Entertainment in Elizabethan era Britain
Elizabethan England was quite a strange time…. Women were strolling about with poufy collars and hats, and knights in shining armor were running about too. It seemes very stereotypical yet this was life. Entertainment was a large part of Elizabethan culture and it was not unusual to see actors in the town center or a joust starting off in the distance. These are just a few of the many activities that went along with living the Elizabethan lifestyle.
Feasts-Intricate meals for many people usually planned for religious holidays and ceremonies.
Banquet- A large feast to honor a person or persons for a given reason
Fairs- Large gatherings ( usually free and in a town center) often to celebrate a time or event/ holiday ( may be accompanied by a giant feast)
Plays- Sometimes in town centers, inns, indoor theater houses, or amphitheaters (outdoors).
Mystery plays- Stories and/ or parts of the bible acted out in a play.
Festivals- Similar to a fair except that they were most often held for the church or a religious holiday.
Dancing/ music- Extremely popular were music and was considered almost a part of life. Dancing almost always accompanied music usually played on early instruments such as the lute, the wooden flute, drums, etc.
Jousts/tournaments- Usually jousts and tournaments were like going to war but without the poor conditions and much more honor and wealth could be earned by competing. From an entertainment standpoint usually only the middle to upper classes went to a true tournament to watch and/or bet.
Games- Gaming which really just meant gambling was a popular pastime that was even done at the globe. People would play games like one & thirty (blackjack) and tables (backgammon). archery competitions would be bet on as well.
Animal sports- animal sports could include bear and bull baiting in which a bull or bear would be chained up and a bulldogs would one at a time go and attack the large beast. Other sports include dog and chicken fights.
Hunting- hunting was a pastime usually for sport and for no real use of the animal. This could include shooting ducks flying in the air, hunting coons (raccoons), etc. and having a dog retrieve the animal.
Hawking- also known as falconry, hawking was the sport of hunting small game ( like squirrels) and grouse ( a small bird) with a bird of prey suck as a falcon, a hawk or even an eagle.
Sports- Sports could include Gameball, Pall Mall, Rounders, Skittles, Stoolball, or Shinty
(Football),(croquet)(baseball),(bowling),(Cricket),(like hockey).
Fencing- A sword based game where two players partake in a sword fight" with special fencing swords .
Bibliography.
"Elizabethan Entertainment." Elizabethan Entertainment. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.