1. Who was Queen of England during the time Shakespeare began to write? Who ruled after her?

Queen Elizabethan, King James

2. Give the approximate dates of the Elizabethan period.
1558-1603

3. Identify the social classes during Shakespeare's time.
The Nobility- The nobles are the lords and ladies of the land.
2. The Gentry- knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen were the gentry. They didn’t work with their hands. Lived like nobles.

Clergy- People of the church. Priests, Monks etc.

Kings- Top of the social class.

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Peasants- Very low class. Had to pay rent to the landowners because they lived there. Worked for the nobility.

Copy holders- Payed rent, could be kicked out at anytime.

Yeomen- Extremely low class

4. Describe the status of women. How would a young woman respond to a request from her father?
Women had very limited status and rights. They had very little power of the direction of their life. They didn’t receive education and couldn’t hold office either. The Father of the household ruled over the women in the household. The girls had to do whatever the father requested. They had to marry whoever they were told to, and couldn’t go to school. Nowadays we don’t have to always agree with our fathers, and kids will disobey. Then that would never happen because women were of such a lower social class and submissive to men because they had no choice. If you were a noble women you could do a lot more. You could get an education. If women played instruments, their status was higher.

5. What is primogeniture?
It is the right by law stating that the first born especially the son, he would receive most of the parents belongings. will inherit the estate, excluding the younger siblings.

6. What was the Bubonic Plague and how did it affect society during Shakespeare's time?

It is a deadly disease that occurred during Shakespeare time. It kills 2 out of every 3 humans in four days of being infected with the bubonic plague. Swollen Lymph nodes is the worst symptom. It was originally brought from Europe. Its an infection that enters through the skin and travels through the lymphatics. It is carried by fleas, and then the fleas would go on rats, and the rats would go on the ship and wherever the ship landed, so would the rats with the fleas.












7. Explain these aspects of Elizabethan life:
- Food: The diets of people in the Elizabethan Age were not balanced. The rich wouldn’t eat any fresh fruit or vegetables. The poor were the people that ate the fruit and vegetables. Everything that came out of the ground was deemed bad and only for poor people. Dairy was also deemed not worthy of the rich, so it was also only eaten by the poor.
-Socialization: Many people did not socialize much. They looked forward to holidays when they would have a break from hard work and when they could have time to meet with friends after church on Sundays or when they would go to the theatre.

- City Life, Hygiene, Crime: City Life was very cramped. It was much like todays London. Busy, cramped and somewhat dirty. There was no drainage so all sewage and trash was dumped out of windows leaving a horrible stench through out the major cities. Over all city life was not ideal. Hygiene in the Elizabethan Era was not something that was important. It was fairly hard to take baths in those times. It called for heating up the water over a fire and then sitting uncomfortable in what some would call a wooden bucket. So the poor would only bathe a few times each year. The rich however would bathe once every couple of weeks. When they did takes bathes it was often in very dirty water anyways, because they did not have filters. The water they bathed in would be considered unfit to drink. Crime in the Elizabethan Age was very common. Crimes such as Spying, Murder, Witchcraft and Treason were all common. The punishment of these crimes depended on the class you were in. If you were lower class then your punishment was generally more harsh and painful. But if you were a member of the upper class then your punishment would not be very harsh at all and you might even get away with not being punished at all.
-Homes: Homes in the Elizabethan Age were built in the common half timber, black and white style. Inside there would be separate rooms and levels. Almost all floors were wooden with the exception of the very wealthy who had slate or marble floors. There was no running water and heat was produced by firs throughout the house. Lighting would have been by candles or torches and the roofs were often infested with rats and mice.
-Clothing: Clothing in the Elizabethan Age was either very simple for the poor or very intricate and expensive for the rich. Women’s clothing would be comprised of tights, hoop skirts, peticoats, gowns, cloaks, shoes and hats. Men’s clothing would be comprised of shirt, stockings, breeches, separate sleeves, belts, a ruff, cloaks, shoes and hats.

By Sydney Smith ( questions 1-6), Annie R.S. ( Question 7)