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Theresia Hendricks
Y.Garza
English II-4
th
May 11, 2014
Elizabethan Era vs. Eighties
Englands Elizabethan era and the American Eighties seem like two completely different time
periods and certainly are. The Elizabethan era was the period in history, over four hundred years
ago, when Queen Elizabeth I ruled England, and when Shakespeare wrote all of his works. At
first glance, comparing the Elizabethan era to the Eighties may yield to the conclusion that
everything was different: different languages, foods, music, dancing, and the whole culture. Yet
though, the two time periods had so many differences, they also actually had strong similarities
in that they both were periods of reform, both of them introducing new ages of thinking, fashion,
technology, and the arts.
The Elizabethan era came just as the Renaissance began to spread through Europe.
People were striving for ways to make life more practical, and many were out looking for
success in life. The Eighties was also when young people wanted to be successful in life as well.
In fact Business Management was the top major for college students. They were looking for
successful jobs with power (Whitley). In both periods a lot of new technology came into the
scene as well. For instance the printing press, though invented in the previous century, came into
wide, popular usage. In the Eighties one of the major technologies was home computers, and
cable TV became extremely popular as well (Whitley). They both were the times for creators,
and they brought new advances for the everyday life.
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Both ages were very fashion conscious. In the Elizabethan era fashion defined your social
class (Tomecek). Whereas in the Eighties it was only a matter of how to express your own
personality and how to define yourself. Many fashion icons in the Eighties ranged from
Madonna to Michael Jackson (Whitley). There was a lot of variety and people could go anyway
with their style. In the Elizabethan era the wealthy women and men wore very expensive and
elaborate clothing, while commoners wore clothing that could almost be rags (Tomecek). The
fashion in this time had been much more defined than what it was in the Eighties. The Eighties
were definitely a time of more freedom as it defined fashion is a whole new way, and opened the
doors to new types of fashion industries.
The arts where huge subjects in both the Elizabethan era and the Eighties. Music, art, and
literature were completely revolutionized in the Elizabethan era. Artists and architects of this
time period had created new techniques and ways to represent the old and classical works
(Culture of the Renaissance). Elizabeth had a fondness for the arts, which made it fashionable
for the wealthy members of the courts to support the arts (The Elizabethan Age). Literature
also became extremely popular as, the previously mentioned printing press was a wide use. More
authors began writing and the most world renowned playwright, Shakespeare, produced all his
work during this time period. The Eighties were also a time that re-defined music. Rock, rap,
hip-hop, and punk really came into the scene in the Eighties. The modern architecture and art
was on the rise, and non-fiction thrillers were the top selling books (Whitley).
Obviously both of these periods are in two completely different times. Everything was
different, speech, clothing, music, style, books, ways of life, and etc. They do have one
similarity though, they both were times of new ways to think and both revolutionized the life for
people of that time. These were both periods when people wanted to make life simpler and they
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wanted to create. The Elizabethan era was more of a time for trying to make the classic new, and
the eighties were just a whole new modern era. It is reasonable to say that without these two
similar, yet un-alike periods the world would not be nearly as modern as it is. Both were
definitely crucial periods for this world, because they both helped form the world that we live in
today.


















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Works Cited
Culture of the Renaissance. Western Civilization II Guide. Word Press, 2007. Web. 7 May
2014. < http://westerncivguides.umwblogs.org/2009/09/06/culture-of-the-renaissance/>
The Elizabethan Age. The Academy. ACU National, n.d.. Web. 12 May 2014.
<http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/siryan/academy/theory_history/elizabethan_period.
htm>
Tomecek, Jan. Elizabethan Fashions. The Elizabethan Age. n.p., August 2001. Web. 12 May
2014. <http://www.tomecek.com/jay/Fashions.html>
Whitley, Peggy. 1980-1989. American Cultural History. Lone Star College-Kingwood
Library, 1999. Web. 7 May. 2014. <http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade80.html>