William Shakespeare & The Globe Theatre

Who was this guy?? was an English poet and playwright born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon baptised April 26, 1564 *we don’t include a birth date because no one knows when he was born (believed to be April 23)

So, what’s the big deal? He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive So, there are LOTS of questions!!

Was he the actual writer? Around 150 years after Shakespeare's death, doubts began to emerge about the authorship of the works attributed to him. Proposed alternative candidates: Francis Bacon (who you meet in Socials 9!) Christopher Marlowe (another writer) Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford

Show me the Money!! All playwrights at this time (and even to this day), were paid to write If they didn’t produce, they didn’t get paid So……….. Shakespeare wrote to make a living AND Many believe that he certainly would NOT have wrote for pleasure

Slumming It! At this point in time, theatres and plays were illegal inside the city limits This means that some very “interesting” characters were associated with this area of town

The Globe – Shakespeare’s “House”

Theatres During Shakespeare’s time, there were many theatres in the London area Located near the river Thames, The Globe was not in fact in central London but rather an outlying district called Southwark (a.k.a The Borough) Southwark had a "colorful" reputation of being not too different from what we would call a "bad" district today

Patrons of Shakespeare’s Plays To understand the environment of ‘The Globe’, it’s important to know who went to Shakespeare’s plays Remember: The Globe was outside of the city limits and, therefore, not within the city’s jurisdiction!!

Patrons of Shakespeare’s Plays Typical patrons: Artisans & Musicians Ne’er-do-wells (those up to no good) Prostitutes (to work and to watch) Pimps (to work and to watch) Criminals (thieves/pickpockets) “Normal” people (who liked to enjoy life)

What was served? As silly as it sounds, this is another important part of the theatre-going environment Jugs of mead (to refresh… & to spill) Apples (to eat… & to throw when finished) Peanuts (to eat…& to toss on the ground) Patrons also brought rotting vegetables and food scraps (to throw if the players aren’t up to par)

Players vs. Audience It was a constant battle for the players to please the often-unruly and rambunctious crowd Heckling was just ‘part of it’ If an insult was hurled at a player (which it was often done), the player would return it The environment inside was entertaining… and not just due to the play on stage

Cost Audiences paid one penny (10% of the daily wage) which they put in a box by the door hence the term 'Box Office' The penny allowed them to view the play by standing on the ground, in front of the stage (these people were called the Groundlings!)

The Globe Theatre Today