The Renaissance period occurred from the 15th century until the 17th century. This was the time when Romeo and Juliet had just married during their late teen years. Romeo and Juliet were actors and are commonly known for the shake spear play which they acted. During the Renaissance period, majority of the people were farmers who grew crops as well as maintained livestock. They produced for subsistence and the surplus was sold. Men and women performed different roles in the household; the man was responsible for farming while the woman took care of the poultry and dairy. She was also responsible for preserving food that would be consumed during winter. It was the work of the woman to look over the general health of the whole household, including the servants.
In the society, there were two categories of people, the upper class people and the common people. The upper class people got married at their early teens while the common class people often got married at their twenties. In the upper-class, marriages were arranged and the parents chose spouses for the children. The church was not comfortable with the idea of forced marriages but could do very little about them. Money was the determining factor and if you had it, then you had the power to decide what to do. The common people were allowed to choose their spouses (Lacroix and Naunton, p. 80).
Children from upper classes were more often than not educated by tutors at their parents’ home. Those from the common class would be sent away to the noble households where they would be raised up and if they were lucky, they would also get education. They would be taught how to write, sing, ride, hawk, and play some games such as chess. Boys were also taught how to use weapons while girls would be shown how to sew and look after a household.
In the urban centers, schools were set up which provided elementary education to both genders and there was grammar schools for boys only. At the grammar school, boys learnt Latin grammar and Greek which became popular in the 16th century. Some would also learn music and mathematics, although very rarely. After completing their grammar schools, successful candidates would proceed to universities which were absolutely male establishments (Lacroix and Naunton, p. 81). However, in Italy, girls too were allowed to go to the universities.
Most families had large households and the women had many tasks to perform. A woman was expected to respect and obey her husband at all times. She was expected to look after the family’s estate incase her husband was not available. The man was expected to lead the family and care for the wellbeing of his wife and children. Women got pregnant quite often and they would be assisted by midwifes during childbirth. This was merely a female occasion and rarely would the man be present during childbirth. Child mortality as well as the mothers’ was very high as a result of the unskilled midwifes who assisted during delivery (Shakespeare, p. 2). Children were brought up in a strict manner and were expected to respect and obey their parents.
In Italy (during the time of Romeo and Juliet), some boys would chose to become monks while girls became nuns. The monasteries in England were destroyed during the 1530s reformation. Some Monks and nuns were major scholars in these monasteries. Children also learnt music and dancing during the Renaissance period. In Italy, Commedia Del arte plays were performed by male and female actors although in English theatres, boys always performed women’s parts (Shakespeare, p. 2).
Works Cited
- Lacroix, Paul and Naunton, Robert. Manners, Custom and Dress during The Middle Ages And During The Renaissance Period. Kessinger Publishing, 2004.
- Shakespeare, William. X-Kit Literature Series: FET Romeo & Juliet. Pearson South Africa, 1995.