Elizabethan+Era

**Historical information which depicts the time period of Shakespeare's writings: **

 * It was the time of the Renaissance - new ideas in science and technology.
 * Schools were available to the middle classes.
 * Introduction of the theatre, this was available for the lower classes.
 * The history of England was played out in Shakespeare’s plays.
 * Daily life in Elizabethan England varied according to status and location
 * People moving from villages to towns.
 * England and Rome separated and established the Church of England, they no longer answered to the Pope.
 * Queen Elizabeth was protestant, and her sister Mary was catholic. When Mary died the English religion switched from Catholic to Protestant.
 * Everyone was expected to attend a protestant church service every Sunday regardless of class.
 * Women were raised to believe that they were inferior to men. They were dependent on men.
 * Women were not allowed to act in the theatre.
 * Mainly women were seen as being only good for marriage and taking care of the house. None of them attended school except for a select few upper class women.
 * Men were expected to support the family, and make all the decisions. They held the power role in the family.
 * Infant mortality was high during this period so children were cherished.
 * With the absence of running water, outbreaks of typhoid were common.
 * Bubonic Plaque.
 * Illness was caused by lack of sanitation.
 * The color and fabric of the clothing they wore was dictated by their status, and was enforced by the English law.
 * Plays were originally performed in town squares, followed by inns and taverns, and finally theatres.
 * Mystery plays were retellings of stories based on biblical stories.
 * Upper and lower classes both watched the same plays in the same places.
 * Popular Theatres: Curtain Theatre (1577), the Rose (1587), the Swan (1595), the Globe (1599), the Fortune (1600), and the Red Bull (1604).

**Websites:** [|Information on the Globe Theater]