Sixteenth-Century Family Life

Written by cheergirl93

The sixteenth-century family life was very different and much more difficult to live in than today’s family life. Some were built very close together, and unless you were part of the upper-class your house was not very nice. In fact, your home was more of a hut. The houses had dirt floors, and thatched roofs. Because the roofs were thatched, many animals would live on them to keep warm. Oftentimes the animals such as cats, dogs, and rats would actually fall through the roof. Hence, the saying, it’s raining cats and dogs. Most of the people had floors made of dirt. Only the wealthy people were able to have floors made of slate. Although, the floors became slippery in the winter, and then the upper class people put straws on the floors so they wouldn’t slip.

During the sixteenth-century, people would get married at a very young age. Boys would get married at 14 years of age, and the girls would get married at 12 years of age. These marriages happened without the consent of the parents. The children were able to choose their own spouses. Today it is illegal to get married at such an early age. In most states, you must be at least 18 years of age to marry legally. Back in the sixteenth century, the weddings were usually planned for June. This is because the people rarely took bath and the most common time to take a bath was in May. They figured that they still smelled okay after only a month so it was a good idea. When they did get married, the women always carried a bouquet of flowers so there was a pleasant odor. This is why it is still a tradition today to carry a bouquet of flowers when a woman gets married.

In today’s day in age, we can take a shower as many times as we want. Back in the 16th century, men and their sons were the first ones to take a bath-no shower! They would take a bath in a hot tub of water. Once the men were done, the sons would then take their turn. After they were all done, finally the women were allowed to take a bath and then last, but not least, the children were able to take a bath.

There were many customs that the people lived by. The cooking was always done on an open flame with a kettle in the kitchen. Today it is totally different. We depend on our ovens and our microwaves. Could you imagine cooking over an open flame? I guess if you were camping it would be okay! During the 16th century, only the good food such as pig/bacon was used for guests. As was the bread. The workers would be able to eat the burnt crust of the bread while the lower class or middle class could enjoy the middle of the bread.

I can’t imagine living during the 16th century. No electronic devices and what about those baths? I guess if you read about how life could be, and how it is today, its not that bad.

Works Cited
“Life in the 16th Centruy” Facts About the 1500s. 12 March 2008. <http://jnarin.wordpress.com/2006/06/08/life-in-the-1500-16th-century/>.

Sixteenth-Century Theater Companies
Written by emilym13

During the sixteenth century there were a lot of plays being produced. Theater companies were put together in order to maintain the production of plays. A theater company is a group of actors working together in order to produce play, these actors also get paid.

William Shakespeare was in some theater companies. One of the theater companies he was in was Lord Chamberlain’s men, also known as Kings Men. Lord Chamberlain’s men built the first Globe Theater on the bank side of London. These men recycled the timbers of the Theatre in order to build this.

Theater companies had a way of operation. The writers of the theater company would write the play. Shareholders put money upfront to produce a play that was approved by them. There were hired actors who preformed the play and usually received wages by the week. The actors usually had to learn and rehearse their parts in about three weeks. The actors then studied their parts and rehearsed in the morning, and performed in the afternoon whenever the play was scheduled for that day. If the play was not liked on the first day of its performance, the play would be dropped from the theater company and never appear again. In order for the theater company to profit they had to sell tickets and admission charges were usually doubled the first night of the plays performance.

The theater companies from the sixteenth century resemble today’s entertainment industry . This entertainment industry is the movie production. Theater companies and movie production industries operate similarly. Both had/have investors, actors, and writers.

In the sixteenth century actors and play writers needed theater companies. Actors and play writers relied on shareholders in order for the play to be produced. The actor relied on the play writers to make good plays, and the play writers relied on the actors to perform the play well. Also, the shareholders relied on the actors and play writers so perform the play well so that they would profit. So, basically everyone in a theater company relied on each other and that is why they needed theater companies.

Works Cited

Trussler, Simon. British Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Gurr, Andrew. “The Company System and Stagin.” Exploring Shakespeare.

Christopher Marlowe

by: laxmaniac152

If you are reading Romeo and Juliet it would help to know about other playwrights living and working the same time as Shakespeare, such as Christopher Marlowe. Marlowe was a very important playwright and he was one of the first playwrights to write in blank verse. He was a very mysterious man and had a very short life, living to only 29.

Christopher Marlowe was on of the most accomplished playwrights. Her was a very well known playwright and had many famous pieces such as Dido, Queen of Carthage and Tamburlaine The Great. Some of his other plays were, The Jew of Malta, The Tradgical History of Doctor Faustus, and Massacre at Paris. Christopher Marlowe was said to be the master of blank verse. Blank verse is a poem or piece of writing in which there is no rhyming. Other playwrights had used blank verse before Marlowe but no one had used it as well as him. Christopher Marlowe was a pioneer in the playwright world.

Christopher Marlowe’s life outside his work was quite strange. He was thought to be a spy. It has been thought that he was a spy for Queen Elizabeth herself in the royal secret service. Marlowe was also rumored to be a homosexual, a magician, and a counterfeiter. Marlowe earned his bachelor of the arts degree at Corpus Christi College at Cambridge. Christopher Marlowe was also known for his untimely death. He died at the age of 29 in a bar fight. He was stabbed in the eye with a blade that pierced his brain killing him instantly. Except for his early death, Christopher Marlowe had a very successful life.

Christopher Marlowe was perhaps one of the most important playwrights in history. He had many famous plays and had mastered a new style of righting called blank verse. Little is known about his life except that he was a very successful man.

Works Cited
Nardo,Don. Great Elizabethan Playwrights. Farmington Hills: Thomsom Gale, 2003.

Do you know the band, The Killers? They did a cover of the Dire Straits song, “Romeo and Juliet.” What do you think of their version?

Now that you’ve read the play and seen two modern film version of Romeo and Juliet, watch the video above and then critique the artist’s interpretation. You might consider what film clips he chooses to include and how they express his interpretation of the Dire Straits’ lyrics to the song, “Romeo and Juliet.” What did you like? What could have been done better? What other film clips might you have chosen to include?

(Since YouTube is blocked at school, you’ll need to watch this video clip at home.)

What happens to the other characters after the ending of the play? Shakespeare based his story on The Tragicalle Historye of Romeus and Juliet, a poem by Arthur Brooke. A the end of the poem, Brooke tells what happens to several characters after the lovers’ deaths. For example, the Apothecary is hanged for selling poison. In your opinion, what consequences (if any) should endured by the characters who outlive Romeo and Juliet, the Nurse, the Friar, and Lord Capulet?

What would have happened if Romeo and Juliet had not died? What would their life be like fifteen years into the future? Would the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues be resolved?

A tragedy tells of the defeat of a tragic hero. His or her downfall is the result of a tragic flaw or fatal character weakness. Who is the tragic hero (heroine) of Romeo and Juliet and what is his or her fatal weakness?

Do you think the feud between the Capulets and Montagues is really over?

In what ways are the adults responsible for the fate of Romeo and Juliet? Name some of the things they could have done differently.