Shakespeare
Man of the
Theatre
Bevington, Chapter 2
Shakespeare joined the Lord
Chamberlain’s Men in 1594
• Their original home was
THE THEATRE
• It was dismantled and
rebuilt as THE GLOBE in
1599
• He acted in his own plays (Ghost of Hamlet’s father)
• His name appears in cast lists for at least two plays
by Ben Jonson
• He is the only actor-writer of his time who was a
share-holder
ELIZABETHAN THOUGHT
• Society was
homogenous, largely
Anglo-Saxon
• Jews had been
expelled by Edward I
in 1290
• Patriarchal authority
was strong
Church of England was the established
Church, but religious conflicts were
common. Elizabeth I had many spies
seeking out Catholics and other perceived
threats to the crown.
England’s maritime strength brought
wealth to London
The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588
stoked English nationalism. Shakespeare’s
early histories were meant to praise the Tudors.
POLITICS
• Henry VIII bore a daughter (Mary) by Catherine of
Aragon (Mary)
• Church would not allow him to divorce, so he
chartered the Church of England
Anne Boleyn gave
birth to Elizabeth
• Henry’s son, Edward VI (by Jane Seymour) succeeded him t
the throne. His was a very brief reign
• Elizabeth succeeded Mary and reestablished the Church of
England. Spies loyal to her sought out Catholics during her
reign.
Anne Boleyn
Edward VI
Jane Seymour
Mary succeeded Edward
and was sympathetic to
Spain and the Catholics
Queen Mary
Queen Elizabeth
• Many modern scholars believe that Shakespeare’s
family had strong ties to the Catholic Church and
that was part of the reason why his father’s fortunes
plummeted so profoundly
• James I, the first Stuart king, came to power when
Elizabeth died
The rise of the
Puritans
eventually
brought about
the execution of
King Charles I
in 1649.
Concept of the universe
The medieval world was believed to be flat encircled
by heavenly bodies
Copernian universe
Copernicus suggest that the Earth
wasn’t the center of the universe in
1543. Galileo’s work, published in
1610, further supported Copernicus.
Although Galileo’s work did not really have a
profound effect on Shakespeare’s writing, the conflict
between the conflicting views persisted.
MEDICINE
Since Galen (2nd century AD) held that the body was
composed of four humours as the four elements
constituted life.
In England, Sir Francis Bacon brought scientific thought into
a new age of experimentation and discovery.
Influence of Montaigne
Shakespeare was acquainted with the essays of
MONTAIGNE which explored what it meant to be
“human”-- a vital theme in all of Shakespeare’s
writing.
“Unenlightenment…”
• Women were often
treated as property
• It was a fiercely
patriarchal society
• Attitudes towards
Spaniards, Turks, Moors
and Jews was
disturbing
THE GREAT CHAIN OF
BEING…
…Reflects a hierarchy
of life
The character lists in his
plays reflect a hierarchy
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
THESEUS, Duke of Athens
HIPPOLYTA, Queen of the Amazons
PHILOSTRATE, Master of the Revels
EGEUS, Father of Hermia
HERMIA, daughter of Egeus, in love with Lysander
LYSANDER, in love with Hermia
DEMETRIUS, in love with Hermia and favored by Egeus
HELENA, in love with Demetrius
OBERON, King of the Fairies
TITANIA, Queen of the Fairies
PUCK, or ROBIN GOODFELLOW
PEASEBLOSSOM, COBWEB, MOTE, MUSTARDSEED, fairies
PETER QUINCE, a carpenter
NICK BOTTOM, a weaver
FRANCIS FLUTE, a bellows mender
TOM SNOUT, a tinker
SNUG, a joiner
ROBIN STARVELING, a tailor
Lords and attendants on Theseus and Hippolyta
Who speaks the final lines
in his plays?
ROMEO AND JULIET
Prince Escalus
HAMLET
Fortinbras
MACBETH
Malcolm
OTHELLO
Lodovico
THE TEMPEST
Prospero
KING LEAR
Edgar
FESTIVE RITES
• A vital part of Elizabethan life
• Midsummer Night’s Dream is set against a solstice
celebration
Twelfth Night is set against a backdrop of Christmas
The Merry Wives of Windsor ends with a pageant to
Herne the Hunter
CHARACTERS IN
HIS PLAYS wear
masks and disguises
PUBLIC SPECTACLES
AND CEREMONIES
WERE COMMON IN
SHAKESPEARE’S DAY
INCLUDING
EXECUTIONS
The beheading of
Mary, Queen of
Scots 
Hanging and stocks
Animal Baiting
THEATRES were
Public or Private
PRIVATE
• PRIVATE (indoor) Blackfriars, Academic playing
spaces, Court
PUBLIC
• PUBLIC (outdoor) in temporary stages, innyards or
permanent
• playhouses like THE CURTAIN and THE GLOBE
Mainstage with heavens overhead
Discovery space
• Trap door
• Gallery above
• Tiring house backstage
• Auditorium...groundlings in pit, seats in galleries
Famous Companies
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, (later the King’s Men)
The Lord Admiral’s Men
Earl of Leicester’s Men
The Queen’s Men etc.
Boys companies were popular
Children of St. Pauls
Children of the Chapel
Children of Blackfriars
Sometimes boy actors “graduated” to adult companies
Criminality and public
lewdness
Puritan preachers railed against the theatre
Regulation of the theatres
Regulation of the theatres
Henry VIII instituted the office of the Master of the
Revels to oversee productions at court. He grew in
power and administered his office on behalf of the
crown. Edmund Tylney was the master of the revels
during Shakespeare’s lifetime...
In A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Philostrate performs
the role of Master of the revels.
The Tudor and Stuart monarchs supported the student
and provided theatre companies with licenses to
perform.
ACTORS
Will Kempe
Richard Burbage and
Robert Armin
Since Shakespeare
wrote most of his
plays for the actors
in his company, he
was able to craft the
roles and cast the
plays in the best way
possible.