What we said in class - The Cultural Context

The cultural context of Elizabethan England (ideas, beliefs, mores, ways, science…)

a.       a. Hierarchy:

God

Monarch

Angels

Men

Women

Animals

Plants

Rocks

People were superstitious

b.      b. Order = balance vs. disorder = mess = chaos

Order is good whereas disorder is bad.

c.      c. Elizabethan psychology: balance (or imbalance of the four humours (corresponding to 4 temperaments)

Anger comes from an excess of yellow bile

Black bile renders you sad if you have it in excess

Too much blood makes you passionate or bold

Phlegm is associated with laziness or dullness

d.      d. Social order

2 classes…

e.      e. Status of women

Patriarchy rules

f.        f. London

The City (of London) was ruled by the Puritans, so theatre that was a lewd activity had to take place outside the city.

The place was bustling, dangerous,…