Elizabethan Leisure - Edexcel GCSE History Revision Notes

Summary of Leisure Activities

• Elizabethan society worked longer hours than today, leaving less time for leisure activities.
• Leisure activities: varied by gender and social class:
  • Nobility had more time and wealth to enjoy arts and sports.
  • Sports: hunting, hawking, fishing, fencing, real tennis, and wrestling.
  • Women: restricted in physical activities, expected to be feminine and modest.
• Theatre and Literature:
  • Theatre was a major form of entertainment for all classes, used by Elizabeth I to spread political messages.
  • Elizabethan literature was inspired by exploration and historical preservation, popular mainly among the literate upper classes.

Sports in Elizabethan England

• Nobility Sports:
  • Hunting: both men and women on horseback with hounds.
  • Hawking: using trained hawks.
  • Fencing: exclusively for men.
  • Real Tennis: indoor game similar to modern squash, for men only.
  • Swimming and Wrestling: some activities available to men only.
• Working Class Sports:
  • Wrestling and Swimming: accessible to all classes, but public for the working class.
  • Football: no safety rules; larger teams and fields; considered dangerous by nobility.

Spectator Sports

• Commonly watched sports: baiting and cock-fighting.
  • Baiting: involved bears or bulls attacked by dogs; spectators bet on outcomes.
  • Cock-fighting: two cockerels fight to the death; betting involved.
  • These sports were popular across all classes, despite some moral objections, particularly from Puritans.

Elizabethan Literature

• Exploration inspired new writings and historical preservation.
• Popular genres: biographies, history, and poetry.
• Humanism: encouraged translation of classical texts into English.

Elizabethan Theatre

• Development:
  • No theatres in 1555; by 1567, London allowed theatre buildings.
  • Supported by wealthy patrons like the Earl of Leicester.
  • Theatres like The Red Lion, The Globe, and The Rose were built.
• Impact:
  • Used by Elizabeth I to spread political messages and manage religious conflicts.
  • Censorship introduced by the government.

Music and Dancing

• Music enjoyed by all classes, with technological advancements improving instruments.
• Upper Classes:
  • Instruments: lutes and harpsichords.
  • Employed musicians and enjoyed private performances.
• Lower Classes:
  • Experienced music at public events like fairs and markets.
• Dancing:
  • Universal activity, though classes did not mix in dance settings.
  • Upper classes danced at private events; lower classes at public gatherings.