Elizabethan England and the Upper Class
Though Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona, Shakespeare wrote the tale in London. He had never been to Italy, and there weren’t many resources on “everyday life in Verona” available to London residents at the time. It’s safe to assume that the Verona of Romeo and Juliet was highly influenced by the aristocracy Shakespeare knew: England's upper crust.
Unlike the Italian city-states, England was a unified country; one monarch reigned over each English citizen. Thus, the laws and social hierarchy of England were much more uniform than the varying cultures of Italy.
The social hierarchy in England was strictly upheld, each rung of society expected to stay firmly in their place. The upper class generally consisted of the nobility, knights, and those of noble or knightly ancestry. The English aristocrats maintained their fortune through real estate: they were mainly landlords. It was extremely difficult to purchase land in England at this time, as most of it passed from one wealthy generation to the next. The English nobility made their fortunes renting out their ancestral lands and estates to the lower classes. It was this level of society that most resembled the newly formed Italian aristocracy – the social class the Montagues and Capulets fall in.
The English upper class had large homes where the family would live, along with servants. It was unusual for relatives beyond the nuclear family to live together. Between mother, father, children, nurses, and servants, the household of an aristocrat would average around 40 in number. The Lord and Lady of the household concerned themselves primarily with maintaining the name and status of the family, while the caretaking and education of the children was left to nurses and tutors.
The system of raising and educating aristocratic children in England was quite similar to the Italian way, at least early on. Young women were taught to read and write, but their education focused on traits that would make them a good marriage match: sewing, music, and languages. A private tutor generally taught boys the sciences and philosophies at home. At a certain age, children would likely be sent to court, where they would act as pages and ladies-in-waiting to the ruling class. The young aristocracy spent their adolescent years working in these esteemed positions, polishing their social graces and making contacts who could help their stars rise. The parents of these children would broker marriages for them according to their own alliances and goals. The marriage age was a bit higher than other European countries, particularly for women; in Elizabethan England, the average age of marriage for a man was 27, and 22 for a woman. Italy’s marriage age averaged 25 and 15, and France’s averaged 26 and 17. After marriage, the newlyweds would relocate to their own household. Though they would keep their own separate home, the couple would be associated with the groom’s family.
Unlike the Italian city-states, England was a unified country; one monarch reigned over each English citizen. Thus, the laws and social hierarchy of England were much more uniform than the varying cultures of Italy.
The social hierarchy in England was strictly upheld, each rung of society expected to stay firmly in their place. The upper class generally consisted of the nobility, knights, and those of noble or knightly ancestry. The English aristocrats maintained their fortune through real estate: they were mainly landlords. It was extremely difficult to purchase land in England at this time, as most of it passed from one wealthy generation to the next. The English nobility made their fortunes renting out their ancestral lands and estates to the lower classes. It was this level of society that most resembled the newly formed Italian aristocracy – the social class the Montagues and Capulets fall in.
The English upper class had large homes where the family would live, along with servants. It was unusual for relatives beyond the nuclear family to live together. Between mother, father, children, nurses, and servants, the household of an aristocrat would average around 40 in number. The Lord and Lady of the household concerned themselves primarily with maintaining the name and status of the family, while the caretaking and education of the children was left to nurses and tutors.
The system of raising and educating aristocratic children in England was quite similar to the Italian way, at least early on. Young women were taught to read and write, but their education focused on traits that would make them a good marriage match: sewing, music, and languages. A private tutor generally taught boys the sciences and philosophies at home. At a certain age, children would likely be sent to court, where they would act as pages and ladies-in-waiting to the ruling class. The young aristocracy spent their adolescent years working in these esteemed positions, polishing their social graces and making contacts who could help their stars rise. The parents of these children would broker marriages for them according to their own alliances and goals. The marriage age was a bit higher than other European countries, particularly for women; in Elizabethan England, the average age of marriage for a man was 27, and 22 for a woman. Italy’s marriage age averaged 25 and 15, and France’s averaged 26 and 17. After marriage, the newlyweds would relocate to their own household. Though they would keep their own separate home, the couple would be associated with the groom’s family.
Information Drawn From:
Fox, Alistair. The English Renaissance: Identity and Representation in Elizabethan England. Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 1997. Print.
Gillies, John. Shakespeare and the Geography of Difference. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. Print.
Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Elizabethan England. Westport, Conn [u.a.: Greenwood, 1995. Print.
Gillies, John. Shakespeare and the Geography of Difference. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Print.
Greenblatt, Stephen. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. Print.
Singman, Jeffrey L. Daily Life in Elizabethan England. Westport, Conn [u.a.: Greenwood, 1995. Print.