ELIZABETHAN SOCIETY - WHO? WHY?

HOW THEY LIVED

Life in the Elizabethan period varied depending on class, gender and location. It was the time of the renaissance - the new ideas in science and literature and all aspects of Elizabethan Daily life. Everything in this era depended on how much money and power you had. If you had money, you had power - which meant you were respected, whereas if you were poor you wouldn't have any power and wouldn't be important to most people. Elizabethan women were subservient to men. They were dependent on their male relatives to support them and their families.

Queen Elizabeth I ruled England. She was a very popular monarch and the English people adored her. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and well versed in the art of rhetoric. She was a very strong leader, had a lot of power and inspired many women and even men. Elizabeth never married and therefore had never been subject to the wishes of a husband.

Elizabethan women were raised to believe they were inferior to men and that men knew better. Some rules for women included:

- They were tutored at home - there were no schools for girls
- They were not allowed to enter University
- They could not be heirs to their father's titles (except female royals)
- They could not become doctors or lawyers
- They did not have the right to vote
- There were no Elizabethan women in the army or navy
- They were not allowed to act in the theaters, but were allowed to perform in the Masques. 

APPEARANCE

The appearance of a noble Elizabethan woman was very important. An Elizabethan woman aged quickly during this era and would do everything in order to look young. Pregnancies took a toll on woman's bodies and most women who dieted lacked vitamin C, resulting in bad teeth and bleeding gums. A medieval woman might even dye her hair yellow with a mixture of saffron, cumin seed and oils, in order to keep with the fashion trend of the pale look. Face makeup was also applied to also acquire the pale look. A pale complexion was so desirable that Elizabethan women were bled to achieve this look. Face paint was made from plant roots and leaves were also applied. The makeup was lead based and therefore poisonous. The majority of the women who applied this were often ill.

The portraits that are around today give a slight idea into what Queen Elizabeth and other Elizabethans would have looked like. But due to them being portraits and not physical images, the artist would have hidden some of the features, like white face paint, in order to make her look beautiful and desirable. Whilst the ideal of fair skin and red hair was visible to every painter, they all captured her in different ways. From the portraits and information given about her from the artists, we are almost certain her hair was a golden red, her eyes were a dark brown and her nose was hooked in the middle. Her lips were rather thin, and her cheek bones pronounced. We are given information about how her hair was probably naturally curly or at least wavy. She may also have had freckles on her pale skin, but like all Elizabethan ladies she would have taken care to avoid getting the sun on her face as having a tan was not fashionable. It was known that the paler you were, the more powerful and rich you were. The poor would have been working outside and would have therefore gained a tan, whereas the rich would stay out of the sun as they wouldn't be doing hard, handy, poverty work. Also, because of her naturally pale skin, she may have been sensitive to the sun.