IsabellaAlvarado

English
January26,2016

ElizabethanEraResearchPaper

TheElizabethanerawasaneraofliterature,learningandexplorationinEnglish
history.It
lastedfrom1558upuntil1603.TheerawasnamedafterQueenElizabethI,recognized
asoneofthegreatestqueensofEngland(Jones,M,OverviewofElizabethI).The
eraisknownasbeingthegoldenageinliteraryarts.RomeoandJuliet,writtenby
Shakespeare,tookplaceintheElizabethanera,theeraWilliamShakespearelivedin.
ThecommunitycultureinfluencedRomeoandJulietandthedecisionstheymade.
SocialclassesplayedanimportantroleintheElizabethanera.Theyinfluencedmany
importantandminoraspectsofacommonerslife.Manypeoplebelievedthatthese
socialclasseswerecreatedbyGod,andhadblessedeachclass.Theydetermined
whatyoucouldwear,whereyoucouldlive,andtheybasicallydeterminedthewhole
restofyourwholelife.ThesocialclassesweresomethingthatQueenElizabethwas
alwayssetonkeepinginplaceduringherrule(SoniaG.BensonandJenniferYork
Stock,"DailyLifeintheElizabethanEra").Sheespeciallymadesurethenobleswere
alwaysastepdown.
Thereweresixsocialclasses.Forthemostparttheyweredeterminedbywealth.
Thesewerethe6classes.ThesesocialclasseswereheldinplacebyQueenElizabeth

I.QueenElizabethwasthemonarchatthetime,thehighestrankingpersoninEngland.
Thesecondsocialclasswasthenobility,madeofupofknightsandnobility.Thewere
menwhowerethemostpowerfulandhadthemostwealth.Thepeoplethatfollowed
werenoblefamilies.Becomingamemberofthenobilitycouldonlybedonebybirth.
Extenuatingcircumstancescouldbecarriedoutbyagrantfromaqueenorking.The
nobleclasswasasmallclass,andduringShakespearestimeitonlyconsistedofabout
55families.TheGentryclassincludedknights,squires,gentlemen,andgentlewomen.
TheybecamethemostimportantsocialclassduringQueenElizabethsreign.Entryin
thegentrywaswealth.Manyexplorersandphilosopherswereofthegentryclass(e.g.
FrancisDrake,SirWalterRaleigh).Themerchantslivedofftradingmanufactured
goods.Theygainedprofitunderthepretensethattheincreasedpricesofgoodswould
benefitthecountry.TheYeomenwerelookedatasthelowerincomeclass.Theywere
poor,homeless,or/andunemployed.Thesepeoplehadnogeneralrights,andtheydid
notownanyland.(LostColony,2015).
Thepeoplewerelargelyaffectedbythesocialclasses.Everyonebelieveditwasnt
allowedtogoagainstthesocialorder.Thesocialclassesmadepeoplewhowerent
apartofthenobilitywanttoincreasetheirstanding.Somepeopletriedtofurthertheir
education,inhopeditwouldgrantthemaentranceintoahighersocialclass.Others
triedtofindwaystobegrantedacceptanceintoaclassbythequeen.TheParliament
determinedwhatclothesyouwouldwearbasedonyoursocialstatus.Thiswasalsoa
waytokeepthedistinctionbetweenclasses(ElizabethanEraSocialHierarchy,2013).

Becauseoftheresearchabove,thisprovesthatRomeoandJulietsdecisionswere
influencedbytheircommunityculture.Theywereofthenobilityclass.Theywere
expectedtocarrythemselveswithsomeamountofmaturity.Ithinkthatbecausethey
wereinthehighestclassallowed,otherthanthequeen,theyhadmorecomfortwith
them.Theywerentpoor,andtheydidnthavetoworklikethelowerclassatthetime.I
thinkthatthatreallystronglyimpactedtheirdecision.Theymadeveryreckless
decisions,thatwereallforthelovetheyshared.Ithinkiftheywereofalowerclass,
theydefinitelywouldnothavemadethesamedecisions.Theywouldhavemore
mattersontheirmindthenfallinginlove.Theydidnthavetoreallymakedecisions
basedontheirsocialclasses.
Question1connectstothisbecausetheclasseswerewhatgavethemthecomfort.
Theirfamilieswerewealthy.Theydidnthavethesameworriesateenagerinoneofthe
lowerclasseshad.Question2connectstothetextbecauseitshowsthatRomeoand
Julietdidntseemtohavethesamehardshipsasotherpeople.Theywerentstruggling
tomoveupthesocialclassestheywerealreadyatthetop.Asnobility,theywerent
restrictedforthemostpart.ThisshowswhythecommunitycultureinfluencedRomeo
andJulietsdecisions.Theydidntreallymaketheirdecisionsbasedonotherpeople.It
wasallinfavoroftheirloveforeachother.
MycommunityculturedoesinfluencethedecisionsImake.Imakedecisionsbasedon
whatIvelearned.AllmymoralshavecomefromeverythingImaround.Everychoice
IvemadehasbeeninfluencedbyeverythingIvelearnedtillthispoint.The
neighborhoodIvegrownupinhashadaninfluenceonmethroughoutmylife.Whether

itwaschoosingtowalksomewherealone,ormakingfriendswithmyneighbors.My
parentsexpectationshavealwaysinfluencedmydecisions,fromwhenIwasalittle
kindergartener.Ibelievemoralsarewhatmakeuptheaspectsofsomeonescharacter.
EverythingIdo,goodorbad,iscenteredaroundwhatIwantmyfuturetolooklike.