Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Context: Marriage in Elizabethan times
Just as today, a woman's wedding was one of the most important days of her life.
The major difference between Elizabethan wedding customs and a modern day Western
marriage is that the woman had very little, if any, choice in who her husband might be.
1. Could a woman choose a man for her husband just like it is nowadays?
The age of consent in Elizabethan times was 14 for men and 12 for women!
Elizabethan women were subservient to men. They were dependent on their male relatives to
support them. Elizabethan woman were raised to believe that they were inferior to men and
that men knew better!
2. What was the age of consent to get married in the Elizabethan times?
3. Why did women get married in the Elizabethan times? – Explain in your own words.
Marriages were frequently arranged so that both families involved would benefit. Marriages
would be arranged to bring prestige or wealth to the family.
Many couples would meet for the very first time on their wedding day! This particular
Elizabethan custom usually applied only to the nobility.
While middle and working class couples may have sometimes married for love, this was very
rare amongst the upper classes.
Marriage or religious life (becoming a nun) were the only real options for the Elizabethan
woman - a career for a woman was absolutely unheard of!
4. Why were marriages arranged in the Elizabethan times?
5. How long did the couple date for before they got married?
6. What happened to women who did not want to or refused to get married in the
Elizabethan times?
Task: Answer the above questions in your book