Tudor’s time was organised in : Sovereign , nobility , knights, gentlemen , yeomen and beggars. At the top of the pyramid was the Sovereign. Privy Councillors had the right to meet the Queen. Members of nobility led a public life of luxury and splendour, they had great responsibilities and they were expected to serve the State. They also patronized the theatre. Knights and gentlemen were men of good birth and independent economic means who were not employed in a gainful profession, they studied public speaking, law, ethics and history and they were members of Parliament .The Elizabethan age saw also the advance in social status of the yeomen , who bought lands , and branched out into industries improving their economic conditions. Beggars had the worse conditions of life and it became worse when the Poor Laws were passed by Parliament in 1601, begging was forbidden and beggars were to be flogged. Family life was different from today. The father had the power and the authority over his family. Women had few rights of their own . After the REFORMATION and the dissolution of monasteries unmarried woman could become servants or could only hope to be kept by her own family.