SHAKESPEARE'S LONDON AND ELIZABETHAN AUDIENCES
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| Illustration of a night of theatre at Shakespeare's Globe |
Who were the people attending the theatre?
Shakespearean audiences consisted of all classes. Lower class labourers, middle class workers and businessmen, upper class gentlemen and lords (seated in the Lords Room) and even her majesty herself, Queen Elizabeth I, in the royal courts.
Most people in London visited the theatre as it was affordable and one of the few luxuries many could afford. By 1600, most theatres in the city of London could seat 3000, with 10,000 to 20,000 people visiting the theatre weekly. Elizabethan audiences were mostly men as women didn't have the same opportunities as woman. The audience, despite being filled with commoners, also saw its fair share of the rich and wealthy. The theatre saw royal families from all over enjoy the stories told. Shakespeare's plays were performed in the royal courts for the nobility who wished to see it. The courts of James I and Elizabeth I.
The cheapest price for theatres tickets during Elizabethan era was 1 penny, enough for a standing ticket. Standing tickets in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre were called groundlings. For an additional 1 penny more, you could buy yourself a bench seat underneath shelter and a comfortable viewing platform. This included a padded cushion for you to sit on. The highest priced seats were located in the 'Lords Room', a place that was too grandiose for most people to afford. The low cost of a standard ticket such as the groundlings and the lower galleries was why theatre was so popular. It was affordable.
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| Illustration featuring Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Drake and William Shakespeare |
What was London like in Elizabethan Times?
London was the biggest city in England and also was the richest, housing the English nobility, despite Elizabeth owning several properties across the country. London was the home of theatre. It had the first permanent playhouses. Before then, the theatre were bands of gypsy travellers who roamed across the country. Actors were the lowest of the low. It also was the biggest engineering city in the country, a place of great technological prosperity. Because of this, the workers of these industries after a days work, had the money to spare (1 penny) to go and relax at the theatre.
London was growing at an exponential rate, many migrants moved to London from Europe or the more rural areas of the country. By 1600, London housed over 200,000 people. London was overcrowded in its city walls. However, London also housed people it didn't want. Because of it's overcrowded population, the streets became cramped, dark and narrow. This attracted a large population of thieves, increasing the crime rate of the city. The close quartered nature of the city also aided the spread of diseases. This was a serious issue as in 1593, the Bubonic Plague (also known as The Black Death) struck theatres goers and the general populous. Many believed the plague had spread by actors as they were scum who travelled across the country, but that simply isn't true on its own. In 1593, 10,000 people were killed by the Black Death and all theatres were closed.
London was the biggest city in England and also was the richest, housing the English nobility, despite Elizabeth owning several properties across the country. London was the home of theatre. It had the first permanent playhouses. Before then, the theatre were bands of gypsy travellers who roamed across the country. Actors were the lowest of the low. It also was the biggest engineering city in the country, a place of great technological prosperity. Because of this, the workers of these industries after a days work, had the money to spare (1 penny) to go and relax at the theatre.
London was growing at an exponential rate, many migrants moved to London from Europe or the more rural areas of the country. By 1600, London housed over 200,000 people. London was overcrowded in its city walls. However, London also housed people it didn't want. Because of it's overcrowded population, the streets became cramped, dark and narrow. This attracted a large population of thieves, increasing the crime rate of the city. The close quartered nature of the city also aided the spread of diseases. This was a serious issue as in 1593, the Bubonic Plague (also known as The Black Death) struck theatres goers and the general populous. Many believed the plague had spread by actors as they were scum who travelled across the country, but that simply isn't true on its own. In 1593, 10,000 people were killed by the Black Death and all theatres were closed.
