Elizabethan Life

Elizabethan Life

During the Elizabethan period, Europe was going through the Renaissance. Their culture and way of life was emerging from the Middle Ages into their peak of advancements. Also, their lives were very different from ours. They listened to different kinds of music and found other ways of enjoyment such as dancing. The food they ate is also very unusual from ours. Their society was broken into classes, women were obedient and their children could not get educated. Their culture was very unique and different, and their history still remains with us.

Depending on one’s place in society, there would be different amounts of meals each day. In general, people ate two meals a day. Lunch was called dinner, and the last meal in the evening was called supper. Breakfast was generally just a “breaking of one’s fast,” and it was not considered a meal. Foods of the Elizabethan period were mostly spiced with pepper, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, galingale, and cloves. Herbs and spices were added to many kinds of foods like puddings, meats, and pies to bring out the essence of them. People also ate a lot of eggs and different types of meat such as beef, pork, and many others. Another delicacy was bread. Some drinks during the time were ale, cider, and wine.

Long ago, people would make their own music. Workers would sing as they worked and commoners would make melody after meals. Instruments of the time were the lute, virginal, viola, recorder, bagpipe and the fiddle. Another popular way of entertainment was ringing the church bells. Elizabethan people loved to hear music. The music was performed because they didn’t have a recording studio or CDs. In big towns, the official musicians, also called the Waits, gave free concerts to everyone. Rich people hired musicians to play during dinner. Another popular activity during the Elizabethan time was dancing. Dancing was usually performed in couples. This was considered to be a good way for married people to interact. People with more money liked courtly dances such as The Brawl, The Volte, and The Pavane. Common people liked different types of dances, but preferred traditional dances such as The Jigg, The Dump, The Trenchmore, and The Hay. Dances back then were performed in many different languages, but mainly French and Italian.

During the Elizabethan time, there was a hint of foreshadowing. The Elizabethans, much like today, were broken down into social classes. However, the class you were born in was the class you were to remain for the rest of your life. Classes were broken down into three. The first class included the nobles, the second class was the middle class, and last class included the peasants. During the Elizabethan times, the way of life was chosen according to your social standpoint. Even though the peasants were at the bottom of the "social