Weapons During The Elizabethan Era

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, weapons weren’t just used by the people as tools for fighting and killing. Think about it in such a way that when you see someone carrying a striking weapon, it is not just about fighting, it shows off power and authority to everyone around. Good intro sentence: It was a time when swords were like fashion statements for nobles, and spears were like badges of honor for soldiers. These weapons weren't just for fighting enemies, they also helped shape how people see each other and who holds the most power. The three primary weapon types are guns/artillery, melee, and ranged. I'll be talking about the types of weapons and their applications during the Elizabethan era in this essay. Various ranged weapons play …show more content…
A weapon that stuck out to me was the pike, a long spear spanning 18 to 20 feet long, the purpose was to allow infantry a formidable defensive formation against cavalry charges. Give a summary of ranged weapons. During the Elizabethan period, melee fighting was a massive realm of fighting. Multiple swords rose up as iconic weapons. The Rapier, with a thin but sharp blade and ornate hilt, gained popularity among royals and upperclassmen, this can be backed up by the fact that in the play Romeo and Juliet we can see Tybalt saying “This, by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy." Good quote: Lower-classmen caught on to this and started wearing the sword for fashion statements and to make them look more formidable and respectable. With their elongated and slim designs, epees and foils were preferred for their thrusting accuracy and agility over slashing. Swords like these were possibly wielded by characters such as Tybalt, Romeo, and Mercutio. Additionally, in the play Romeo and Juliet, we could see Romeo carry a secondary blade, most likely the Bollock dagger, a common sidearm of the time, which served as a backup