Elizabethan Burial Rituals

The Black Death occurred naturally in history. Most Europeans lived in small settlements or villages. The populations was about one hundred in each village. These villages were spread out about twenty miles apart. These villages were small and were cramped into even smaller areas. The sanitation and transportation services were limited and lacked in quality. These civilizations had little to no privacy because people were crammed into such small areas. The surrounding landscape included fields and pastures. The Black Death was so fatal due to the fact that people were living in such close spaces (Gottfried pg. 1-2). Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. Workers were in high demand and the peasants knew it. At this time, most pandemics were deadly since there was no medicine or technology. The Black Death was not the only pandemic going around Europe, other diseases include syphilis and gonorrhea.

By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europe’s population. First arriving in Europe through sick merchants on Genoese trading ships that docked in Sicily, the plague caused boils, fever, diarrhea, horrible pain, and shortly, death. No one was sure how the Death spread, and this combined with the fast course the disease took and the primitive medical practices of the time allowed for the disease to spread through the continent in devastating time. It only took about twenty-three days from the point of infection for the plague to be fatal (Benedictow). The Black Death spread extensively through Europe, affecting both nobility and peasants.

The transition from Medieval Europe to the Renaissance and beyond was not easy. Death and loss of power were the results of events such as the Black Death, the downfall in economy was also involved, but in the end it resulted in the discovery of new things. You can relate all of these changes to a modern event, known as the Zika virus. The Zika virus, which has recently invaded the United States, is a disease which has many of the same characteristics as the Black Death.

The black plague was a terrible crisis throughout the whole world and it affected many people, but it affected mostly the people of Europe. It killed thousands of people just in Europe and across the world as it killed many more. This was a feared disease in Europe because it was really contagious, and came from fleas on rats. The Plague was feared by many people because it was deathly, contagious, and made them feel awful. In Europe, and more specifically in London, during Elizabethan times the plague devastated the city. Many famous people lived during this time period, including Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. The black plague affected many people's lives and culture, but specifically it affected theaters, authors, and different types of writing and plays by making them more depressing during the Elizabethan time period.

Through the years of 1558 and 1603, Elizabeth I was the queen of England. This time was known as the Elizabethan era. The queen loved music and dance so much, that both were an integral part of the Elizabethan’s lifestyle. The Elizabethan era had many different types of music and dance. There were different aspects of music and dance and all often reflected the Elizabethan’s way of life.

“Ring around the rosy, Pocket full of posies, Ashes, ashes, We all fall down,” this tune can be heard today being sung by children, but the meaning of this song goes deeper than just a children’s song. This song is about the bubonic plague, the bubonic plague was a very dangerous disease that caused devastating effects all across medieval Europe. But why was this disease so devastating? Some reasons could have been: lack of medicine, the large death count, and the mass hysteria caused by the disease. These things are what made the bubonic plague such a devastating event in history.

But nobody knows what’s going on inside the preparation room, all they see is their deceased relative, good as new, when they walk by the open casket during the funeral. Mitford depicts the American funeral industry’s manipulation of death throughout the essay with either blatant or thinly-veiled verbal irony. In the last paragraph, Mitford states that the funeral director has put on a “well-oiled performance" where "the concept of death played no part whatsoever”, unless providing it was “inconsiderately mentioned” by the funeral conductors. This is extremely ironic because a funeral is supposed to revolved around death, and this makes us think about funerals and the embalmment process in a way that we usually don’t. These processes takes away the cruelty and brutality of death and make it seem trivial while making our deceased relatives life-like, with pink toned skin and a smile on their face, and death is not like that at all. Mitford then says that the funeral director has done all that he can to make the funeral was “a real pleasure” for "everybody

The illusion of death has wondered and astonished many for years. This doesn 't exclude the fantastic author Shakespeare. Throughout the play, Shakespeare focuses on death and how society glorifies it. He often uses metaphor and analogy in order to make death seem more welcoming.

Everyone has thought of their own mortality before, their unavoidable death, but what people tend to avoid and repress is the death of their loved ones. In Dr. Olberding’s essay “Other People Die” she brings to light the distinct difference between eastern and western philosophies on death. Dr. Olberding also argues that it is equally important to come to terms with your own mortality and the mortality of your loved ones. The early Confucians take on death largely differed with Zhuangzi’s through their lavish and long-term bereavement process. While Zhuangzi’s take on death outright renounces ritualized mourning. It is difficult to choose between what is more difficult to come to grips with, your own mortality or the mortality

The reactions from the Christians and the Muslims to the greatly feared disease, known as the Black Death or the Great Plague were different in several ways. The first Plague was documented from 541 to 544 CE. Known as the Plague of Justinian. The Plague came in three different ways: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. With bubonic being the most common.

The 14th century was a time when the threat of disease controlled European society, putting fear into every person’s mind. The Bubonic Plague was the disease that led not only to death, but to the abandonment of chivalry and sympathy. The disease first appeared in Europe in 1347, and by the end of 1348, it had traveled across most of Europe, leaving a trail of death (doc 1). With about one third of the population dead, Europe’s society was destroyed, but it was devastated further by the pessimistic and anti semitic attitudes many of the people had.

The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. First of all, the Black Death influenced the way people lived in Medieval Europe. People formed communities, isolated from each other. Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. It is clear that they believed that God would have mercy on them if they fled, or that the Plague would decline outside of the city walls. Unfortunately, many of these people died knowing that these ideas were both false. Another piece of evidence to why the Black Death had the most impact on Europe is the change of social structure. Specifically, the distinction between the upper and the lower

The Black Death was a very rough time and harmful, with the population dropping 1/3, having the economy being poor because of inflation, and people being afraid to walk to streets, The Black Death or what scientist call it “The Bubonic Plague”. This tragedy started around 1347‐ 1352 A.D, originating from East Asia or China .This disease was brought by the sea from ships, and on the ship was black rats and fleas were carrying it and it was passed down to the rats. These rodents spread the Bubonic plague from China to Europe and lastly, it hit Britain in 1348.

In the infamous tragedy of the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by William Shakespeare, the theme and influence of death are poignantly prevalent through the course of the play. The use of death in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is portrayed through 3 instances of the deaths of 4 major characters, Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio and Tybalt, in which the context of each death, are relative to the cause and development of their demise. Shakespeare capitalizes on the sophistication and complexity of death along with its varying impacts in relation to the context in which guides their tragedies.

Thesis: In the morality play “Death Comes for Everyman”, the author shares his comprehension of death and how death’s treatment is a symbolic message that comes from God. The idea of the play is that God sends his message through Death which humans can’t avoid from happening when the time approaches. Everyman, the character in the play tries to reason with Death to get more time, however Death refuses Everyman’s offers of riches for Death because he has no use for material possessions.