Sports, Games, and Pastimes of the Elizabethan Era

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†¦show more content†¦This blood sport became a lot more popular than bear-baiting because of the lack of bears in England. Bull baiting is just like bear baiting, but there are a few distinct differences. It became very existent in Crete and Lasca ux during the Renaissance period, though it began in ancient times. People were paid to breed and train specific dogs for this sport. They were usually bull mastiffs or English bulldogs. These breeds seemed to have the intensity and aggression needed to take down the bull. The dogs went through similar training as bear baiting dogs, though the mastiffs were trained a lot harder. The dogs were trained to clamp their jaws on the bulls nose ring and not let go until killed. They were released two at a time, and it usually took three or four dogs to finally subdue the bull. Many dogs were pierced by the bulls horns. The wagers on the contests were usually lower. However, the low prices greatly increased attendance and increased participation. Bull baiting stayed around for an extremely long amount of time. Parliament played a big role in the end of these blood sports. More and more people began to see the barbaric things that happened at these sports and were discouraged by it. They finally took a stand and convinced Parliament to prohibit these sports in 1835. However, these practices continued to be secretly demonstrated. Ironically, these bloody sportsShow MoreRelatedEntertainment in the Fifteen Hundreds783 Words   |  3 Pagesentertainment was mostly sports, theaters and dancing during the 1500s. Sports were very popular and played a lot back then, we still even play some of them today. History on the NET said, some of the most common sports that are still present today include, Fox Hunting, Sword Fighting, Leaping and Throwing the Sledge Hammer. Fox hunting is obviously hunting foxes; sword fighting might seem odd today or not even be counted as a sport. Commonly they are used in movie films, video games, and for enjoymentRead MoreEssay about Elizabethan England2559 Words   |  11 Pages Bloody Painful: Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England This article’s purpose is to express the danger of breaking the law in England. Most of the punishments of our time are deemed cruel and unusual. The death penalty can no longer be enacted in cases of theft or highway robbery. The following paragraphs will describe the various instruments of punishment (torture) of the period. One out of the ordinary punishment of this era is the drunkards cloak. It is a punishment for public drunkenness;