with suspicion; it was often the single women who were thought to be witches by their neighbors. Elizabethan Women and Marriage All Elizabethan women were expected to marry and be dependent upon male relatives for the entirety of their lives. They were expected to bring a dowry to the marriage. A dowry was an amount of money, goods, and property that the bride would bring to the marriage; it was also


referred to as her marriage portion. After marriage, Elizabethan women were expected to run the households and provide children. Large families were the norm as the mortality, or death, rate was so high. Many Elizabethan women made arrangements for the care of their children in case they themselves died during childbirth, a common occurrence during these times. Appearance of the Elizabethan Woman The appearance of a noble Elizabethan woman was important. An Elizabethan woman aged quickly during this era. Constant pregnancies and childbirth took a toll on a woman’s body. The Elizabethan diet lacked Vitamin C, resulting in bad teeth and bleeding gums. Elizabethan women dyed their hair with a mixture of saffron, cumin seed, celandine, and oil. Face make-up was applied to acquire a pale look; a pale complexion was so desirable that Elizabethan women were bled to achieve the look. Face paint made from plant roots and leaves was also applied. The white make-up was lead-based and therefore poisonous. Elizabethan women who applied it were often ill, and if it was used too much, it would result in death. The dress and clothing of Elizabethan women was a series of different layers. Uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous corsets were worn to make women’s waists extremely small.

Superstitions Back in the age of Elizabeth, everyone believed that when you opened your mouth to sneeze, you gave the devil an entrance to your body. Saying “bless you” warded off any possibility of harm, for of course no demon could remain in a place where one Christian blessed another. What we now do for politeness, Englishmen did to protect themselves from spiritual harm. Elizabethans saw the world as a delicate balance, with spirits of good and evil in close proximity. This balance extended beyond the spiritual world; they believed that the laws of nature were similarly related, and that changes that made things more beautiful would also make them more healthful. In times of plague, they burned scented firewood in the streets, and people carried sweet-smelling flowers in their pockets to ward off disease. (The childhood rhyme “Rind around the rosey” is a remnant of plague times, and the second line “pocket full of posies” refers to this habit.) This set of beliefs is now referred to as sympathetic magic, and the Elizabethans believed it sincerely.


The roots of sympathetic magic in England go back to the pre-Christian era, to the beliefs of Celtic tribes of the Bronze Age, the Romans who conquered them, the Anglo-Saxons who supplanted the Romans, and the Viking raiders who captured much of England in the ninth century. Each brought particular beliefs in magic: the Celts, a reverence for plants and a belief in the power of names; the Romans, superstitions about colors and metals; the Saxons, belief in the magic of animals and the reading of omens; and the Danes, lucky numbers and chants. Over the centuries, these different magical ideas mixed with Christianity to create some strange customs that are still practiced today. Dancing around a burning log was customary at the Saxon midwinter festival of Yule: The Yule log was incorporated into the Christmas tradition and continues today. Multiple traditions collide in another festival: the Roman tradition of giving eggs in spring and the Saxon spring celebration called Eostre combined for the Christian Easter, celebrated by giving decorative eggs. You don’t like the number thirteen? Neither did the Vikings, who considered twelve the luckiest number, and to whom we owe our habit of counting things by dozens. Thirteen was an inconvenient number, and over time acquired a reputation of evil that was reflected in such customs as tying a hangman's noose with thirteen loops. About the only positive association with this number is the baker's dozen. This originally came from bakers tossing in an extra roll when a customer bought a dozen, both as a gift and to make up for any that were underweight. From the Celtic lore about plants, which was passed down through a female priesthood, came the traditions of herbal healing. Though some of these were rather fanciful, many have been discovered to have merit. Traditional headache relievers made from boiled willow bark contain many of same chemicals as aspirin, and herb lore included effective antiseptics, antibacterials, and pain medications. Herb women also provided floral and vegetable remedies that were guaranteed to reveal a vision of a future husband or to reawaken the love of a bored spouse. Modern science has found these prescriptions to be less effective, though their use continues to this day. The smallest actions could bring good luck, but it could also banish it. To stir a pot counter-clockwise, or “widdershins,” was supposed to spoil the contents, as well as bring bad luck to all who ate from it. Bad luck could also follow from spilling salt, leaving a door open behind you, or from almost any encounter with a cat, black or otherwise. Good luck flowed from other sources: Iron, silver, fire, salt, and running water were thought to be pure and purifying, and many good luck charms involve these elements. Other charms are more mysterious in origin. For instance, it was good luck to touch a man about to be hanged, just as it was lucky to spit into a fire or to be breathed on by a cow. These beliefs were by no means held only by the peasantry. Queen Elizabeth herself, who patronized scientists, explorers, and scholars, also took advice from Dr. John Dee, renowned as a magician, astrologer, and alchemist. What advice he gave her, and whether she heeded it, we shall never know.


COMPREHENSION Directions: After Reading Using your question as a sentence stem and your underlined or highlighted facts, answer each question you composed before reading IN COMPLETE SENTENCES. An example has been provided for you. Please note how the three facts underlined in the article are included in the response. Your responses should be THOROUGH with specific details from the text.

Question

What was the village like in Elizabethan England?

Answer

In the Elizabethan age, the village was the center of life. The

average person never traveled further than half a day’s walk for any

reason. Those few peddlers, pilgrims, actors, or soldiers who actually

preferred the traveling life were thought unstable and

untrustworthy, valued for their tales and trinkets rather than for

their wandering nature.

Question

Answer

Question

Answer


Question

Answer

Question

Answer

Question

Answer


Question

Answer

Directions: Essay Using the Four-Square planning tool on the next page, answer one of the following “Author & Me” prompts in a five-paragraph essay format. Your three body paragraphs must each have at least one specific example from the text to support your reasoning. Write your essay on separate sheets of lined paper.

Option 1: If you were living in Elizabethan times, how would your life be different from what it’s like now? Would it be similar in any ways? Support your answers with specific facts and information from the text.

Option 2: If you were living in Elizabethan times, to which class would you prefer to be born? Why? Support your answers with specific facts and information from the text.

Option 3: Do you agree or disagree with the treatment of women during Elizabethan times? Support your answers with specific facts and information from the text.


Four-Square Pre-Writing Planner

Reason 2: a. b. c.

Reason 1: a. b. c.

Reason 3: a. b. c.

Thesis:

Topic:


Life of an Elizabethan - Fenger Academy High School · Overview Throughout history, most people...

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