The Golden Age of Society
Why Elizabethan England is called a Golden Age: rising prosperity and fashion, the rise of the gentry and the great houses they built to show off their wealth, and the growth of the theatre alongside the fierce arguments about whether it should be allowed at all.
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A Golden Age for some
Historians often call the later years of Elizabeth I a Golden Age. The country was more settled, trade was growing, and wealthy people had more money to spend than before. They spent it on show: fine clothes that displayed status, grand new houses, and trips to the fast-growing theatres. This module looks at the fashion, the rise of the gentry, the great houses and the theatre. It also keeps one important idea in view, that this age was golden for the wealthy far more than for the poor, whose hardship you study in another module.
Golden Age words
Learn these before you sort the evidence. Each names a part of Elizabethan society and culture that shows how new wealth was displayed.
Two views of the theatre
The theatre was the great new entertainment of the age, but people disagreed sharply about it. This split is the classic thing to weigh up in an answer.
How to judge the Golden Age
When you weigh up the Golden Age, ask two things. First, what is the evidence of new wealth and culture, such as finer clothes, grander houses and busier theatres? Second, who did it reach? A strong answer notes that the display of riches sat next to real hardship, so the age was golden for the gentry and merchants far more than for the labouring poor. Judge each feature by what it shows and by whom it reached.
Match the feature to what it shows
- expensive ruffs and rich fabrics
- a grand house with huge glass windows
- purpose-built playhouses drawing big crowds
- more landowners rising below the nobility
- wealth displayed through clothing and status
- wealth displayed through grand building
- a thriving new form of popular culture
- a growing and increasingly rich middle rank
Why did Puritans oppose the theatre?
Many Puritans wanted the playhouses closed. Which reason best matches their view?
- They believed plays were sinful and drew people away from honest work and worship.
- They thought all the plays were written by foreign enemies.
- They complained the seats cost far too much for anyone to afford.
- They said the queen had banned all forms of music and dance.
Signs of the Golden Age
Select the TWO developments that are evidence of the Golden Age of culture and wealth.
- The gentry built grand new country houses
- Purpose-built theatres put on popular plays
- The number of poor beggars rose sharply
- Outbreaks of plague closed the playhouses
Add up the theatre price
At the playhouse it cost one penny to stand near the stage. A place in the covered gallery cost one penny more, and a cushioned seat cost one further penny on top of that. Add the three pennies to find the cost of the cushioned seat. What is the answer in pence?
Order the theatre milestones
Put these steps in the rise of the Elizabethan theatre in order, earliest first.
- Plays are performed in the yards of inns
- The first purpose-built playhouses open in London
- Nobles and the queen pay for acting companies
- Large famous theatres such as the Globe draw huge crowds
Complete the story
The wealthy landowners below the nobility were the _____, and their numbers grew as trade prospered. To show off their wealth they built grand _____ houses. Rich people also displayed status through their _____, with laws controlling who could wear what. The new entertainment of the age was the _____, which was loved by many but opposed by Puritans.
Match the person or place
- William Shakespeare
- the Globe
- a starched ruff
- the rising gentry
- the age most celebrated playwright
- a famous London playhouse
- a fashion item that displayed wealth
- the landowners who built many great houses
Spot the true Golden Age facts
Tap the TWO statements that are true of the Elizabethan Golden Age.
- The gentry built grand houses to display wealth
- Purpose-built theatres grew popular in this period
- Everyone in England grew equally rich
- The queen banned all plays and public shows
Golden Age or not?
Read each description and choose the best judgement.
- A wealthy landowner builds a huge house with more glass than wall and fills it with fine furniture. Which best describes this?
- A Puritan preacher demands that a London playhouse be shut down. What is the most likely reason he gives?
- A student writes that the Golden Age made every person in England prosperous. How should this claim be judged?
Explain the Golden Age
Explain why Elizabethan England is often called a Golden Age, and how far that description is fair.
- Explain how fashion and the great houses displayed new wealth
- Explain who the gentry were and why their rise mattered
- Explain the growth of the theatre and its achievements
- Explain why some people, such as Puritans, opposed the theatre
- Finish by judging how far the age was golden for everyone, not just the wealthy