Elizabethan Leisure and the Growth of Theatre
Leisure activities in Elizabethan England varied sharply by social class: the poor took part in cheap or free pastimes such as football and animal-baiting, while the wealthy enjoyed pursuits requiring land, money or leisure time, such as hunting, hawking and feasting.
Before you start
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Method
- Learn leisure activities by social class as two separate lists: for the poor, football, animal-baiting (bear- and bull-baiting), archery, fairs and alehouses; for the wealthy, hunting, hawking, real tennis, feasting, dancing and music.
- Learn the growth of professional theatre precisely: James Burbage built The Theatre, London's first purpose-built playhouse, in 1576; Philip Henslowe built The Rose in 1587.
- Learn how theatre companies were organised: actors performed under the patronage of noblemen, for example the Earl of Leicester's Men, who operated under a royal patent from 1574, giving companies legal protection and status.
- Learn why playhouses were often built outside the City of London's walls: to avoid the jurisdiction of city authorities, who were often influenced by Puritan objections to theatre as immoral or disorderly and by fears that large gatherings could spread plague.
- For 'describe two features of' questions, choose two specific features (e.g. The Theatre's construction date, and Puritan objections to playhouses) rather than a general description of 'Elizabethan leisure'.
- For 'explain why' and 16-mark judgement questions on the growth or significance of theatre, keep the reasons for its growth (patronage, purpose-built venues, popular demand) separate from the reasons for opposition to it (moral objections, fear of disorder, plague), each supported by a specific fact.
Worked example
Explain why professional theatre grew in importance in England between 1576 and 1588. You may use the following in your answer: the building of purpose-built playhouses, and noble patronage. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the two given factors plus one of your own: purpose-built playhouses, noble patronage, and a third point such as the popularity of theatre with audiences across the social scale.
- Develop the playhouses point: James Burbage's construction of The Theatre in 1576, followed by Philip Henslowe's Rose in 1587, gave acting companies permanent, purpose-built venues in London for the first time, rather than relying only on temporary staging in inn yards.
- Develop the patronage point: companies such as the Earl of Leicester's Men performed under the protection of a royal patent from 1574, giving noble patronage a legal status that shielded actors from laws against vagrancy and unlicensed performance.
- Add the own-knowledge point: theatre attracted paying audiences from across the social scale, from labourers to gentry, which made playhouses commercially viable and encouraged further investment in buildings and companies.
- Conclude by linking the points: purpose-built venues, secure noble patronage and broad popular demand together allowed professional theatre to grow from occasional performances into an established, distinctly urban Elizabethan institution by the late 1580s.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1Name one leisure activity popular with the Elizabethan poor.Show answer
Answer: Football (or animal-baiting, archery, or gathering at fairs and alehouses).
Q2Name one leisure activity popular with the Elizabethan wealthy.Show answer
Answer: Hunting (or hawking, real tennis, feasting, dancing, or music).
Q3Who built The Theatre in 1576, and why is it significant?Show answer
Answer: James Burbage; it was London's first purpose-built playhouse.
Q4Who built The Rose playhouse, and in what year?Show answer
Answer: Philip Henslowe, in 1587.
Q5Why were playhouses often built just outside the City of London's walls?Show answer
Answer: To avoid the jurisdiction of city authorities, who were often influenced by Puritan objections to theatre and by fears of plague spreading in large crowds.
Q6What did a royal patent, such as the one held by the Earl of Leicester's Men from 1574, give an acting company?Show answer
Answer: Legal protection and status as a recognised company under noble patronage.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Describe two features of the growth of professional theatre in Elizabethan England.
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Explain why professional theatre grew in importance in England between 1576 and 1588. You may use the following in your answer: the building of purpose-built playhouses, and noble patronage. You must also use information of your own.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 12 available
'Puritan opposition seriously limited the growth of Elizabethan theatre.' How far do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: Puritan objections, and the building of playhouses outside the City of London. You must also use information of your own.
Show mark scheme
Tick each line you got. Your score builds from the marks on the scheme.
Nothing ticked yet - 16 available
See real GCSE History past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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