In Elizabethan England (1558-1606), plays and the theater were the most common forms of entertainment. A traveling acting company traveled to towns and set up a stage wherever they couldusually an inn. The traveling actors were usually despised, and treated like vagabonds. James Burbage decided to build a permanent place where these actors could perform. In 1567 the Theatre was built. It was a huge success. More playhouses were built in London. Then the plague struck London in 1592. All theaters were closed in London because at theaters there were masses of people together, which could help spread the plague.
In 1594, the playhouses were reopened, and acting companies formed. One of these acting companies was known as the Lord Chamberlains Men. Shakespeare joined them. Shakespeare was an actor there, as well as an important playwright. For 21 years, the Theatre triumphed. James Burbage had died, but his sons Richard and Cuthbert became managers. Things were going well. Then trouble hit when the owner of the land, Giles Allen, refused to renew their lease. He had other plans for the land. Allen owned the land, but they owned the Theatre, which contained valuable wood, which the Burbages wanted.
The brothers had a plan. At Christmastime, 1598, Allen was away. This was the perfect time to fulfill their plan. They rented land across the Thames River at Bankside. Then the actors began to dismantle the Theatre, and bring the wood across to the new foundation. In spring they were discovered, but half of the building was already up. Here they would build a new theater called the Globe. Building the Globe would be expensive. The Burbages had a few money saving tricks. Tiled roofs were becoming popular. The Burbages considered it, but decided to stick with a thatched roof.
This was cheaper, but also more prone to catching on fire. They also reused the wood from the Theatre. Still, they didnt have enough money. The problem was solved by sharers. People were invited to invest in the Globe. To their surprise, only 5 people bought shares, making them joint owners. Because there were several investors, the costs were split. This made money less of a problem. In mid-1599 the Globe was finished. It had no lights, so plays were only performed in the afternoon. It was so popular, that it drove the Rose Company, a rival acting company, away.
The Globes shows were loved by all. A woman wasnt allowed to go alone, unless she was selling something. She had to go with a man to be respected. The yard, or ground in front of the stage, housed one half of the theater-goers. It was mostly inhabited by apprentices, solders, servants, shopkeepers, and laborers of all kinds. They were known as groundlings. They to stand here, and if it rained, they were the only ones who got wet. It was also common for thieves to wander around here and cut money purses to steal coins. The five foot stage was approximately the same height of a person back then.
Because of these conditions it only cost one penny to enter the Globe. For another penny, you were able to climb a flight of stairs that led to the galleries. Here, you were allowed to sit down on benches, and you had a roof over your head. The view wasnt that great, but it was better than the groundlings view. This area was filled with foreign tourists, lawyers, and merchants. For yet another penny, you could go to the gentlemens room, where there were cushions on the benches. Here, you had a great view of the stage. Nobles watched from here.
Finally, for a total of six pence, you could sit in the Lords room. The extremely well off sat here. They could show off their clothes and jewels easily, and they had the best view in the house. Next to them were the musicians. On the yard, and outside the entrances, people sold food. Women who sold fruits were called apple wives. They most commonly sold pears and apples. People also sold nuts. In Elizabethan England, people went to hear a play, not see a play as we say. A play was more auditory than visual. The actors had very few props.
A candle might indicate that it was nighttime. Crowns were often in Shakespeares histories, which were mostly about struggles for the throne. Skulls were used in tragedies, when the actors were talking about death. The most famous example of this is in Hamlet, for the To be or not to be? scene. The audience knew that if the actors came in with full armor with clanging swords, that it was a battle. A canon, which was located in the heavens, banged. The heaven was the roof over the stage, which was painted like a starry sky. If they brought in a ladder, the battle turned into a siege.
In all battle scenes, even those taken place in ancient Rome, they used the current weapons and armor. There was little scenery. Costumes were made, donated from patrons, or acquired by the actors. The costumes werent historically accurate, but they were very extravagant. That is what the visitors came to see. The actors tried to make the performance as realistic as possible. Angels and gods would be lowered from the heavens, Devils and ghosts came up from a trapdoor coming up from the hell, the space underneath the stage. The trapdoor was also used as a grave.
One example of this is in the production of Hamlet, where it is the grave of Ophelia. Londoners loved blood and gore. Watching public hangings was a long standing tradition for entertainment. Shakespeares tragedies often depicted that. In The Rebellion of Naples, a character had a fake head cut off. The heads contained a pigs bladder filled with blood, which gushed all over the stage. The audience expected good music when they went to see a play. There are least 300 stage directions calling for music in Shakespeares plays. He also wrote 70 songs for the characters to sing.
The instruments were very different than they are today. One of these instruments was the lute. The lute is like a guitar, except that the resonating chamber is much deeper. When plucked, it made a light and delicate sound. Many people thought that the soothing notes had a healing ability. In King Lear, the mad king was brought to his senses by this music. On June 29, 1613, something horrible happened. During a performance of Henry VIII, a spark from the stage cannon landed on the thatched roof. In less than an hour the Globe had burnt to the ground. Thankfully, no one had got hurt, only one mans pants caught on fire.
Someone threw ale on him, and that was that. Within a year, a new Globe was built on top of the old ones original foundations. It was more glorious than the original. This time, they werent taking any chances, and added a tiled roof. Two years later, William Shakespeare died. In 1643, the Puritans closed down all theaters in London. Eventually, they were all torn down. New buildings were built over the foundation. The Globe was lost. Then Sam Wanamaker came. He hired a team of architects to rebuild the Globe. After it was built, replicas popped up all over the world.