Entertainment in the 16th century

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British Entertainment in the 16th century included art, fencing, painting, the stocks and even executions.

While the 16th century and early 17th century squarely fall into the Renaissance period in Europe, that period was not only one of scientific and cultural advance, but also involved the development of changing forms of entertainment – both for the masses and for the elite.

Despite the great breadth of advancements in the arts during this time, the economic conditions of this period affected the types of entertainment available. There were three classes in society: A wealthy nobility, a merchant class, and the peasantry, who were typically poor.

Aristocratic entertainment

The nobility could commission

horse riding and hunting; they enjoyed extravagant parties and dances, attended the opera house, and had the best seats in the theater.[1] At that time Cricket was also a game associated with the nobility. In 1563, Lawrence Humphrey praised the five classic sports of Greece for the nobility – "whirling, leaping, casting the darte, wrestling, running" and derided "dauncing, fayninge to instrumentes, playe at dise, chesse, or tennes."[2]

Entertainment for merchants

The middle class of

London
.

Entertainment for the poor

The poor could rarely afford the theater, generally having to stand as

Executions were seen as a form of entertainment (Alchin, 2005), as was attending public humiliations in the stocks
.

References

  1. ^ "The Tudors: Entertainment". Archived from the original on 6 August 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  2. ^ Sport, Politics, and Literature in the English Renaissance Gregory M. Colón Semenza; University of Delaware; 2003 229 pages pp 11 et seq

Bibliography

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