by Megan Mueller

 

In Elizabethan England, the theatre was not the only place where citizens would go to enjoy a good night out. Many other activities were available to both common citizens and members of high society to enjoy nightly.

Animal baiting, though inhumane and insane to most of us in this day and age, was a favorite activity that Queen Elizabeth participated in regularly. Historically, she had hosted a bull and bear-baiting for the visiting ambassador from France in her own castle. At this time, she had only been on the throne for a single year. In response to the royal baiting, most of the population of England attended their own baitings in rings around the country where they could see different fights between animals, like dogs against horses, monkeys against horses, bears against dogs, dogs against bulls, and more. The popularity of animal baiting became so well known and liked that many people knew some of the champion animals by name, as if they were some kind of celebrity, and cheered them on through this. Bets were made on these fights, much like the betting on horse races now. Some of the lower class citizens were unable to attend the more upscale fights, but fighting rooster rings dotted London especially, and one was created in the royal palace itself.

Another activity, despite it’s failed attempt by the government in England, was the lottery. Citizens could buy tickets for 10 shillings apiece, which kept the poorer citizens out of the running usually. As a price, the winner would be paid in money and luxury goods, like linen and expensive cloth or plate. If someone won while they were in jail, their crimes would be automatically forgiven, which incentivized the incarcerated citizens to buy as many tickets as possible. It eventually failed, due to it’s high price and people’s apprehension to buy tickets.

 

Sporting events were fun activities many people took pleasure in participating, including archery and bowling (on the grass). Despite the rise of small firearms in this age, Queen Elizabeth required all men between the ages of seven and 60 to know how to use a bow, in the event that she would have to create an army to fight an enemy. The violence of animal baiting also popularized wrestling and football.

Drugs were also used recreationally in this era by many members of society. Tobacco though originally used for medicinal properties at the time, became a popular addictive among all the classes in England. The same kind of benefits were reaped from cannabis and opium in many home remedies, despite their side effects that became more understood in the future.

 

In Taming of the Shrew, the final act of the play includes Lucentio hosting a banquet with Kate and Petruchio as well as Hortensio and the Widow to celebrate the three marriages that had occured in the past years between the three men. Feasts were common in Elizabethan England and celebrated an extensive range of different occasions.

Twelfth Night was a festival that was celebrated on January 5th, marking the official end of the holiday season, encompassing Christmas, Boxing day, and New Years Day. Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was written to be performed at the Twelfth Night festival, to pay homage to the reversal of roles that the festival consisted of. Royals would act as if they were peasants and vice versa to describe the world turning upside down. At the feast, a giant cake would be baked with a single bean hidden inside, and whomever found the bean in their slice became the ‘Lord of Misrule’, and ruled the feast. Once the clock struck midnight, however, the world would go back to normal and the night’s festivities would conclude.

 

May Day was another festival celebrated in England which symbolized the transition from spring to summer. May Day was actually derived from other European traditions, like spring festivals from Egypt and India as well as the italian festival for the goddess Flora, who ruled over springtime and flowers. Ancient Celtic traditions celebrated ‘Beltane’, who was the Celtic god of light and the sun. This festival was thought to celebrate the same god in May Day’s early years, where Druids were worshipped.

 

Though some traditions had changed over the years, basics of May Day have been upheld since as far back as the Middle Ages. Citizens woke up early on May 1st to put up the ‘may pole’, a large tree trunk that had been stripped of it’s branches and then decorated with flowers and ribbons. Dances were choreographed for the maypole, where women and children ran with ribbons to knot their pieces around the pole in intricate ways. At the May Day festival, a king and queen of May, who were considered the ‘fairest’ citizens of the village, were crowned and ruled over both the festival and the other village dances. In the Elizabethan Era, the May Day king and queen were called Robin Hood and Maid Marian, respectively, as an allusion to the tale of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.

“Amuseuments and Pastimes in Elizabethan England.” The British Library, The British Library, 17 Feb. 2016, http://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/amusements-and-pastimes-in-elizabethan-england.

Emma. “Everything Elizabethan.” Twelfth Night, 1 Jan. 1970, everythingelizabethan.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-5th-is-twelfth-and-final-night.html.

Hand, L R. “Have Fun Learning English.” English Grammar – The Verb to Have – Learn English, http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/mayday.html.