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The most well-known playwright of Elizabethan1558 to 1603 - This era was named after Queen Elizabeth's reign. times is Shakespeare. The word bard means a skilled poet, and Shakespeare was dubbed the Bard of Avon because of his way with words. Shakespeare lived in London from 1590-1613. He was a well-known playwright, actor, and even businessman. He owned a part of the theatre company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men, one of London's most popular acting companies. In 1599 the company The Lord Chamberlain's Men built the most famous Elizabethan theatre, the Globe Theatre. After Queen Elizabeth died, King James I sponsored The Lord Chamberlain's Men, and they were then known as the King's Men. By this time, Shakespeare had stepped back from acting and devoted his time to writing plays. Go to the interactive timeline to find out more about the life and times of William Shakespeare: The Routledge Guide to William Shakespeare. Watch a biography on Shakespeare's life: William Shakespeare Biography (04:43).
What do you most enjoy about going to the movies? Is it the candy and popcorn, the fellowship of friends, or the surround sound? Maybe it's the action-packed scenes or the heart-wrenching drama? Elizabethans loved their theater, just as we love our movies. The theater offered great excitement and entertainment. The largest and most famous of the Elizabethan theaters was Shakespeare's Globe.
There was a place in the theater for everyone, from rich to poor. Those who could afford to pay watched the plays from seats in the covered seating. For a penny, those less fortunate could stand in the open yard. Appropriately, they were called groundlings. Groundlings put their pennies into a box, hence the term box office. Pillars supported the roof and were painted to look like marble. Actors used these pillars to hide on the main stage and observe other characters while speaking in asides to the audience. The yard was open to the sky, which provided lighting. Often these groundlings would participate in the play by cheering, shouting, or throwing snacks at the actors. Actors playing ghosts or witches could rise or descend through the trap door built into the main stage. The cellarage underneath was referred to as hell. Performances were given in mid-afternoon, usually with some 2,000 attending. They had to take advantage of the daylight hours since the sun provided the lighting. A flag on the top of the theater signified what type of play was being performed - black for tragedy, white for comedy, and red for history. The flag was flown high enough so most of London could see it waving from the top of the Globe.
Read more information about the Globe: Globe Education: The Globe. Explore the Globe: The Virtual Globe. There are several terms you should know that playwrights use. Look at the cards below.
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