8-3Plague



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 The Bubonic Plague, more commonly known as the Back Death, swept though Elizabethan England several times. In fact, the Black Death had plagued mankind for centuries, spreading in Europe and Asia killing millions of people. These outbreaks were often transmitted by the fleas that lived on rodents and animals, especially rats. The increases in fleas' and rats' populations hence lead to plague breakouts. Inadequate hygiene standards added to the problem and spread of the disease. However, the people living in Elizabethan England knew nothing of the cause of the Black Death, so no attempt to improve hygienic conditions was launched. Therefore, the people of the era were clueless as to how to treat, cure, or prevent the Bubonic Plague. Contrary to popular belief, it was not just the people who lived in the towns who were at risk of catching the Bubonic Plague. Elizabethan farmers and retailers of farm produce, such as animal hides, were in constant danger of contracting the Black Death. One could be infected simply by being breathed on by a victim, and then inhaling the air-bound ailment. Elizabethan Pesthouses were constructed to house the victims and prevent the spread of the plague, though they did little to no good. All were at risk of the Black Death. =====

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People living in Elizabethan England had good reason to fear the Black Plague. No one in England was safe, and once contracted, the victim could have been assured of a swift, yet painful, death. As explained on the __ Shakespeare Site-Map __ website by L.K. Alchin, on the page concerning the plague, “one who fell ill with the affliction would experience arduous swellings of the lymph nodes, or ‘bubos’”, hence the name Bubonic Plague. Alchin continued, “These swellings would appear in the armpits, legs, neck, or groin. Victims also suffered a very high fever, delirium, vomiting, muscular pains, bleeding in the lungs and mental disorientation." The illness also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, not unlike that of a concussion, but if yielded to, quickly proved fatal. Death was almost certain by two to four days after one apprenticed the malady. Worse yet, there was no sound, effective cure for the Bubonic Plague at the time; the popular remedy was a concoction of herbs that usually failed. Consequently, the Black Death was a person's death sentence.  ===== 

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Thrice the Black Death struck Elizabethan England in Shakespeare's time (1593, 1603 and 1608), claiming over 86, 000 lives. When an epidemic broke out, the country suffered accordingly. Every day, death cart laborers lumbered through the streets, a cart full of corpses. People would then, as quickly as possible, bring out their dead friends and family in a makeshift shroud, and add it to the growing pile on the cart. The bodies were then buried in Plague Pits, which were about 20 feet deep, and would extend in width to accommodate more corpses. If one had contracted the illness, the whole family would sometimes be locked in their house, to contain the affliction, until the Black Death had finished its work. William Shakespeare, as well as Queen Elizabeth, were terrified of the Plague. Shakespeare himself had had siblings and his son, Hamnet, as well as friends and actors, die due to the plague. The Black Death was not good for Shakespeare's business, either. The theaters were often closed due to the pestilence. Most of the actors would then leave London for the supposed "safety" of the countryside. People were required to obtain permission before they could travel as well. In a nutshell, Elizabethan England went into lock down, even banning the importing of foreign goods. For, if one was not heedful, one would fall victim to the Black Death, like so many did.=====

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Alchin, L.K.. "The Black Death Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan Era." William Shakespeare Site- Map. 2005. Unknown. 8 Mar 2009 .=====

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Best, Michael. "The Lord Chamberlain's Men." Internet Shakespeare Edition. November 2005. University of Victoria and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.. 8 Mar 2009 .=====

Chrisp, Peter. Shakespeare. First WMaerican. New York: DK Publishing, inc., 2002.


Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Washington Square Press New Folger . New York: Washington Square Press, 1993.
