Shakespeare's Theatre

a.) In what sort of building were Shakespeare’s plays performed?
Shakespeare’s plays were played in Shakespeare’s theatre; the theatre was located in London, England, opened in 1599. Then, it had a small capacity, only allowing 3000 people to be inside, both standing and seated. Shakespeare’s Theatre was also called the Globe Theatre, its actual dimensions are not known, however, research has found it out to be an open-air and three-storey high amphitheatre.

b.) How did the physical constraints of the theatre affect the language of Shakespeare’s plays?
The stage could have been too small for Shakespeare’s plays to take place, judging by numerical figures, the stage was only 13.1 m in width, which may not have enough space for plays that required many people to be on stage. Besides, weather also played a huge role since it was open-air and with technology being not modern then, they were forced to attract the attention of the huge crowd (3000 people) with their voices.

c.) What sort of people acted in plays? What sort of people went to see them?
During that time, only men were allowed to act in plays. This seemed to be a law in the country because many deemed women as unsuitable to be acting in plays; this could be due to their qualities, being demure, and unable to grasp the attention of the audience. Only the rich and probably middle-income went to see these plays, as previous research has been done, we are aware that Queen Elizabeth I loved Shakespeare’s plays and invited him to conduct his plays or go to the theatre to see his plays. Peasants (Lower-Income) would not go since they were uneducated and would not be able to understand the play.

d.) How was ‘the theatre’ viewed by society?
The theatre was met with different reactions based on the different viewpoints we look from it. The royals did not have any complain about this, however, they could have disapproval of it. However, they had to follow the Queen, by respecting her; the Queen was an avid person of Shakespeare’s plays. Those that loved Shakespeare’s plays were definitely in support of it, wanting to share it with the public; however, the rich could have shown disapproval that plays of such high caliber should only be shown to those having a prominent social status.

e.) Compare the modern day Globe Theatre in London with the theatres that Shakespeare worked in.
There are not many differences with the modern day Globe Theatre and the old one Shakespeare worked in. Firstly, the location of the theatre, the current new theatre is actually located 230 m away from the original site of the old theatre. The theatre has similar outlines of the previous theatre but since it is a modern age today, the theatre built today is much stronger, unlike the old one which was demolished during a fire.