Shakespeare’s World

A guide to life in

Elizabethan times

Magic and Superstition

Fairies, magic, witches, spells, prophecies, and superstition were all a part of the Elizabethan view of life.

Often, these beliefs were as important to them as the teachings of the church.

Fairies etc were thought to lead people to the devil.

Magic and Superstition

Women that did not fit in to society for any reason were branded as witches. They were accused of working for the devil and often burned at the stake or drowned.

People believed that witches could: See into the future Curse people Bring plague and disease Cause natural disasters (flood etc) Cause death

Magic and Superstition

Elizabethans were believers in astrology and the stars because they saw the human body as being a representation of the universe. Therefore, the stars and signs of the zodiac were linked to them.

People believed that the stars could foretell their future (as some people do today with star signs.)

The Humours

There were said to be four humours to the human body that could influence your mood.

These humours were linked to the four elements.

The Humours

FIRE: Melancholy (black bile) = ‘melancholic’. A gloomy state of mind, depressed, dejected.

WATER: Phlegm = ‘phlegmatic’ (sluggishness and apathy, or calmness and composure)

AIR: Blood = ‘sanguine’ (cheerful, optimistic, hopeful, confident)

EARTH: Choler (yellow bile) = ‘choleric’ (irritable, easily angered)

Church and Religion

Very religious people in Elizabethan times. They believed strongly in the power of God, and God’s almighty rule over the universe.

The dominant Church of England was Roman Catholic but some people were unhappy with the church and felt that it was corrupt.

The Reformation took place where the unhappy group (Puritans) separated from the Catholic Church and formed their own church, called the Protestant Church.

Church and Religion

Puritans and Catholics fought in the name of religion. The Puritans wanted to cleanse (or purify) the remaining Catholic elements in England.

Puritans believed that many things were the work of the devil (sinful) Fine clothes Drinking Gambling Watching plays

By the time Shakespeare’s plays were being performed, they had relaxed slightly.

The Chain of Being

Elizabethan people believed strongly in a ‘chain of being’. This gave order to their universe as everything had its own place.

The Chain of Being

God

Moon

King

Church

Princes

Nobles

Man

Lion

Other Animals

Oak & Rose

Other Plants

Gold

Other Minerals

The Chain of Being

“The heavens themselves, the planets and their centre,

Observe degree, priority and place,

Insisture, course, proportion, season, form,

Office and custom, in all line of order.” (Troilus and

Cressida)