The Elizabethan Times – the Golden Age in the History of the World

As humans have been around for about six billion years now, the world has evolved and passed through different phases of time, and experienced several different methods of living. For many years, historians have been trying to decide what was the greatest time period of history, as there have been countless periods of growth and positive movement. Looking back through the world’s history, it’s pretty easy to say that the Elizabethan Era was the greatest time of all. This era was a time of English renaissance that inspired people through classical morals, celebration and international growth. It is often depicted as being “the golden age”, and it is widely romanticized in plays as it saw the peak in poetry, music and literature. Despite the many punishments and executions, the Elizabethan Era is best represented as the golden age because of its beautiful theatre, charming fashion and great amount of growth.

The Elizabethan Era was a highly fascinating time period and is mainly known as the golden age because of the incredible theatre produced. It was unfortunate that men and women of this time were expected to obey such strict guidelines, however, the abrupt recognition to music, poetry and literature brought a new form of entertainment and happiness to those living at that time. Shakespeare, for example, one of the most famous writers to this day, brought quality to the art of writing, which was quickly diminishing and influenced a new and impressive style of writing. In addition, the method of acting happened to be quite peculiar in comparison to how people behaved in the Elizabethan period. Their gestures were stylized based off of rhetoric books of their time, they used very confident and overdramatic expressions, which is what allowed actors to act freely, and branch off from their normal day-to-day expectations. As plays and performances became more popular, more theatres were built to provide more places to perform. The expansion of theatres created job opportunities for many that were much more personal then other jobs people could inherit, as well made good profit from how many theatre productions were held at this time. To conclude, theatre of the English renaissance was very special to many, and created the foundation to writing and acting for future years.

A very significant part of the Elizabethan times, that made it one of the greatest times of all, was the elegant and luxurious clothing worn by the people of this time. There were two very distinct styles of fashion, and the clothing people wore strongly indicated whether the person was wealthy or poor. Anyone who was considered wealthy were expected to dress in very elegant clothes, some of which included doublets, underclothing, ruffs, collars, hats, for men, and fancy jewlery, corsets, gowns, underclothing, ruffs and collars for women. Something else that made the fashion and clothing worn so unique was the way these clothes were made, as it was a much different process to make clothes in those days then it is today. Anyone noble, in fact anyone wealthy and of upper class, wore clothing of bright, vibrant colours, which the dye to produce these colours was very costly because they were obtained from insects found in the Mediterranean, and these bright coloured clothing were only available to the wealthy because of the high prices. People took inspiration from Queen Elizabeth and her noble family, as they were who brought about the beautiful and elegant looking clothing to the world. The clothing was all made by hand, for the most part, and had stunning embroidery, made of materials including very expensive velvet, silk and satin. Overall, unlike how fashion is today, clothing in the Elizabethan era could greatly indicate a person’s wealth and status in life, which is what made fashion so important in this time period.

The Elizabethan Era was also a time of peace and growth in countries especially England, which gives it the name “the golden age”. Queen Elizabeth, during this time, led England to war with Spain, which resulted in pure domination by England. This domination triggered a huge increase in wealth and success in England’s economy, which attributed to a great amount of progression during the Elizabethan years. The increase in wealth allowed the nation to use the money towards more art related things. This is where famous writers like Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe played a huge part in their society and began a new beginning and a new form of progress to the art of literature and theatre. Queen Elizabeth was the biggest instigator towards exploring new traits and further increases in the wealth of the nation, she began the new trend of purchasing exotic materials to show off the wealth of the country and tied together the whole Elizabethan Era. Beyond the struggles that were faced in this time, it is remembered for the significant and substantial amount of growth, inventions, and happiness.

Despite the battles and downfalls, the Elizabethan Era was one of the greatest times in history and deserves the name of the golden age because of the theatre, the growth and the fashion. A time that people to this day attempt to relive and bring back the atmosphere of this era as it is one that none can forget. The world will continue to grow with positive change, but moments like the Elizabethan era should always be remembered for that is what built the foundation to the amazing world created today.