THE SHAKESPEAREAN AGE Essay Research Paper THE

THE SHAKESPEAREAN AGE Essay, Research Paper

THE SHAKESPEAREAN AGE

The Elizabethan era varied greatly from the world we live in things like theater, lifestyle, clothing, the role of women, class structure and positions of power have all changed dramatically.

THE WORLD OF THEATER

The Shakespearean theaters were very different from the ones today. The public theaters where circular buildings with a courtyard in the middle that had no roof. The penny seats, where located in the Yard (Pit) “I hadn.t minded the people in the yard.” (trease 61). For a higher fee others would sit in the covered balconies. These theaters would hold about 3000 people. A rectangular stage came out into the middle of the pit. The stage was partly covered by a roof. At the back of the stage there was a area that was curtained called the “Discovery Place”. This was used as a room actors could go to and be “discovered” they may be asleep, dead etc. When they where found the curtain was pulled up to reveal them. Above the discovery place there was the balcony. There may also have been a heaven (trap door in balcony) and hell (trap door in the stage).

There were also small, indoor theaters which held about 700 people. All the audience was seated, artificial lighting may have been used . The audience tended to be of a higher class because the seats where more expensive. The type of plays performed in a private theater differed form those performed in the public theaters.

LIFESTYLE

In the 16th century the normal diet consisted of wheat, barley, oats etc. Fresh meat was eaten rarely. Butchers would only be found in large towns, the selection would have been small and the charge would be high. Milk, butter and cheese where all expensive and the poor people probably never tasted them. Fish was only available near the coast. The contrast in diet between the rich and the poor was extreme. The rich used forks and knives where the poor ate with there hands. Meat was often served at special occasions. The queen.s banquets often served the more exotic dishes “.Dishes left over from the banquet-roast peacock and swan, buttered oranges, tansy, and “snow,” which was mostly cream, sugar, and white of egg.”(trease 120). Wine was often served with dinner.

People would have arrived at the queens banquet in grand carriages pulled by horses “I felt, rather then heard, the coming of the horsemen.” (trease 21). The main way to travel was by horseback or by foot. Boats where also used. “There was nothing to which I could tie my boat.”(trease 132) Travelers would often where high boots to prevent getting sores on their legs.

Clothing varied depending on class a peasant man would wear at least a tunic or shirt, and breeches of some kind. He would also wear a laced-up jerkin (vest) with/without sleeves, and some kind of hat with a biggins (a small cap that ties under the chin) underneath. All but the poorest would have cloth hosen (stockings) and shoes. A peasant would have a cape in cold weather. At his belt would be a small knife for eating. His clothing would probably have holes or patches on it. These were working clothes, no time was given to upkeep.

A peasant woman wore a long-sleeved shift (like a nightgown) under everything and at least two skirts over that, with the upper skirt, usually newer than the underskirts. She had an apron on over the skirts to keep them clean if she was doing work. She wore a tight fitting bodice, which usually laced on over the shift. It had removable sleeves. All woman had their hair covered by some sort of hat, such as a biggins, or muffin cap (a circular fabric gathered into a band), and the hair itself was usually braided or bundled up out of the way. There was no short hair. Women wore knee-length hosen and some kind of shoes. She had the household keys and a basket to carry things bought at morning market. In cold weather she would wear a shawl or cape.

The Upper-middle class men would quite often be gentry or nobility, with his own horse and lands. He might also be a high-ranking servant in a nobleman’s household, a rich merchant or highly skilled craftsman of some kind. He would have his own servants, the Upper-middle class man would dress quite well. Over his shirt, he wore a close-fitting doublet. He wore breeches on his lower half which were decorated. His hosen reached all the way up his legs and were sometimes knitted instead of sewn. Knitted hosen, however, were very expensive, because they were hand-knitted, usually out of silk, and cost more then five pounds a pair. That was a large sum for those days, perhaps the equivalent of $200 today. His shoes were decorated. He wore either a flat cap or a tall crowned hat with feathers. Men of this class were likely to go clean shaven, or they were well trimmed. Many of the older gentlemen wore knee-length coats called “Surcoates” or “Great Goats,” These coats were worn over doublets as an outer garment. The surcoates resembled a modern choir robe with a collar of velvet or fur. A pouch and dagger hung from his belt and he might have a fine gold chain around his neck. His appearance was sometimes little different from that of a nobleman.

The Upper-middle class lady’s chemise (like a T-shirt) was almost always high-necked and made out of delicate fabric, such as, imported cotton or even silk. A married lady wore her chemise closed down the front