Romeo and Juliet was written in 1595 Elizabethan Era

1/3 and ½ of the people died before the age of 16

 1590’s Europe  poor crops and wars - destroyed transportation and food supplies.  Bread is scarce  Prices of food, fuel, and housing are high, while wages are low.  starved to death  farming.  lifespan 35 years  1/3 and ½ died before the age of 16  If you survived to mid-teens you would probably live to your 50s or 60s

 Nobility owned huge amounts of land.  Gentry and rich merchants owned huge amounts of land usually educated had a family coat of arms. never did any manual work.  Yeomen and craftsmen owned their own land they could be as wealthy as gentlemen but they worked alongside their men. often able to read and write.  Tenant farmers leased their land from the rich.  Wage earners often illiterate and very poor 50% lived at subsistence level – they had just enough food, clothes, and shelter to survive.

 The rich had grand houses  The middle class  sturdy houses with a timber frame.  roofs were usually thatched  some well off people had tiles.  Furniture was very basic – was expected to last for generations.  slept on feather mattresses rather than straw ones.  Chairs were expensive so many had stools and/or benches.

 rich people - lots of meat, few vegetables  Poor people – little bit of meat, lots of vegetables  On certain days by law people had to eat fish instead of meat. At first this was for religious reasons but later it was to support the fishing industry.  Lower class  ½ lb. bread, 1 pint of beer, 1 pint of porridge, and 1/4 lb of meat  the beer had a very low alcohol content!  Morning - Bread and cheese and onions  Only 1 cooked meal/day  Mixed grain with water and added vegetables and meat (if they could afford it)  They though fresh fruit was bad for you – they did eat it cooked  They liked sweet food but sugar was very expensive so they used honey to sweeten their food

 Travelled by horse  Rich people rode in carriages (without springs and roads were very bumpy)  You would be lucky to travel 50-60km/day – the rich deliberately traveled slowly. They felt it was undignified to hurry.

 The rich enjoyed tournaments – dressed in armor and rode horses – used wooden lances and swords  Hunting  Billiards  Board games – chess and backgammon  Gambling – poor people with dice  Music and dancing  Reading – rich people  Football – much rougher, no rules – broken limbs were common  Watching public executions

 Boys  nursery school = “petty school”  Grammar school – age 7  School 6am-11, 1-5pm, 6 days/week  Discipline was savage  15 or 16 of the brightest boys might go to one of England’s two universities, Oxford and Cambridge.  Many boys did not go to school – might do an apprenticeship and learn a trade.  Some craftsmen could read and write but few laborers could.  Girls  rich – tutor taught them at home  Middle class – mother might teach them  Lower class girls were not educated.  Children who did not go to school were expected to work.

Women  inferior to men.  obey their parents without question.  function in life was to marry and bear children.  obey their husband because they were commanded by God.  husbands were chosen by their fathers or other male relatives. Men  Head of the house  Take care of the family  Passed their trade onto their sons

 Children from rich families – arranged marriages.  If they refused – beaten until they changed their minds.  Children from poorer families could choose whom they married.  Boys married between the ages of 18-21, girls 15 or 16. No legal age for marriage.  Marriages were arranged for  political reasons  Riches  land or status  or to forge bonds between two families.  Marrying for love - bizarre and foolish.

 Made of wool  Men  Breeches  “hose” Layers:  Doublets  jerkin  cloak or cape  Women  Petticoat  Wool dress – bodice/corset and a skirt  Everyone wore hats – by law all men except nobles had to wear a woolen cap on Sundays (to give the wool cap makers plenty of work!)  Buttons were for decoration – clothes were held together with laces or pins  Dyes were expensive – only the rich could afford bright red and black  Poor often wore brown