Crime And Punishment During The Elizabethan Era

The Elizabethan era lasted from 1558 through 1603. In American history, this time period is known as the golden age because during this England became much more of a wealthy nation. In this era, the nation was able to invest in arts and exploration. Many writers and poets, such as Shakespeare, shaped the ways of theatre and literature. This era is also vastly known for its ways of handling crime and punishment. In the Elizabethan era, unsparing, common crime and punishment flourished for reasons fluctuating because of social class, gender, religion, and the satisfaction of antiquated torture devices.
A common theme among all of the styles of punishment during the Elizabethan era is presenting the prisoners with the most gruesome punishments

It was believed that everyone and everything was designed for a certain place and purpose, and some classes are given partial treatment based on their place in society, thus causing worse punishments and increase in crime rates. Anyone accused of capital crimes were given the right to a trial, although their legal defense was minimal. However, in most cases involving the state, the courts would ignore evidence. Walter Raleigh (1552-1618), for example, was accused of treason in 1603. Even though many believed that the charged were fabricated, and he had a convincing defense, he was found guilty and condemned to death. (Harrison) Cases like this weren’t uncommon with the prolonged expectations of poor social classes. The nobility, ranked immediacy under royalty, was seen as better in every way, including felonious acts. Continuing, it is stated that “most property crime during Elizabethan times, according to The Oxford Illustrated History of Tudor & Stuart Britain, was committed by the young, the poor, or the homeless” (Harrison). The escalated level of crime is reason that the lower classes were so poor and mistreated. They lived under an invisible but heavy pressure to commit minor crimes such as petty theft and pick pocketing in order to survive on the

Women held almost no value to the society during the time period, thus when a woman commits a crime the town’s people were brutal. They would get an even lower status than ordinarily. These women are said to be “cast beyond the pale of "respectable" society, such as prostitutes, unwed mothers, bastard children, and adulterous wives” (Battan). This meaning that people simply with a lifestyle that contributes to the aberrations for the church ruling are considered to be put out of society. In this generation most women didn’t dare to speak out against these unfair criticisms; however, there was a group of people who confronted the rise of sexual respectability in Elizabethan England. This group named themselves the Free Lovers. The initial goal of this campaign was to isolate sexual matters such as adultery, birth control, and marriage away from the state so that people are free to have any long- term relationships or marriage. (Battan) This group was of the first to reflect upon a liberal philosophy and bring equality into the law. Despite the fact that group this band strives to treat the bias punishments and idealities held for women, females continued to live without rights until the early