Sports have always given civilians life-long tools that they can use in their future. For this reason, scholars such as Leon Battista have claimed people can become a "universal man" by taking part in these games which reward people with mental and physical attributes," (Saari and Saari). There are many team and individual sports, along with sporting arenas where one can sacrifice their body to gain these benefits. The sports in the Elizabethan time period entertained people by being extremely violent, dangerous, and often deadly. The majority of team events were very ferocious and unsafe; nevertheless some had no physical contact. Plus several sports resembled athletic contests played today. Some of the most popular team sports, which …show more content…
It takes immense skill for an athlete to be elite. Elizabethan archery was extremely well-liked by sports enthusiasts; therefore many athletes competed in the sport. An archer must be very accurate, along with being precise, and at the top of his game to compete for awards, (Alchin). Colf is the precursor of golf, which is one of the most popular sports played presently. Colf is defined as club in Dutch. In this individual sport the ball is made out of leather casting, most commonly from the hide of a bull, which would later be soaked in alum and stuffed with goose feathers, which were softened, (Alchin). Tennis was played with a glove where a ball, first created of solid wood, would be hit against the walls of a courtyard, (Alchin). Fencing was often competed in by nobles since having good sword skills was essential to a noble because it was part of their outfit. "Jousting is a sport consisting of martial competition, usually between two mounted knights or other horseman using a variety of weapons, especially lances," ("Jousting"). Fencing and jousting are perhaps the most daring sport during this time because these athletes would jeopardize losing their eyes, fingers, among other body parts each competition. People of all classes enjoyed individual sporting events, but they all loved Bear and …show more content…
It became so widespread that a Bear and Bull baiting ring was owned in almost every town, (Alchin). Because of the sport's popularity the Elizabethan Theatre by law had to close down each Thursday to host Bear and Bull baiting in 1591, (Alchin). The difference between Bear baiting and Bull baiting is very minimal. Bull baiting was more common in England in result of the scarcity and cost of bears. "Bull baiting was a contest in which trained bulldogs attacked tethered balls. The bull, with a rope tied around the root of his horns, would be fastened to a stake with an iron ring in it, situated in the center of the ring. The rope was about 15 feet long so that the animal was confined to a space of 30 feet diameter. The owners of the dogs stood round this circle, each holding their dog by its ears, and when the sport began, one of the dogs would be let loose. The bull was baited for about and hour," (Alchin). A gruesome difference between the two is it was common for the bull to die in the ring due to extreme tormenting, as the bear was whipped many times, however, their lives were spared. The sports' most famous arena was the Bear Garden in London, and the Paris Garden in Southwark, (Alchin). For Bull baiting only, the state of the art arena was the Bull Ring Theatre. It had an
Elizabethan based their people upon the divine order, known as the Great Chain of being, which accommodated everything in the whole universe.
The sports, games, and pastimes of the time of Shakespeare have not just been set aside and paid no attention to, but they have been effectively abandoned and omitted. The Elizabethan hobbies have been thoroughly overshadowed by many modern sports such as baseball, football, soccer, hockey, and an abundant amount of other games. The 16th century English pastimes included many activities that were impeccable examples of both simplicity and amusement intertwined. With all of these amusing yet transparent games, the era was most acknowledged for theater- a prominent art that is still valued today. The sports, games, and pastimes of the time of Shakespeare are rarely played today because they would be considered illegal, barbarous, and inhumane.
The Elizabethan Era was a Golden Age for the English people during the late 1500s and early 1600s. This time period is referred to as the English Renaissance because new ideas were introduced to Elizabethan daily life. People enjoyed learning; they enjoyed art, culture, music, and food. The people also enjoyed celebrating many customs and festivals. These celebrations became a major part of daily life, and there were many customs to celebrate.
Social-class played an important role in sports. It dictated who could participate in what sports and to what level of participation. The terminal factor associated with social class was money. Money was the means to obtain the equipment necessary to partake in the sports. Without money, one couldn't perform organized sports. Furthermore, this issue was only limiting the already restricted minorities. Barriers between social-classes resulted in sports also being separated by social-class. The middle-class and upper-class took on sports such as football and boxing. They could afford the equipment for the organized sports. However, the lower-class didn't have much money, so they made do with what they had. One "sport" that was exclusively a lower-clas...
The first sword used for fencing during this time was the broadsword. The broadsword was a large, double-bladed sword that was hard to use due to it’s heavyweight (Andrew 53). With the broadsword, came the sword-and-buckler technique. The sword-and-buckler technique involved using large, powerful slashes with the broadsword, and blocking with the buckler (a small shield strapped onto the forearm (Olsen 34). In the beginning of the 16th century, the rapier was introduced to fencing (Andrew 53). Unlike the thick and large broadsword, the rapier was thin light, long and maneuverable. With the rapier, a dagger was used for parrying and the rapier was used for attacking (Olsen 35). Later in the century, the dagger was replaced with a gauntlet due to gauntlet’s effectiveness in
Jousting was a medieval war tactic that later evolved into a sport, testing skill in horsemanship as well as balance and accuracy. Jousting has changed in its use over the years. It was once used in battle, but is now mainly a competitive form of entertainment.
Nowadays, most athletes perform for the money and fame. In the Shakespearean era versus modern day, sports have evolved. Different games are being played such as, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. Back then in the Shakespearean era sports like, Rounders, Skittles, and Stoolball. Notice those sports do not sound familiar but are an ancestor to today’s sports.
Peter Zilahy once said,” You have to make choices even when there is nothing to choose from.” This quote vastly reflects the life of Elizabethan women for many reasons. The main reasons for this includes: life determinations- education , career , even the food on the table, was controlled by one thing, Wealth! Wealth controlled an immense part of people’s lives. Additionally, there were even fashion laws controlled by wealth. Furthermore, women’s rights were highly restricted during this era. Women did not live the same during this time.
The Elizabethan Theater History and Timeline Please refer to the Elizabethan Era sitemap for further details of all Shakespearean and Elizabethan history and timeline information. 1564 April 23 William Shakespeare was born 1576 James Burbage (father of the actor, Richard Burbage) obtains lease and permission to build 'The Theatre' in Shoreditch, London. The Lord Chamberlain's Men use it from 1594 to 1596 1577 Another open air amphitheatre called The Curtain opens in Finsbury Fields, Shoreditch, London 1587
Many of the games we play today is of ancient origin and even then provided mass entertainment of fans. In the beginning, ancient sports like the Olympic Games started out as rituals to honor gods or a leader and later developed into public events with festivals that surrounded the games (Jewell, Moti, & Coates, 2012). Today festivals are still seen during the Olympics Games, pre-game and post-game activities are held for NFL games, and fan’s host parties on game day surrounding favorite sporting events. Interesting, ancient sporting events began as a way to help individuals prepare for warfare. Individuals in ancient spots competed to help prepare themselves for military fighting, t...
Sports throughout history have shown close ties and relations to values and cultures of a society. Sports and competition have adapted and grown as the world and people have grown and developed. Sports are often seen as simple consequence of the industrial revolution. The Impact of increased urbanization, better communication and transportation, as well as more time and income for specialization, all led to the creation of sports. (szymanski). In essence As the public sphere grew so did the concept of sport. (Szymanski). Even the impact colonization had on spreading sports, shows the congruence between the development of society and development of modern sports. What make sports very unique is that they always bring about a sense of culture
“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and customs. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports which give some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sport is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.
With each passing civilization and the era it’s [its] people lived in, one can find a great deal about the times by examining an area that is not often thought of. That area is in regards to sports. The ancient Mayans had arenas, the Greeks helped initiate the Olympics, and the Romans had bloody matches between gladiators in the Colosseum. These sports and games often reveal to us what was occurring outside the playing field and arenas, into the political arenas and clashes between the classes. Examining the history of rugby throughout Europe, particularly in Great Britain, allows one the opportunity to see how the changes throughout society’s values, norms, and principles are mirrored by the evolution of the game of rugby from the mid-nineteenth century up to World War I.
Elaborate gowns, lavish parties, palaces full of gold and silver- these are just a few thoughts that come to mind when one hears the term “Elizabethan Era”; however, there is more to this period than what meets the eye. The Elizabethan Era was a significant epoch in the United Kingdom’s history. Ranging from 1558 to 1603, this was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Era, also known as the Elizabethan Age or Elizabethan Period, is said to be the golden age of English history, with a quite diversified public life, a rise in the fine arts, and numerous advancements in many technological and scientific fields.
Sports, a very popular past time today, have been around since ancient times. Greek Olympic Games featured events from chariot races, javelin throws, to wrestling. In addition, a game similar to soccer was played in China by the second century BC. In England, a violent rugby type game was even played to settle feuds between villages. With the development of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, sports decreased in violence and were played more recreationally and constructively. Basketball was invented to help the youth in New England spend their energy in the winter months. Since the early 1900’s sports have been a key experience in the United States (“History of Sports”). I have played sports for many years, and the experience has helped me grow significantly as an individual.