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The Black Death Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan Era
The Black Death Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan Era
The Black Death Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan Era
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The Elizabethan Era had many rules and laws, so many that sometimes they were hard to keep track of. The capital offenses included robbery, larceny/theft, rape, and arson (Harrison). The more frequently committed crimes included theft, begging, cutpurses, adultery, debtors, poaching, forgery, fraud, and dice-cogging (Elizabethan Crime). In a desperate effort to control how the less fortunate and homeless behaved, Parliament passed the Poor Laws, which made it illegal to beg for food and money (Harrison). These laws went so far as to make it illegal to live on the streets (Crime and Punishment).
Shakespearean clothing fits in the Elizabethan category. The Elizabethan Era is also known as the Golden Age due to the European’s growth in power. Elizabethan Era clothing was very fancy, complex, and colorful. Huge, puffy dresses and frilly collars come to mind when thinking about this era’s style. The people considered fashion very important.
During the Elizabethan era there were dangerous disease such as the Black Death. The Black Death was killing half of the population. Another disease that was dangerous was Anemia. “Elizabethan era failed to give a high standard of health; people are plagued by various diseases and ailments.” (Alchin)
It was a crisis where no one knew why death kept coming. Not only did kill, but it impacted how life was lived, too. Overall, the black death forever damaged the social pillars in Europe. One of the social pillars was how family was, and with a crisis like the plague, family wasn’t the biggest factor in surviving. In the event that the plague was spreading, it scared others and led them to panic.
Since the plague hit, people began to panic. There were some instances where they would abandon their dying relatives, burn or purge people in their communities, closed down businesses and even move out to the country side. There was a rumor at the time that the black death could not infect people who lived in the country side. However, if people in the city have been in contact with the plague and they move to the country side, then they can infect the people there and also the livestock there. Therefore, people will be starved to death since the livestock was a source of food and also they need farmers to raise livestock and work the fields.
Firstly, there were no sewers and all waste was dumped either on the streets or in the rivers. To make matters even worse, London had lots of ports which allowed rats with infected fleas the ability to get into London. Because of all the factors that made London so unsanitary, the Black Plague spread very quickly. Within weeks of the first victim in London getting infected, it was dangerous to even stand outside. The only people outside were plague physicians.
Did the Elizabethan people grow their own food in their era? Yes they had to grow their own food in their era. Back then they had to grow their own food to. The reason for that was to provide for their family. Because then they didn't have food stores or markets where they could go get food for their family.
The Black Death brought a period of growth to an end, and killed roughly a third of Europe’s population in just a few years. While the plague was present, a series of destructive wars were tearing apart trade and economy. Europe was repeatedly experiencing hard times and the Plague was when they just couldn't handle anything else (concourse). As more and more people died, it became much harder to find people to work fields, harvest crops, and produce other goods and services. Peasants began to demand higher wages.
The spread of disease was rampant and difficult to contain. Outbreaks of smallpox, malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, cholera, and yellow fever ensued. Crime increased
The Start Of Something Devastating During the the Renaissance the Bubonic plague killed millions of people in Europe. The plague “is a severe and potentially deadly bacterial infection that affects humans and mammals”( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In 1347 the plague first arrived to Europe it was something never seen before but heard of. People had theories of what was the cause of the plague but they were wrong not only did the bubonic plague bring death to most of the European population but it also caused an economic depression.
The cramped living conditions, lack of proper medical care, and even lack of attention for the sick helped the virus spread. With the medical knowledge available at the time that is not hard to fathom. Plus one has to take into count self-preservation. The best chance to stay healthy was to avoid anyone who may have the plague or someone who has possibly come into contact with a victim of it. Which was basically impossible in those conditions.
The plague was fatal and spread rapidly in cities where people were close together. This was one of the worst outbreaks of a disease in history and drastically brought down the population. The Black Plague had an effect on the economy, religion, and culture in Europe during the Renaissance period. The Black Plague
Elizabethan artists drew artistic concepts from European renaissance and were mostly influenced by Queen Elizabeth's desires herself. The Queen is often featured in paintings and literature of this time. Her love of arts also raised artists into a higher social class. The main goal of all artists was to impress the queen. Notably Shakespeare looked to do this when writing his plays.
Elizabethan Era vs. Modern Era: Similarities and Differences The Elizabethan era is considered as the Golden age in English history. It is called Elizabethan era because of Queen Elizabeth I and her reign. The era is most famous for theatre, because of plays that broke free of England’s past style of theatre that was composed by William Shakespeare and many others. There are a lot of similarities and differences between this era and the modern era. During the Elizabethan era, women were considered subordinate to men.
A Comparison of Elizabethan England and Modern-Day England The Elizabethan Era is often considered the ‘Golden Age’ or ‘Renaissance’ of English History. It was called Elizabethan simply because it coincided with Queen Elizabeth I’s rule. It was a generation of expansion of ideas and flowering of poetry, music, and literature and it greatly contributed to the theatre field.
