Food, sports, holidays. All of these things make our lives more enjoyable. While these things were different in the Elizabethan Era, they were just as relevant to the time period, and made everyday life more exciting. Food showed social status which is very important in Romeo and Juliet because it shows how the Montagues and Capulets were rich. While the play doesn't directly talk about sports and holidays, it does talk about a party, much like the ones held during a holiday/festival. Sports played a huge impact on the time period as a source of entertainment. Back then they didn't have electronics to occupy them, so sports provided the enjoyment. Only the wealthier people could afford to go to sporting events so it also showed social class. As you read/watch our presentation, I hope you keep in mind the impact food, sports, and holidays had on the time period Shakespeare's plays took place. ~Vanessa and Mia
Sports
Sports during the Elizabethan Era included wrestling, football, fencing, archery, bowling, dice, hammer throwing, backgammon, billiards, cards, chess, and dog and cock fighting. The Elizabethan Era was dangerous and violent for team sports. Most popular bloody games involved animals and people fighting to the death. Most Elizabethan sports included elements of gaming and gambling.
Holidays
Food
In the Elizabethan Era the foods people ate usually depended on their social status. Lower class meals usually consisted of bread and cheese. They normally ate rye bread and vegetables that come from the ground often in some type of soup or stew. Lower class people were healthier than the upper class because "poorer foods" contained more necessary nutrients and vitamins. Since lower classes typically ate vegetables and other foods the upper classes consumed a lot of sugar which led to many health issues. They also ate thick bread called manchet and the more spices you set the richer you were. The water during elizabethan times was very dirty, so most drank wine and ale. Low consumptions of alcohol still averaged to about a gallon a day for a single person.
Credits:
Created with images by RitaE - "strudel apple strudel apple" • Ben_Kerckx - "fencing sports sword" • RyanMcGuire - "arm-wrestling indian wrestling competition" • Paradigm - "Duckpin Bowling" • mickrh - "target archery arrow" • Masahiro Ihara - "Vegetables in Whole Foods Market" • TiBine - "bread roll eat" • nicolerugman - "Corbieres Chateau Fontareche" • attaboy - "Cheese!"