Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England - 788 Words

During the Elizabethan Era, crime and punishment was a brutal source of punishments towards criminals. The term â€Å"crime and punishment† was a series of punishments and penalties the government gave towards the people who broke the laws. In William Harrison’s article â€Å"Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England†, says that â€Å"the concept of incarcerating a person as punishment for a crime was a relatively novel at the time† (1). This seemed reasonable at the time, because back then they didn’t sentence life in prison to criminals, so the only way for the government to issue out punishments for criminals was abuse, or murder. During the renaissance, the most common punishable crimes were â€Å"theft, cut purses, begging, poaching, adultery, debtors,†¦show more content†¦5). The lethal punishments criminals took during this time seem unbearable to the punishments that are issued today, because it seems as almost people tried think ing of the most horrific ways to kill criminals. These people that decided on the types on punishment were â€Å"dealt by Justice of Peace† (Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England, par.2). The Judicial system often gave a swift and brutal decision, meaning it came fast and the punishment was awful. The Judicial System seemed to be unfair to the criminals, because they say there were brutal, and often didn’t care what punishment they gave. There were many reasons why the Judicial System used these punishments. These punishments were used to â€Å"punish a person for his crimes, intimidate him and the group to which he belongs, gather information, and/or obtain a confession† (Different Kinds of Elizabethan Era Torture, par. 3). This was smart, because it seemed to make since, and seem logical to send a message to other criminals that justice will be served. These punishments criminals received prevented further crimes in the future. During the Elizabethan Era , â€Å"torture was regularly practiced and as a result, the people were tamed and afraid and crimes were low in number† (Different Kinds of Elizabethan Era Torture, par. 11). The phrase â€Å"crime and punishment† means something different today. It is said that â€Å"capital punishment was completely done away with after 1965† (Capital Punishment in Modern British Law andShow MoreRelatedElizabethan Crime And Punishment Of The Elizabethan Era1363 Words   |  6 PagesElizabethan Crime and Punishment On a normal day during the Elizabethan Era you would pass the town square to find someone screaming bloody murder and begging for mercy. There were public executions that many people took a day off of their jobs to go see. Torture devices were a big part of Elizabethan Crime and Punishment. There was a specific punishment for everything from begging to high treason. If a peasant stole anything worth more than five pence, which was the currency of the time periodRead MoreQueen Elizabeth I : The Golden Age Of The Elizabethan Era1000 Words   |  4 PagesEven today, people look back fondly on the Elizabethan Era as one of the times when England was very close to achieving a golden age. While living under Queen Elizabeth did bring about troubles, such as an extreme system of punishment and quarrels with the Catholics, the Elizabethan Era was a time of peace and prosperity, heavily contrasting life before and after Elizabeth’s reign. In a time when England was almost about to tear itself apart, Queen Elizabeth I came to power and improved the situationRead MoreEssay on Elizabethan Era: The Golden Age1205 Words   |  5 Pagespalaces full of gold and silver- these are just a few thoughts that come to mind when one hears the term â€Å"Elizabethan Era†; however, there is more to this period than what meets the eye. The Elizabethan Era was a significant epoch in the United Kingdom’s history. Ranging from 1558 to 1603, this was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Era, also known as the Elizabethan Age or Elizabethan Period, is said to be the golden age of English history, with a quite diversified public life, a riseRead MoreEssay on Crime and Punishment in the Elizabethan Age756 Words   |  4 Pageswhat the law was in the Elizabethan Age for crime and punishment, you must research crime and punishment in that age, the laws and the acts. In the Elizabethan Age there were many different crimes. Each of those crimes had the ir own punishment or punishments. They were very strict about what they could and could not do in this age. If you have ever thought about planning a crime, you would have to really think about the punishment you would receive. To begin, the Elizabethan Age had many extremelyRead MoreThe Life of William Shakespeare669 Words   |  3 Pagesa theme that has been unquestionably displayed in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet along with multiple other themes. Claudius had secretly sent orders for the death of Hamlet upon his arrival to England. In Claudius’ speech to Queen Gertrude he pursues to convince her that Hamlet deserves such violent punishments due to his actions. Throughout his speech the audience is completely aware that this is a set up done by Claudius himself. This speech builds a feeling of distance and mistrust between the audienceRead MoreRenaissance Anatomy And Dissection825 Words   |  4 PagesUnfortunately, these men would even resort to murder to provide cadavers. After King Henry VIII separated from the Roman Catholic Church, many saw this as an opportunity to act as they pleased, causing an increase in crime. A majority of people during this time did not support human dissection. England prohibited human dissection until the 16th century, which was likely due to heavy catholic influence (Ghosh). They found grave robbing, or â€Å"resurrecting† a body, disgusting. Resurrecting a Christian body wasRead MoreDeath Penalty : The Penalty1475 Words   |  6 Pages DEATH PENALTY BY TURKI ARUGI 6/15/2015 ELS LANGUAGE CENER Death Penalty When someone hears about death penalty the first thing that comes up to the mind is murder, robbery, treachery but not every crime is punishable by death penalty. It is indeed a punishment for severe crimes which are not forgivable or can be done in a prison. Sometimes death penalty is the only option left for the government or it may be too dangerous to let the person to stay alive. Death penalty is one of the mostRead MoreEssay about Elizabethan England2559 Words   |  11 PagesBloody Painful: Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England This article’s purpose is to express the danger of breaking the law in England. Most of the punishments of our time are deemed cruel and unusual. The death penalty can no longer be enacted in cases of theft or highway robbery. The following paragraphs will describe the various instruments of punishment (torture) of the period. One out of the ordinary punishment of this era is the drunkards cloak. It is a punishment for public drunkenness;Read MoreEssay on The Punishments of the Medieval era1244 Words   |  5 PagesThe Punishments of the Medieval Era When Shakespeare was born in 1564, Queen Elizabeth had taken power a mere 6 years prior, and her justice system was very different from ours. In this paper, I hope to explore some of the ways punishments were different, such as how many crimes had individual punishments, often times depending on how severe the crime was. I will also go in-depth to one of the most infamous cases of the medieval period. Imprisonment was very rare. If you were in jailRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare Essay1659 Words   |  7 Pagesall the evil deeds from ever happening. Edward Berry, in his more contemporary essay titled Othello’s Alienation, offers a much more unique perspective on the characterisation and race of Othello. He agrees that Shakespeare invokes the negative Elizabethan stereotypes of Africans in the â€Å"Moor† to discredit them, but does not fully transcend them, for these stereotypes â€Å"pervade the atmosphere of Venetian society†, affecting not only Othello’s relationships with other characters but eventually secure