Shakespeare’s Culture, Town Life, and Society

By: Danielle Barrasse, Rebecca Fiorillo, Meghan Judge, and Joe Murray

Town Life Town population was growing rapidly The new merchant class was starting Towns were built on trade Trade

› Merchant Guilds-  controlled trade in a town (regulated prices quality weights and measures and business practices)

› Craft Guilds-(regulated quality, working hours, and conditions of its members)

› Apprentices, journeymen, and masters- lasted from 2 to 7 years

› All townsmen were free

Town Life Livestock in Street

› Pigs ran about in the streets because most people had pets because they were cheap and good for food

› Houses were small and gardens were super tiny so pigs wandered on the streets

› "Stray pigs were such a nuisance that they were liable to be killed and the owner charged for the return of the dead animal. "

Society Streets

› Before Edward 1 repairs to the street were a householders responsibilityafter Edward's time the town councils took more responsibility

› Roads were narrow and traffic was slow Cleanliness

› Sanitation was always a concern › Drain channels were on the side of the road or in the

center of the street. some people threw dirty water out of windows and tried to make it into the drain

› People’s garbage and filth was on the street so much that you couldn’t walk on it

Society Law Enforcement

› Was run by constables› They would call people in the middle of the

night to chase a criminal› It was called a "hue and cry" and if you

didn’t join in you would be fined› If a thief was caught they would be hanged

Society Nobles Old and New

› There was a distinction between the old and new families› "Most old noble families were Catholic, and most new

noble families were Protestant“› But now it’s changing because the new families are able to

choose if they even want to attend church Noble Obligations

› Many people may think since the rich had so much money, that they didn’t do anything

› But the rich weren’t allowed to do anything› “Honorific offices were unpaid, and visiting nobles to

England were the responsibility of the English nobility to house and entertain at their own expense“

› The rich people were expected to hold large functions

Society High Society

› "Society began to form along new lines in the Tudor years“

› Nobility and Knights were head of the social ladder and didn't grow as much as the other classes

› The mail growth was in the society of the merchant class

Society Elizabethan progresses

› Queen Elizabeth would go one "progresses" about the country

› Queen Elizabeth would travel all different places to meet all different people

› “Aside from the benefit of bringing her into closer contact with her subjects, she saved a great deal of money by making the nobles with whom she stayed foot the bill for her visit.“

› "Incidentally, the "progresses" of Elizabeth account for the fact that there are so many places today that advertise "Queen Elizabeth slept here".

Society The New Merchant Class

› "The Tudor era saw the rise of modern commerce with cloth and weaving leading the way“

› "A prosperous merchant class emerged from the ashes of the Wars of the Roses“

› "The importance of the wool trade in late medieval and Tudor England cannot be overstated"

Town Life Bells and Criers

› “Bells were the main medium of telling time and making announcements”

› “A Common Bell was rung to summon civic meetings, courts, and as an alarm in case of fire or attack”

› “The criers were the main source of news for town dwellers”

Market Hours› “Morning was the active time for markets. Things

quieted down after noon, and most shops closed at 3 o'clock”

› “Markets were noisy, raucous affairs. Merchants had to ‘cry the wares’ as their only means of advertising, and some had to be fined for forcibly grabbing hold of passers”

Town Life “Saturday was early closing day for shops.

Usually noon was the close of business. Sunday, however, the ‘Lord's day of rest’, was not kept as restful as we might think. Some trades were allowed to work after Mass, and some field work was allowed to be done before it”

The Town Day› “The day officially began with the ringing of

the Angelus bell at 4 or 5 o’clock. It announced the first mass of the day and the end of the night watchman's duty”

Town Life Wooden and Brick Buildings

› “Although stone building was encouraged, expense meant that most houses were built of wood up until Tudor times”

› “Then, the flourishing new brick industry and a rapidly falling timber supply swung the tide away from wood as the material of choice for most domestic building”

Fire› “Fire was the constant fear of town dwellers. Due to

closely packed wooden houses and inadequate water supply, fires were difficult to control and could produce widespread damage”

› “There were other factors that increased the risks of fire; Beds were of straw and were commonly kept close to open hearths for warmth. Roofs of reeds, rushes and straw were common”

Town Life The Curfew Bell

› “Curfews were imposed in towns to keep the peace. Originally the ‘curfew bell’ was rung at 8 or 9 o'clock in the evening to indicate that it was time for smiths, brewers, and taverners to cease their working day. It became the custom that anyone abroad after that had to carry a light and have a good excuse for being out.”

Sanctuary› “If a fugitive managed to reach a church they could claim

the right of sanctuary there for a period of 40 days. This meant that someone would have to stand watch outside the church for the entire time to ensure that the fugitive did not escape, a duty that no one wanted”

› “Towns could even be fined if the felon escaped. At any one time in the Middle Ages it has been estimated that there were as many as 1000 people in sanctuary throughout England”

Culture Houses

› Had “E” and “H” shapes for Elizabeth and Henry VIII

› Inside, they usually had a loft for the owner’s servant to sleep

› Tudor houses were common, which were timber framed

› Flower and herb gardens planted in little walkways or rows were presented in Tudor homes

Culture Meals

› “Meals were elaborate and large”› Breakfast was a little snack› Supper was at 6:00pm› “Food was cooked over open fires. Meat was

cooked on a spit which was sometimes turned by a dog running on a circular treadmill attached to a spit end.”

› “Baking was done in iron boxes laid on the fire or in a brick oven set into the side of the fireplace.”

Culture/Society Literature

› Latin was the main language› Plays were very popular, and included famous

playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, and William Shakespeare

› Plays were performed during the day, because the sun was the perfect spotlight

Games› Bowls, paumes (tennis), and bull and bear

baiting› Bow and arrow practice was encouraged, even

though the invention of the cannon and gun powder existed.

Works Cited“Elizabethan Life.” Britain Express. David

Ross and Britain Express. 10 April 2011. Web.

“English History.” Britain Express. David Ross and Britain Express. 10 April

2011. Web.