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Playwright Biography: William Shakespeare

Who is Shakespeare?

William Shakespeare was a playwright and poet, born during the 16th century in Stratford-upon-Avon, then moved to London where he co-founded the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a theatre company. Shakespeare wrote 38+ plays, and a slew of poetry – primarily sonnets (his variation of the sonnet is known as “the Shakespearean sonnet”). He died in 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written somewhere between 1594-1596.

Works Consulted

“William Shakespeare Biography.” Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

For more information, please reference:

Potter, Lois. The Life of William Shakespeare: A Critical Biography. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. (online text available to Miami University Libraries users)

The Globe Theatres

Shakespeare’s plays were largely produced at the Globe Theatre, built by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (later renamed the King’s Men), in which troupe members eventually became part-owners of the building. This theatre is unique to our current conception of a theatre building, since it was outdoors – the rings that encircled the stage were filled with galleries, or seating areas, and the majority of audience members stood in the yard or pit of the theatre, up close to the actors. The actual stage was toward one side of the building with a row of doors and an upper stage above them. Behind this facade was the “tiring house” or the backstage area for actors. Unfortunately, while built in 1599, the Globe later burnt down in 1613, during a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII. The Globe was later rebuilt in 1614. The architecture of the Globe is a reflection of our culture’s move toward proscenium oriented staging, and also shows the ability for the Globe to mix audiences through multiple levels of seating. To learn more, watch this quick YouTube documentary about the history surrounding the Globe:

Shakespeare’s Globe Channel, “How did the Globe Theatre burn down?,” YouTube.

Works Consulted

“The Globe.” Shakespeare’s Globe.

Audiences of Shakespeare during the Elizabethan Era

The audiences of Shakespeare’s Globe were composed of a multi-class (low middle-class to nobility) and mixed gender audience, though socioeconomic status and religious belief informed who received the best seats; for example nobility sat in the more expensive booths, and lower middle class patrons would stand on in front of the stage, known as “groundlings.” These audiences frequently booed, cheered, and even responded to actors performing soliloquies. In fact, the audience influenced Shakespeare throughout his career, as his shows married his artistic genius with the gratuitous violence, crude humor, and spectacle that they demanded, which Hugh Richmond explores within the essay: “The Effect of Audiences on Renaissance Scripts.”

Consider

How might adaptations or contemporary stagings attempt to recapture the violence, humor, and spectacle of the first performances of Shakespeare?

Works Consulted

“Audiences.” Shakespeare’s Globe.

“Shakespeare’s Staging.” The Effect of Audiences on Renaissance Scripts | Shakespeare’s Staging.