Entertainment

__ENTERTAINMENT__ Entertainment played a crucial role in the lives of the people during the Elizabethan Era due to the fact that life as it is was tough for them and an occurrence of the Bubonic Plague did not make it any easier. Entertainment, during this time period, could be found at festivals, weddings, certain kinds of victories and in the courts. Courts had enetertainment on a nightly basis ranging from banquets to jousts that were usually joined with music and dancing. The poorer people of the era were generally only able to attend public entertainment, such as, outdoor plays performed by acting troupes, juggling acts, tournaments and shows put on by dancers just to name a few. However, the local festivals were open to everyone and gave the peasantry a point in the year to look forward to in their monotonous lives. The festivals in Elizabethan times were religion oriented and were set up by the Church, which meant that every festival had the theme of a religious event or a prominent religious figure. Accompanied by feasts and fairs, these festivals went on for days and were a great source of entertainment for men and women, young and old.

Some of the most popular sports of the Elizabethan Era were known as spectator //or blood sports//. One of these gory sports was bear baiting, where thousands would gather in an arena to watch a bear, that was tied up to a large pole, fight off dogs. Team sports at the time were also pretty violent. One of these sports was known as football, which has no relation to modern day football, but was given the name because it was played by men on their feet rather than on horseback. Elizabethan football had little to no rules and was very dangerous. Some of the other main team sports include hurling and soccer, which was disliked by officials in the government because matches often led to riots with a lot of bloodshed. The sport of fencing was a very popular individual sport because all you needed was a blunt sword and another partner to fence with. Fencing was also one of the most popular sports to bet on. Entertainment in the Elizabethan Era gave the people time off from their normal days to relax and converse with their friends making life a little more bearable.

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