Concetti Chiave
- Entertainment was a vital aspect of daily life during the Elizabethan era, offering a respite from the hardships of the time.
- The court featured nightly events with feasts, music, and dancing, often showcasing dances imported from Italy, Spain, or France.
- Common people participated in traditional country dances linked to customs and festivals of Elizabethan England.
- Queen Elizabeth supported the arts and used dance as a form of daily exercise, influencing courtly and popular entertainment.
- Sports and games, including team sports, blood sports, and activities like archery and tennis, were integral to Elizabethan entertainment.
Elizabethan Entertainment
During the Elizabethan age, entertainment was an essential part of everyday life. Entertainment was important to people who lived in the Elizabethan age because it was a time when lives were hard and life was low. In the court, a nightly occurrence combined with feasts and banquets accompanied by music an dancing. Poor people enjoyed entertainment when there was something to celebrate. Dancing was an extremely popular pastime and it was considered an exercise of the body.
The court dances were often imported from Italy, Spain or France, and were performed as couples. The lower classes enjoyed the more traditional country dances, which were associated with customs and festivals celebrated in Elizabethan England. The Queen Elizabeth was a patron of all the arts. She had been taught to play the lute. She and her court used dance as a means of daily exercise. Many of the dances of the Elizabethan lower classes were full of old customs and rituals. Tournament,games,sports and gambling also played an important role in Elizabethan entertainment. Team sports gained in popularity during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. people enjoyed blood sports involving bears, bulls,cocks and dogs. Among the individual sports there were archery and golf and fencing. The Elizabethans play tennis.