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There were also a number of really important cultural changes in the Elizabethan period,
and perhaps not least of those is the development of public theatres. So you have actors performing
on a public stage for the first time and you have a range of different people from all
levels of society that are coming to the theatre to watch actors perform; and some of those
plays are of course about history itself and about tragedy and drama. This in a way creates
a type of dialogue which helps then really change an understanding of what Britain is
about; that we can all come together and enjoy entertainment in this way.
Different sorts of people would attend the theatre, and you could get into the theatre
for really about a penny to stand in the pit, but then there were other levels where more
and more important people could attend and have almost their own boxes. What was exciting
about the theatre was that a range of different people from different social classes were
coming together to see the same play and this was pretty much for the first time.
Literacy is increasing in this period, so you have a large number of books which are
being published and more people owning books and able to read the Bible in English, which
is very important.
The types of books Elizabethans had at home really varied depending on what class you
were, because the nobility could have really quite large, extensive libraries, collected
from all over Europe; often books written in their own language but sometimes written
in translation as well. These might be anything from religious books, religious treatises,
travel books and maps. Probably also one of the most popular things is herbals: scientific
books, books telling you about how to cure particular ailments.
Members of the middle classes would also have books, and you find a lot of books mentioned
in wills, gifted to other members of their family and friends. Again those would be religious
tracts principally, but also they might well be travel books, books about health, they'd
be books about all sorts of things really; and the publishing industry in the Elizabethan
period grows by about a third. So while it's not quite as significant in Europe as places
like Venice or Antwerp, there are significant numbers of publishers working in London.