The document provides information about various aspects of life during the Elizabethan Era in England, including: 1) The Elizabethan Era began in 1558 under the rule of Queen Elizabeth I and was a time of great progress, stability, and national pride in England. 2) Daily life varied depending on social class but generally included opportunities for employment, entertainment like theater, and dealing with outbreaks of the plague. 3) Notable Elizabethan writers included William Shakespeare, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Philip Sidney, and Ben Jonson, who contributed to the flowering of English literature during this period. 4) Theater became increasingly popular as the first permanent theaters, like The Theatre and the

1. LITERARY FORMS & MOVEMENTS
PRESENTATION
PRESENTED BY :
SAMEER AHMAD

2. The Elizabethan Era.
The Elizabethan Era started from November
17, 1558. The English Elizabethan Era is one
of the most fascinating periods in the History
of England. The Elizabethan Era is named
after the greatest Queens of England -
Queen Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Era is
not only famous for the Virgin Queen but
also for the era itself - Great Explorers, such
as Sir Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh.
The era of the very first Theatres in England
- William Shakespeare, the globe Theatre
and Christopher Marlowe!
Elizabethan Era in Literature

3. For what Elizabethan Era is known?
The Elizabethan age is considered to be a time
of English renaissance that inspired national pride through classical ideals, international
expansion, and naval triumph. This English Renaissance saw the flowering of poetry,
music and literature.
Life during the Elizabethan Era:
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 (waste matter) ran through the streets. Disease and crime were widespread.
The Golden Age of the Elizabethan Era:
The Elizabethan era is the period of English
history when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England. This era is often considered the "Golden
Age" of England because it was a time of immense progress, stability, and national pride.
During Elizabeth's reign, England flourished politically and economically.
What was their life like?
Entertainment, clothes, food, drink, sports, music, education, language, medicine and
marriage customs and culture of the era.

4. Elizabethan daily life
The life was very busiest in Elizabeths age. Daily life in Elizabethan England varied
according to status and location.
Elizabethan Daily life - Career Opportunities
 The Medieval Feudal system had broken down.
 Outbreaks of the plague had reduced the population - even peasants were paid for their labour.
 The wool trade provided opportunities for Englishmen.
 There were opportunities for young Englishmen to become apprentices and learn a trade which
would bring them a good standard of living.
 A Wealthy Merchant class was emerging in England.
 Elizabethan Daily life provided many opportunities which had been denied to previous
generations.
Elizabethan Daily life – Leisure
 The Elizabethan era saw the introduction of the Theatre.
 A cheap form of entertainment for the Lower Classes.
 A means to influence the masses ( which was therefore tightly regulated).
 The history of England was played out in the vivid historical plays by playwrights such as William
Shakespeare.

5.  In the Elizabethan era there was pestilence
and repeated outbreaks of the
Bubonic plague (Black Death).
 These were not just confined to highly
populated towns such as London.
 The country area and villages were not
exempt from the disease either there was
no hiding place.
 Plague laid waste to England and
especially to the capital repeatedly during
Elizabeth times
 In 1592, again in 1603, and in 1606 and
1609.
 Whenever deaths from the disease
exceeded thirty per week, the London
authorities closed the playhouses.
Bubonic plague (Black Death).
The plague arrived in Europe in October 1347, when 12 ships from the Black Sea
docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. People gathered on the docks were met with
a horrifying surprise: Most sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those still alive
were gravely ill and covered in black boils that oozed blood and pus.

6.  There were repeated outbreaks of the disease during
the Elizabethan era and these outbreaks were often
transmitted by the fleas that lived on rodents and
animals, especially rats.
 Contrary to popular belief it was not just the people who
lived in the towns who were at risk of catching the Black
Death or Bubonic Plague.
 Elizabethan farmers and retailers of farm produce, such
as animal hides, were in constant danger of contracting
the Bubonic plague (Black Death) this was a deadly
consequence of their job.
 The disease could also be air bound and transmitted
from an infected person's breath.
 A devastating outbreak of the Elizabethan plague
occurred in 1563 claiming 80,000 people in England.
 The cause of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) was
unknown during the Elizabethan era
 People were not in the position to take proper care or
adequate precautions.
 Inadequate hygiene standards added to the problem
and spread of the disease

7. Major writers and their works in Elizabethan Era
Elizabethan literature, body of works written during the reign of Elizabeth I of England, probably the
most splendid age in the history of English literature, during which such writers as Sir Philip Sidney,
Edmund Spenser, , Ben Jonson, Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare flourished ...
 The Two Gentlemen of
Verona
 The Merry Wives of Windsor
 Measure for Measure
 The Comedy of Errors
 Lave’s Labour Lost
 The Taming of the Shrew
 All’s Well that Ends Well
 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
 The Merchant of Venice
 Much Ado About Nothing
 As You Like It
 Romeo and Juliet
 Macbeth
 Venus and Adonis
 Hamlet
 King Lear
 Othello
 Antony and Cleopatra
 Julius Caesar Timon of
Athens
 Coriolanus
 King John
 King Richard the Second
 King Henry the Fourth
 Cymbeline
 Pericles
 The Winter’s Tale
 The Tempest
William Shakespeare:
Following are the major works of William
Shakespeare.

8. Sir Philip Sidney:
Following are the major works of Sir Philip
Sidney.
 Philip Sidney
 An Apologies for the poetry
 Arcadia
 Astrophel and Stella
 The Lady of May
Edmund Spenser:
Following are the major works of Edmund
Spenser.
 The Faerie Queene
 The Shepherd’s Calendar
 Amoretti
 Epithalamion
 Prothalamion
 Mother Hubbard’s Tale
 The Ruis of Time
 The Tears of the Muses

9. Ben Jonson:
Following are the major works of Ben Jonson.
 Everyman in His Humour
 Every Man out of His Humour
 Volpone or the Fox
 Cynthia’s Revels
 The Alchemist
 Bartholomew Fayre
 Epicene of the Silent Women
Christopher Marlowe
Following are the major works of
Christopher Marlowe.
 Tamburlaine the Great
 Edward II
 Doctor Faustus
 The Jew of Malta
 The Tragedy of Dido
 Sejanus His
Conspiracy
 The Poetaster
 The Devil as an Ass
 The Masque of Beauty

10.  During the early part of the 16th century, there were two distinct types of theatre in England.
 One was represented by small groups of professional actors who performed in halls, inns, or
marketplaces.
 The location of a play was established by the words and gestures of the actors.
 As in the commedia dell’arte, these localities had little significance.
 The second type of theatre, found in the London area, was made up of amateurs, usually university
students, performing for the royal court and assorted gentry.
 The audience and the actors were educated, acquainted with the classics, and knowledgeable about
theatre in other countries, particularly France.
 The stage was probably set with buildings made of laths, covered with painted canvas, with cloud
borders masking the upper part of the acting area.
 The significant achievement of the Elizabethan stage was connected with the theatres of professional
acting groups, not the court theatre.
 During the second half of the 16th century, as they became successful, the troupes no longer needed to
remain itinerant.
 In 1576 the first permanent public theatre, called simply theTheatre, was erected by the actor James
Burbage.
 The building boom continued until the end of the century; the Globe, where Shakespeare’s plays were
first performed, was built in 1599 with lumber from the demolishedTheatre.
Theatre in Elizabethan Era

11. Interesting facts about the Elizabethan Era:
 The Elizabethan Period Lasted 45 Years
 Shakespeare Published His First Play in the Elizabethan Era
 Elizabethan Society was Class-Based
 Cuisine Exploded During the Elizabethan Period
 Nobody Drank Water in Elizabethan England
 Witch Hysteria Occurred in Elizabethan England
 England Became the Supreme Naval Power of the World
 Elizabethan Era Consumers Did Not Use Paper Money
 Ghosts Were Common in the Elizabethan Era
 Queen Elizabeth Loved Poetry

12. They enjoyed all kinds of food.
 Beef, pork, lamb, mutton, bacon, veal, and deer, and fancy
fowl such as peacock, swan, and goose.
 Freshwater and sea fish, such as salmon, trout, eel, pike,
and sturgeon, and shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, oysters,
cockels and mussels.
 For the poor, bread was the staple food and it would be
eaten with butter, cheese, eggs, and pottage (a vegetable
soup thickened with oats).
 Poors tended to eat white meat, like chicken, rabbit or
hare, and birds they could catch like blackbirds or pigeons.
 Queen Elizabeth made a law in 1563 that compelled
everyone to eat fish onWednesdays, Fridays and
Saturdays, the poor also regularly ate fish. Disobeying the
law could mean up to three months in jail.
Food in the Elizabethan Era

13.  As water was considered unsafe to drink, the
Elizabethans drank ale instead.
 Children drank ale(an alcoholic drink) as it was not very
strong. Strong ale was reserved for times they wanted
to make merry.
 The rich drank ale too, but also wine, which was very
expensive.
 More and more foods were introduced into society such
as tomatoes (or love apples as they were known) from
Mexico.
 Kidney beans from Peru, and of course the potato
famously brought to England by SirWalter Raleigh in
the later years of Elizabeth's reign.
 Elizabethans did not know quite how to use or cook
these foods to their optimum, so they were not as tasty
as they could have been and tended to be kept as special
delicacies.

14. Clothing was an important indicator of status.
 Clothes in the Elizabethan era became much more colorful,
elaborate, and flamboyant than in previous periods.
 Heavy brocade, stockings, tight-fitting doublets, long billowing
dresses embellished with pearls and jewels, knee-length
trousers, stiff linen collars or ruffs, and feathered hats were all
staple elements of the wardrobes of the well off.
 The Elizabethan collar that dominated fashion during the late
16th and 17th centuries, however, was an indicator of wealth,
prestige, and social status. Ruffs became increasingly large and
elaborate as methods to create them advanced. Hours were
spent looping, ironing, and starching lace and linen into place.
 An Elizabethan collar (also known as an E-collar or the cone of
shame) are plastic or fabric hoods or cones placed around the
head to prevent an animal from licking at a surgery site, wound,
or dressing.
Fashion in Elizabethan Era

15. Men's Clothes:
 The most common upper garment for men was
doublet, a short, stiff, tight-fitting jacket which was
made of wool, leather, or thick fabric.
 Just as today, minor changes became a sign of
fashion such as the lower hem of the doublet.
 A curiosity of some doublets was the peascod -
padding over the abdomen to imitate armour but
which ended up making the wearer look as if he
strutting like a peacock.
 Such padding, known as 'bombast', consisted of
wool, cotton or horsehair and was used in other
to create fashionable shapes to outer clothing.
 Detachable collars and cuffs were highly
too and were made from stiffened linen or lace.
the century wore on the ruffs became ever-more
outlandish and required wire supports.

16. Women's Clothes:
 Aristocratic women often wore long dresses.
 The kirtle dress was fitted and very long so that the feet of
wearer were almost hidden. On top of this other garments
worn.
 Skirts were free-flowing early in Elizabeth's reign, but there
then developed a fashion for rigid skirts in the shape of a
cylinder.
 The ruff increased in size, becoming a symbol of the
aristocracy. Women wanted to show their status in society
also wished to expose the bosom, so the ruff developed as
half circle—open in front and rising in back. The ruff was at
worn with a supporting wire frame and was later starched.
 An alternative was to wear a gown which was essentially a
and bodice attached together and worn over
These were the most extravagant of the Elizabethan
and were typically worn with false sleeves and decorated
pearls, jewels and gold brocade.

17.  A third alternative to the kirtle was wearing a series of
light skirts (petticoats) combined with a bodice which
was usually a stiff garment made from wool and which
emphasized a narrow waistline.
 Bodices gave support to or even constricted the upper
body.
 They were given rigidity by inserting thin pieces of
whalebone, wood or metal. Finer bodices were closed
using buttons or hooks.
 A reinforcing piece of wood called a 'busk' was inserted at
the front of the bodice and held in position using a ribbon
in the center of the chest.
 The bodice could be fastened at the front, side or back.
 The neckline of women's bodices varied in cut. In the
mid-16th century CE, the cut was low, then rose over
time and finally became low-cut again by the end of the
century.
 Aristocratic women wore sleeves to their bodice if it were
worn as an outer garment.

18. Crime and punishment in Elizabethan Era
Crime:
Punishment would vary according to
class. The Upper class were well educated,
wealthy and associated with Royalty and high
members of the clergy. They would often
become involved in Political intrigue and
matters of Religion. The nobility could
therefore become involved in crime which
were not shared by other people. The most
common crimes of the Nobility include:
 High Treason
 Blasphemy
 Sedition
 Spying
 Rebellion
 Murder
 Witchcraft
 Alchemy

19. Various means of tortures were use to extract
confessions for crime.Women did not escape
torture and punishment during this violent era -
Anne Askew was put to the rack for her religious
beliefs, and subsequently died, during the reign of
Elizabeth's father King HenryVIII.The highest
nobles were automatically exempt from torture
but other courtiers were not. Instruments and
means of torture, for unproven crime, included the
following:
 The Rack
 The Scavenger's Daughter
 The Collar
 The Iron Maiden
 Branding Irons
 Assorted instruments designed to inflict intense
pain
Instruments ofTorture in Elizabethan Era:

20. Punishments in Elizabethan Era:
Following
are the punishments in Elizabethan era:
 Hanging
 Burning
 The Pillory and the Stocks
 Whipping
 Branding
 Pressing
 Ducking stools
 The Wheel
 Boiling in oil water or lead (usually reserved
poisoners )
 Starvation in a public place
 Cutting off various items of the anatomy -
hands, ears etc
 The Gossip's Bridle or the Brank
 The Drunkards Cloak

21. Execution of the punishment:
 The punishment of Death by the axe was a
terrifying prospect.
 The executioners often took several blows
the head was finally severed.
 The punishment of death by Execution were
in public and witnessed by many people.
 Following the execution the severed head was
held up by the hair by the executioner.
 Not many people think to show the crowd the
head, but in fact to show the head the crowd
to it's own body.
 The punishment even continued after 'death'.
Traitors Heads were placed on stakes and
displayed to the everyone in public places such
London Bridge. The most feared place in
was the Tower of London.

22. Supernatural beliefs in Elizabethan Era:
The
Elizabethans were very deep into their faith and
beliefs. Coming off of a ruler such as Queen Mary I it
no wonder why people were often found in churches.
Their religion was a part of their everyday life.
side to this time, however, was that people were
a lot.
 The Elizabethan people believed in things.
like spirits/ghosts, witches, and the mystical
animals as well as herbs, usually for healing
 They found that there really were mysteries to the
 There were things that were simply unexplainable at
point in history. There still remain these things today.
 This was a system which produced a lot of thought
the supernatural and other things that would be
in society.

23. Witches and witchcraft:
It was often blamed on the
witches and witchcraft. These were clearly an obvious
choice based on the nature of witchcraft.
 The biggest result was the fact that witches were
hunted down and executed.
 They believed this would stop some of the bad
that would spur up every now and then with the
diseases.
 These were simply natural things that occurred to
overpopulation. It probably had little to do with the
witchcraft.
 We also know that there were possibly several
executed who never claimed to be witches.
 The problem is that people’s lives were not as
they are today. They thought that there just could be
chance taken.

24.  If you were accused of being a witch, you
were likely to die at the hands of those
who were unwilling to take the risk of you
spreading diseases on other people.
 The oddest part is that there was little
thought in the concept that men could be
witches during Elizabethan times.
 It was almost always women who would
be suspected of witchcraft during
Elizabethan times.
In fact, there were at least 247 reports of
women who were charged as being witches.
There were only 23 men.This goes to show
the bias in the point of view of who a witch
could be. Although the beliefs in witchcraft
do not have anything to do with gender.

25. Social classes in Elizabethan Era
Elizabethan England had four main
classes.
 The Nobility
 The Gentry
 The Yeomanry
 The Poor
A person's class determined that:
 How they could dress.
 Where they could live.
 What they could eat.
 The jobs people and their children
could get.

26. The Nobility:
 A nobleman was rich and powerful and therefore during the
of Elizabeth as well as the reigns of her father and grandfather
Henry VIII, the monarch rarely appointed new nobles.
 They viewed the noble class as a threat to their power and
keep their numbers small.
 A person could become a noble either by birthright or by grant
from the king or queen.
 Nobility could lose their fortune, but it took a high crime like
treason to lose their title.
The Gentry:
 The gentry were knights, squires, gentlemen and
gentlewomen whose fortunes were great enough that they did
have to work with their hands for a living.
 Their numbers grew rapidly, and became the most important
during Elizabethan time.
 They could start as a knight and through generations and
marriages they could gradually build a wealth and title.
 Most of the important people of this time came from this class.

27. The Yeomanry:
 The Yeomanry were the ‘middleclass'. They
live comfortably with the little savings they built
up.
 But at any moment, be it illness or famine,
lose everything.
 The yeomen used their wealth more simply
instead worked to expand their land and
it.
The Poor:
 At the bottom were the Poor who for some
or another found themselves without money,
food, or shelter.
 Their numbers were increasing, the Poor Laws
were passed to assist them.
 Any Poor person found guilty of being able to
an honest day's work but who chose not to,
be sentenced to death.

28. Elizabethan Occupations and
Jobs
 ACROBAT
 ARTIST
 ASTROLOGER
 BAKER
 BARBER
 CANDLEMAKE
R
 CARPENTER
 CLOTHIER
 COOK
 FLETCHER
 GARDENER
 JESTER
 KNIGHT
 MARSHAL
 MESSENGER
 MONEYLENDER
 PAINTER
 PORTER
 PHYSICIAN
 SHERIFF
 SHOEMAKER
 SPINSTER
 SQUIRE
 WATCHMAN

29. Marriage in Elizabethan Era
 Elizabethan women had very little choice in
husbands
 Marriage in Elizabethan times was considered a
necessity by both men and women.
 For lower class women, the only alternative was a
life of servitude to wealthier families.
 Marriage allowed them social status and children.
 Marriages were arranged by their families in order
to bring prestige or wealth to the families involved.
 This is why poor women could sometimes choose
their spouses.
 Elizabethan law gave men full control over their
wives.
 Married women were basically considered to be
the property of their husbands and were expected
to bring a dowry or marriage portion to the
marriage.

30.  Women who didn't marry were considered
witches by their neighbors.
 Marriage was dictated by the church
 Couples were required by law to follow the
religion dictated by the queen at the time.
 While Queen Elizabeth I favored the Protestant
religion
 All wedding ceremonies were held in the Queen's
churches and were performed by a minister.
 Elizabethan wives were also required to run the
household and give their husbands children.
 Marriage was legal for girls at the age of 12
and boys at 14
 it was rare for couples to marry at these ages.
Average ages of marriage were 20 to 29

31. Education in Elizabethan Era
 Elizabethan Education was generally for boys of the
Upper and Middle Classes.
 Upper-Class girls, often members of the Nobility were also
given an education.
 The middle-class girls hardly ever got the opportunity to
see the face of the schools.
 Noble children get their education at home, from private
tutors.
 Children were taught how to read and write using English.
 They are also to learn catechism as well as lessons on
proper behavior.
 These things were considered to be the most important
foundations in education and it should be taught during
childhood.
 Young girls from wealthy families were often placed in the
households of acquaintances where they would learn to
read, write, keep accounts, and manage a household and
estate.

32.  The most elementary level of education was conducted
for boys aged between 5 and 7 at what was called a ‘
Petty School.
 These lessons and general education were conducted
not in a school but in the house of the teacher.
 From the age of 7 to 14, children of a lower standing
went to Grammar Schools
 Lessons were given in Grammar, Music, Logic,
Arithmetic and Geometry as well as Astronomy
education.
 Certain languages like Latin and French were taught.
 In the lower grades, boys studied Latin grammar and
vocabulary.
 In the upper grades, they read the poetry and prose of
writers such as Ovid, Martial, and Catullus.
 The most common institute for Elizabethan education
during the Elizabethan period. Many schools were
financed by the localGuild.

33. Various Sports were played and watched and formed
much of Elizabethan Entertainment, especially for the
Nobility.
Hawking & Hunting:
 Hunting has always been a popular activity amongst the
aristocracy in order to show their skills
 Hunting for the rich was part of a young man's education
and as an excuse for men to ride horses and spend time in
their country estates.
 The most common victims were deer, foxes and hares.
 The use of trained birds to hunt was popular, as was using
the increasingly more reliable and accurate gunpowder
weapons to shoot.
 Both hunting and hawking were pursued by men
and women.
 Fishing using a rod was also done, especially by those with
artificial lakes on their estates.
Sports & games in Elizabethan Era

34. Animal Baiting:
 By far the most popular sport was bear-baiting.
 In this brutal test, a bear would be led into a pit and
chained to a stake by its leg or neck.
 As spectators cheered and placed bets.
 A pack of dogs—usually bulldogs or mastiffs—would
unleashed into the arena to torment and attack the
bear.
 Cock-fighting, where two trained roosters fought to
the death was held in similar circular arenas and
equally popular.
 These bloodsports attracted bets on the likely
 In the case of bullbaiting, the meat of the dead
was eaten.
 The arena for these sports likely influenced the later
theatres for drama.

35. Elizabethan Team Sports:
 Elizabethan Team sports gained in popularity
the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
 The team sports were enjoyed by both the players
and the spectators.
 The Elizabethan era was dangerous and violent.
 Even some card games were played in teams
as 'Ruff and Honors'.
 The outcome of team sports contests were
heavy gaming and gambling.
 Skill in Fencing during the Elizabethan era was a
requirement of all Upper class Nobility.
 The different types of swords ranged from the
smallest Broadsword measuring from 30 inches to
great swords which measured up to 72 inches.
 The weight of swords used during this era are
presumed to be a lot heavier than they actually

36.  Some Elizabethans were strong supporters of
the Protestant reformation
 Some were staunchly Catholic
 Some were ambivalent
 Some still practiced a stricter form of Christianity
Puritanism.
 The two major religions in Elizabethan England were
the Catholic and Protestant religions.
 The convictions and beliefs in these different religions
were so strong that they led to the executions of many
adherents to both of these Elizabethan religions.
 In the early 1500's the people of England all practised
the RomanCatholic religion.
 The practises of the Catholic religion were questioned
during the Reformation and the beliefs of men such as
the German Martin Luther prompted a new religion
called Protestantism...
Religions in Elizabethan Era

37.  The ideal Elizabethan female had bright wide-set
eyes, snow white skin, rosie cheeks, red lips and fair
hair.
 Pale skin was a sign of nobility, wealth and delicacy
was sought after by many.
 In a time where sunscreen was unheard of, skin
problems and pox was a common thing smooth,
unblemished skin was a rarity.
 Women would paint their faces very white.
 This makeup was calledVenetian ceruse - or
sometimes just ceruse.
 It was a lead-based cosmetic item that also
contained hydroxide and carbonate.
 Whenever a new layer of ceruse was needed,
women would paint their faces without removing
the first layer.
White makeup in Elizabethan Era:

38. Elizabeth I died on 24 March 1603 at the age of 69 after a
reign of 45 years. The cause of Elizabeth’s death remains
a hotly contested subject. Before her death, Elizabeth
refused permission for a post-mortem to be conducted,
leaving the cause of her death forever shrouded in
mystery. There are however, a few theories:
 Many says that she may have died of blood poisoning,
brought on by her use of a lead-based makeup known as
“Venetian Ceruse” (or “the spirits of Saturn”). This substance
was classified as a poison 31 years after Elizabeth’s death.
 Other proposed causes of death
include pneumonia, streptococcus (infected tonsils),
or cancer.
 Close to the time of her death, Elizabeth’s coronation ring
had grown into her flesh. This was due to the fact that she
never had it removed during the 45 years of her reign. Her
doctors insisted that the ring had to be removed, and within
a week Elizabeth died.
Elizabeth’s death

39. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR
PRECIOUS TIME