Diferent Social Levels During Shakespeare Times

The classes were:

* Nobility: In Shakespeare's time there are only about 55 noble families in England. At the head of each noble family is a duke, a baron, or an earl. Noble titles were hereditary, passing from father to oldest son.

* Gentry: When Elizabeth I was young, only about 5% of the population would have been classed as gentry: knights, squires, gentlemen, and gentlewomen "who did not work with their hands for a living." They were the most important social class in Shakespeare's England.

* Yeomen: The yeomen were prosperous, and their wealth could exceed that of some of the gentry. The difference was how they spent their wealth. 

* The poor: There was far more poverty under Elizabeth than in previous reigns. In earlier times, the church notably the monasteries had cared for the poor.