Marriage In The Elizabethan Era

The Strife of Not Having A Choice: Making The Best Out of The Situation

The excitement and eagerness of forming a family with the person she loves is the exact day that every girl dreams of. However, in the mid 1500s through the early 1600s the men and women enjoyed that special day in a completely different way then we do now. Courtship and marriage were a bigger deal and played a bigger role in the life of both the groom and bride’s families. They were expected of certain things and if they didn’t meet the expectations many problems could come up. Their traditions were much like the ones we have today but the way they were arranged was very different. The most important factor to everyone in the era was to gain more than they had before.

Sometimes both the men and women ended up having a happy marriage with the person they loved; despite the fact that this was very unlikely. While on the surface some of the traditions are similar, courtship and marriage during the Elizabethan Era was influenced greatly by social class where the expectations were much higher than in modern times.
A big amount of courtship and marriage was based on the social class influence.

If someone was in a high spot, according to social class, they were assumed to marry one who was equal or higher than themselves. Not only did their spot in social class matter, but also what both families would gain from the marriage. For example, elizabethanenglandlife.com states, “Mostly, these were arranged marriages keeping wealth and reputation into consideration. Families of landowners were expected to marry just to attain land possession” (Courtship Marriages and Divorces during Elizabethan Era). As well, william-shakespeare.info says, “Marriages were frequently arranged so that both families involved would benefit. Marriages would be arranged to bring prestige or wealth to the family” (Elizabethan Wedding Customs). This means that most marriages were put together focusing on what each family would get out of it. Although, it was mainly what the man, or groom, would get out of the marriage. He would already be gaining a dowry, or a measure of land, wealth, and goods. Men were considered the bigger person in the situation, and women were the smaller. In fact, elizabethan-era.org.uk says, “Elizabethan women were subservient to men. They were dependent on their male relatives to support them. Elizabethan women were raised to believe that they were inferior to men and that men knew better!” (Elizabethan Marriages and Weddings). Another main factor of courtship and marriage during the

Elizabethan Era is the traditions.
Many traditions were similar to modern day traditions, but there were also many that were different. For example, william-shakespeare.info states, “The major difference to Elizabethan wedding customs to a modern day Western marriage is that the woman had very little, if any, choice in who her husband might be” (Elizabethan Wedding Customs). Likewise, elizabethanenglandlife.com says, “The matrimony was arranged by families of the bride and the groom in order for the two sides to benefit from one another” (Courtship Marriages and Divorces during Elizabethan Era). These are prime examples on how Elizabethan traditions were not similar to modern day traditions. Women didn’t have any choice on who they marry, and that was sometimes a let down to girls. Another example is not seeing or even meeting each other until the day of the wedding. Henceforth, elizabethanenglandlife.com says, “Couples usually met each other ON the day of the wedding. This was a very well known tradition among well known nobilities” (Courtship Marriages and Divorces during Elizabethan Era). This isn’t completely different in today’s society, but it is very uncommon and not seen often. One main part that was similar between Elizabethan marriages and modern day marriages is the ceremony. Specifically, elizabethan-era.org.uk states, “Arrangements for Elizabethan weddings would have been with the local church. Weddings were always a religious ceremony, conducted by a minister” (Elizabethan Marriages and Customs). Like in the Elizabethan Era, modern ceremonies usually, to always, consist of religion based surrounding and a priest. Nevertheless, they had their differences with the ceremony too. Including, announcing the wedding three Sundays before hand, and not wearing a white dress. Another difference is the expectations throughout that time were very high compared to modern day expectations.
As what was stated before, gaining more than what someone already had was a high expectation for both the man and the woman.

For example, elizabethanenglandlife.com states, “The matrimony was arranged by families of the bride and the groom in order for the two sides to benefit from one another” (Courtship Divorces and Marriages during Elizabethan Era). After all, that is the only thing anyone worried about in that time. Another high expectation that was held to women was to marry. If they didn’t marry they would be believed by their neighbors that they were witches. In elizabethan-era.org.uk it says, “Regardless of their social standing women and men were expected to marry. Single women who were thought to be witches by their neighbours…” (Elizabethan Marriages and Weddings). One interesting fact about women not marrying is that if they did not marry who their father, or family, chose they could be executed. This obviously left many women speechless, and where they had absolutely no choice in what they do. Once the father chose a man for his daughter and they wed, the man had complete rule over the woman. For instance, elizabethan-era.org.uk says, “After marriage Elizabethan women were expected to run the households and provide children. The law gave a husband full rights over his wife. She effectively became his property” (Elizabethan Marriages and Weddings). The husband had full control over his wife and basically ruled over her. They both had to marry or they would look

frowned upon but in the end the man would gain more than the woman in the marriage.
Marriage, a word that in modern day would describe a bond between two people loving each other for who they are. In the Elizabethan Era, marriage was known as a word that brought wealth and greater riches to a family. Courtship and marriages were held to serious expectations in the Elizabethan Era, and the social class influence had a big toll on many of the decisions. Women had limited choice in who they would marry or what they would marry into. The social class and father would take control at that point and choose who they believed was best, not for the daughter, but for the family. Women were the lower class compared to men, and once married the woman had no control over anything but cleaning the house and taking care of the kids. Men would be gaining a lot of wealth and valuables when married too. The wife has to bring a dowry that holds many things to give to her husband, which is a main factor in the marriage. Marriage and courtship may have been different in the Elizabethan Era but many different traditions come from that time period and have helped form many new traditions.