Topic 3 - popular entertainment Flashcards
Why was entertainment important to Elizabethan people?
Hard lives, high death rates and few days off made any entertainment very popular
What are some examples of entertainment that the rich would attend?
Feats, banquets and sporting events, such as horse racing
What are some examples of entertainment that the poor would attend?
Travelling fairs, puppet shows, conjurors, trained animals and hawkers
What forms of entertainment were enjoyed by all of society?
Dancing, music and singing, as well as gambling, cruel sports and archery and bowls
What was bear/bull baiting?
Bears or bulls would be attacked by dogs. Bears would be chained to a wooden stake by their leg or neck. The dogs would attempt to kill the bear. Bets were placed on which dog would survive longest before the bear/bull killed it
Where was the most popular bair baiting arena?
Paris Garden, Southwalk, London
What was cockfighting?
A fight between birds where spectators would bet on which one would win
What was hawking?
A trained hawk would fly off a trainers arm, kill selected prey, and then return
How did the rich person’s experience of dancing differ from that of a poor person?
The rich could hire musicians to play them songs from foreign countries, wheras the poor enjoyed more classic country dances
How many theatres were there in the country at the beginning of Elizabeth’s reign?
None
Who were strolling players?
Performers who travelled the country and put up a portable stage, in order to perform in different places to different people
When were strolling players without a licence banned?
1572
What were some of the first theatre companies?
The Earl of Leicester’s Players, 1574
The Queen’s Men, 1583
The Lord Admiral Howard’s Company, 1583
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, 1594
Where was the first theatre built?
Finsbury Fields at Shoreditch, London; it was named ‘The Theatre’, and built in 1576
When did other popular theatres open?
The Curtain - 1577
The Rose - 1587
The Swan - 1596
The Globe - 1599
