Research Paper On The Elizabethan Stage

The Elizabethan stage took place through the years of 1558­1603 and was reigned by Queen Elizabeth l. This stage is often referred to as the golden age in English history. It is considered one of the most famous periods in history, not only for the Virgin Queen, but the era itself. During this time the people of England lived a certain way, Queen Elizabeth helped the country excel over others, and the theater developed. Living in the golden age was not always pleasant. For 95 percent of the population their daily lives were difficult and many people struggled to meet ends needs. Peasants would live in the farmlands and performed nearly all the labor. They tended to work from sunrise to sunset and only kept a small portion of their profit,
England was also very well­off compared to other nations located in Europe. Under the monarch of Queen Elizabeth I, an internal peace between the religious battles of Protestants and Catholics and the political battles that took place between parliament and the monarchy. Even though England was not extremely successful in the military throughout the Elizabethan stage, they did avoid any defeats. During this time they were also able to build up a powerful navy. This was able to provide the country with long term peace which lasted into later periods. Another reason England was better off than the other countries was due to Elizabeth stealing from the Spanish treasure ships, selling African slaves, and raiding settlements that had low defences. Queen Elizabeth first inherited England while it was bankrupt. By 1574 she had gotten the country out of debt. By 1584 she had brought an extreme surplus into the country. Lastly, the Elizabethan stage was significant over others because it saw significant scientific progress. Much of this progress was related to navigational skills. For example, “Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe between 1577 and 1581, and Martin Frobisher explored the Arctic”. Though this era did lack researching structure, it still had a large impact, even on people today. It is obvious that the Elizabethan stage excelled in many areas over
Nowadays we have a universal education that is available to all genders. During Queen Elizabeth's era education was limited. Few boys went to a university and even fewer girls were educated through being home schooled. During this time they mostly learned Greek and Latin and household skills. Another difference between the Elizabethan stage and today is the medical system. Back then doctors did not have much knowledge. Serious illnesses were incurable and surgery was not available. Most people were not even capable of seeing a doctor because they lived far in the country where no doctor was available. In this case, midwives did all the medical treatment, including setting bone breaks where they received instructions from this in their household manual. Today the medical field is very advanced and drastically improving. Doctors are curing many deadly diseases and any person has access to a nearby hospital. In the Elizabethan era, many people received extremely harsh punishments. For example, stealing a small amount would result in being hung. Other punishments included getting whipped, branded, having a persons tongue slit, or even getting a hand cut off. All of these were results of minor offences. In addition, if a person did not attend church on Sunday they would be fined a great amount of money. Catholics and others were persecuted. If a child did not respect their parents or another adult they