Part 2 - Life in Elizabethan time - A golden age

Question 1

What were some advancements in art?

Answer 1

• portraits became very popular - much more than representations - were symbolic
• e.g. Elizabeth painted with hand on globe to show power
• miniature portrait popular - intended for personal posession - first miniature of the queen painted in 1572 by Nicholas hilliard
• other forms of art - decorative silverware - highly detailed textile patterns

Question 2

What were some advancements in exploration?

Answer 2

• europeans discovered new lands and peoples - england became major power at this time
• Francis drake circumnavigated world between 1577 and 1580

Question 3

What were some advancements in theatre?

Answer 3

• hugely popular during Elizabethan era - many built
• produced plays still performed and studied today

Question 4

What were some advancements in buildings?

Answer 4

• many stately homes built that still stand today
• houses built to impress queen and nobles
• houses not designed specifically with defence in mind for first time

Question 5

What were some advancements in literature?

Answer 5

• in addition to great plays written during Elizabeths reign - poetry very popular
• shakespeare wrote many sonnets - several respected nobles also wrote poems
• lots of poetry references stories of ancient greece and rome

Question 6

What were some advancements in education?

Answer 6

• education seen as increasingly important during Elizabeth’s reign - still focused on wealthy boys - some girls received limited education
• grammar schools with Queen Elizabeth in name still exist to this day
• two universities - Oxford/Cambridge - Inns of Court in London where lawyers were trained regarded as third university

Question 7

What were some advancements in science and technology?

Answer 7

• significant breakthroughs in navigation and astronomy - growing understanding in magnetism
• elizabeth’s reign saw more effective printing presses - produced books/pamphlets
• allowed ideas to spread much faster

Question 8

What were some advancements in peace, power and pride?

Answer 8

• before Henry VII became king - England spent many years in chaos with different men claiming the throne
• elizabeths long reign established peace and order - military success and country’s growing wealth made people proud to be english

Question 9

Was it really a golden age?

Answer 9

• elizabeth’s reign often seen as time fo great advancement and success - could be argued a myth - same brutal place than before Elizabeth
• blood sports - dog fighting/bair baiting remained popular - cruel torture punishments remained popular
• population very divided - majority very poor with small minority living in luxury
• life expectancy low - illnesses that would not kill us today lethal
• alchemy - defying God’s will and links to dark magic - very popular as well as asatrology - religious controversy - both seen as unlawful due to lack of knowledge surrounding science

Question 10

How did Elizabeth use the notion of a golden age to secure her position on the throne?

Answer 10

• deliberate attemps to spread idea of great success and advancement as way of securing position on throne
• known as “Gloriana” - achieved through plays and festivals as welling as printing special pamphlets

Question 11

What was the great chain of being?

Answer 11

• God and his angels and other residents of heaven at top
• queen
• nobility - most powerful and wealthy - titles passed from father to son - held most senior positions
• gentry - often wealthy landowners - held important positions - might be rich but still below nobles
• peasentry - poorest members of society - struggled for work
• animals/plants

Question 12

What was the rise of the gentry?

Answer 12

• before elizabeths reign almost all wealth held by the nobility - stability that elizabethan period brought began to change this
• people could make money from trade - gentry grew as result and began to fill powerful positions e.g. members of parliament and Justices of the Peace

Question 13

What was it like to be wealthy?

Answer 13

• rich elizabethans proud to show off wealth - often built fine houses in countryside
• rich elizabethans tended to have meals made up almost entirely of meat and drank mainly wine
• banquets way to show off wealth
• women wore fine clothes with whitened faces - intended to show - they didnt have to work outside and get tanned face
• men and women wore elaborate ruff around neck

Question 14

A day at the theatre?

Answer 14

• performances generally began at 3pm and continuted into the evening
• ticket price depended on where you sat or stood
• adudience members would push and shove to get a better view - atmosphere generally very boisterous
• cheap afternoon out for the poor - opportunity for rich to show their culture