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 Introduction
William Shakespeare, as most of you know, was a playwright and a poet. He is generally considered the greates dramatist the world has ever known and the finest poet who has written in the English language. Shakespeare has also been the world's most popular author. No other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries. He definately will never have anonymity. (Teacher's Note: Use of SAT Vocabulary correctly earns students extra points - way to go Devon)
Lord Chamberlain's Men
Shakespeare became a stockholder of a company of actors called THe Lord Chamberlain's Men in 1594. The company was on of the most popular acting companies in London. Shakespeare was a leading member of the group for the rest of his career. At least six of Shakepeare's plays were produced in 1594.
Theatres
In 1599, Shakespeare and six associates became the owners of The Globe, a new outdoor theatre in the London suburb of Southwork. The Globe was one of the largest theatres in the London area. It held as many as 3,000 people.
By the late 1500's, Elizabethan plays were being performed in two kinds of theatre buildings - public and private theatres. Public theatres were larger than private ones and held at least 2,500 people. They were built around a courtyard and had no roof. Public theatres only gave performances during the daylight hours because they did not have the light we have now (artificial light). The stage of the public theatre was a large platform that went into the pit. This arrangement allowed the audience to watch from the front and sides. People surrounded the performers; therefore they had close contact with most of their audience. Shakespeare wrote most of his plays for the public theatre.
Private theatres where smaller, roofed structures. They used candelight to see for the evening performances. Private theatres charged high prices and were designed to attract upper-class people.
Scenery - Costumes - Sound Effects
Unlike most modern dramas, Elizabethan plays did not depend on scenery to indicate the place of the action. Most of the time, the setting was unknown to the audience until the characters identified it with a few lines of dialogue. In addition, there were no curtains, so one scene would follow another quickly. Although the stage lacked scenery, many props were used. There were many colorful costumes worn, which were very expensive. Flashing swords and swirling banners added color and excitement. Sound effects had an important part in Elizabethan drama. Trumpet blasts and drum rolls were common.
The King's Men
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died and was succeeded by her cousin, James VI of Scotland. As King of England, he became James I. James loved the theatre. He issued a royal license to Shakespeare and his fellow players, which allowed the company to call itself The King's Men. In return for the license, the actors entertained the King at court on a more or less regular basis.
Shakespeare's Plays
1599-1608 was a period of wonderful and fantastic literary activity for Shakespeare. During those years he wrote comedies and almost all of the tragedies that made him famous. Shakespeare's masterpieces included the comedies Much Ado About Nothing,The Twelth Night, the historical play Henry V, and the tragedies Anthony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, MacBeth, and Othello. You can click here for an alphabetical listing of Shakespeare's plays.
Our School
At Alvarado High School, we read the following Shakespearean Plays:
Freshmen - Romeo and Juliet
Sophmores - Julius Caesar
Juniors - MacBeth
Seniors - Hamlet
In closing, I hope you enjoyed reading about Shakespearean theatre. I hope you'll come back and see what new and interesting facts are added about Shakespeare.
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