Read the passage from elizabethan etiquette.

if you happened to be a lord or lady in the court of queen elizabeth i, one way that you would occupy your time might be learning the plethora of etiquette rules so complex that one would have to memorize them as people today might memorize the lyrics to their favorite songs. the main topic of the passage is

popular music.
elizabethan royalty.
elizabethan manners.
modern society.

The main topic of the passage is Elizabethan manners. The author is talking about the "plethora of etiquette rules" that must be followed in the court of Elizabeth I of England, that is, about the ways noble people had to behave when in the presence of the sovereign, either during a formal encounter or when she was engaged in her daily ordinary activities. For instance, the meals that Elizabeth was going to eat were ceremoniously inspected for poison. She would be offered several plates, she would just take what she wanted to eat, and her ladies would eat the remaining food. Likewise, no one could turn their back on the monarch, so often times they had to walk backwards. Furthermore, male courtiers were expected to dress and behave with a certain degree of flamboyance, and to court the monarch, who was single, by dancing with her and whispering loving and praising, but also chaste, words. The list was, indeed, endless.  

Elizabethan manners.

Explanation:

This passage talks about the "plethora of etiquette rules" that one have to learn in order to be in Queen Elizabeth's court, this bunch of etiquette rules are another way to refer to the manners at different circumstances or events