Why is the Elizabethan period called a 'golden age', and what was life really like?
Everyday life in Elizabethan England including the gap between rich and poor, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the flourishing of the theatre, and the voyages of exploration that made the age a 'golden age'.
A focused answer to everyday life and the golden age in the Eduqas British study in depth, covering the gap between rich and poor, Elizabethan poverty and the Poor Laws, the rise of the theatre, and the great voyages of exploration.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point covers society and culture in Eduqas's Component 1 British study in depth, and explains why the reign is remembered as a "golden age". You need to explain everyday life and the gap between rich and poor, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the flourishing of the theatre, and the great voyages of exploration. Because the depth study uses source and interpretation questions, learn the detail well enough to judge how far the period really deserves the "golden age" label.
Rich and poor
Poverty and the Poor Laws
The theatre
Exploration and the wider world
Try this
Q1. What was the difference between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor in Elizabethan England? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The deserving (impotent) poor were the old, sick and disabled who could not work and were given relief; the undeserving (sturdy) poor were the able-bodied seen as choosing to beg, who were punished or set to work.
Q2. Explain why the Elizabethan period is remembered as a "golden age". [Short explanation]
- Cue. Mainly for its culture and overseas achievements: purpose-built theatres and playwrights such as Shakespeare and Marlowe, and great voyages of exploration such as Drake's circumnavigation, alongside a confident, stable court, though this prosperity was unevenly shared.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas C100 20184 marksDescribe two features of the Elizabethan Poor Laws.Show worked answer →
The depth-study opener (4 marks, two features, 2 marks each). Reward two distinct, developed features.
Feature one. The Poor Laws distinguished between the "deserving" poor (the old, sick and disabled, who could not work) and the "undeserving" or "sturdy" poor (those seen as able to work but choosing to beg), treating them very differently.
Feature two. The 1601 Poor Law made each parish responsible for its own poor, funded by a local poor rate (tax), providing relief for the deserving poor and work or punishment for the able-bodied.
Top marks. Two separate features, each with a precise supporting detail.
Eduqas C100 20208 marksExplain why the theatre flourished in Elizabethan England.Show worked answer →
The depth-study "explain why" question (8 marks, AO1 and AO2). Reward a developed analysis of two or three reasons, each with precise support.
Reason one. Purpose-built playhouses such as The Theatre (1576) and the Globe (1599) gave drama a permanent home in London, and plays were cheap (a penny for the groundlings), so theatre reached all classes.
Reason two. Wealthy patrons, and the Queen herself, supported acting companies, which gave them protection and status at a time when actors could otherwise be treated as vagabonds, and writers such as Shakespeare and Marlowe produced popular new plays.
Reason three. Growing wealth, leisure and the size of London created a large paying audience, so the theatre became a thriving business that both rich and poor enjoyed.
Top band. Connect each reason explicitly to the flourishing of theatre, and finish with the most important factor.
Related dot points
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) specification — WJEC Eduqas (2016)