In the Elizabethan era, torture was gruesome and its death rates were extreme. In England, an average of 24,147.4 men and women were hanged; 515.21 were pressed to death, and 11,440.52 were dead in jail (Breight 263). Punishment for crime in the Elizabethan era varied among the social classes: nobles, commoners, and the poor.
At the top of the social class resided the noblemen and upper classmen. Upper classmen were well educated, prosperous, and affiliated with Royalty and high members of the clergy. Since the upper classmen and nobles had more access to higher-level government crime, their crimes were often more severe. Common crimes of the nobility included: high treason, blasphemy, sedition, spying, rebellion, and murder. “The highest nobles were automatically exempt from torture” while the lower nobles were not (Alchin 1).
Most punishments involved physical torture and torment, such as the Rack. The Rack tortures involved a machine that stretched the victim’s body until limbs were dislocated and, in …show more content…
Most crimes committed during the Elizabethan era were committed by the poor, not out of sheer disobedience, but rather as a means of survival (Alchin 1). During this era, begging was against the law and illegal. Those who were caught begging were beaten violently, and “as their punishment they would be beaten until they reached the stones that marked the town parish boundary” (Alchin 1). Continuous begging could result in imprisonment and in severe cases, the beggar would be hanged (Alchin 1). Traveling without a licence could also be viewed as a crime in England. Limiting the access of travel to a few ensured the spread of deadly diseases, such as the Bubonic Plague. Actors were also grouped with travelers, being that they had to travel in order to find acting jobs. Almost all members of the poor were treated with suspicion and often accused wrongly of
At the top of the social class resided the noblemen and upper classmen. Upper classmen were well educated, prosperous, and affiliated with Royalty and high members of the clergy. Since the upper classmen and nobles had more access to higher-level government crime, their crimes were often more severe. Common crimes of the nobility included: high treason, blasphemy, sedition, spying, rebellion, and murder. “The highest nobles were automatically exempt from torture” while the lower nobles were not (Alchin 1).
Most punishments involved physical torture and torment, such as the Rack. The Rack tortures involved a machine that stretched the victim’s body until limbs were dislocated and, in …show more content…
Most crimes committed during the Elizabethan era were committed by the poor, not out of sheer disobedience, but rather as a means of survival (Alchin 1). During this era, begging was against the law and illegal. Those who were caught begging were beaten violently, and “as their punishment they would be beaten until they reached the stones that marked the town parish boundary” (Alchin 1). Continuous begging could result in imprisonment and in severe cases, the beggar would be hanged (Alchin 1). Traveling without a licence could also be viewed as a crime in England. Limiting the access of travel to a few ensured the spread of deadly diseases, such as the Bubonic Plague. Actors were also grouped with travelers, being that they had to travel in order to find acting jobs. Almost all members of the poor were treated with suspicion and often accused wrongly of