Shakespeare left his family about four years after his marriage, arriving in London with the intention to better the family fortune. “London had grown prosperous under the reign of Elizabeth and at this time the group of writers frequently spoken of as the "University Wits" were in possession of the stage so far as the writing of plays was concerned. But somewhere, somehow, during those early years in London, Shakespeare gained a foothold, first probably as an actor and then perhaps as an adaptor and hack writer. Rumor says that this greatest of English-speaking playwrights made his first contact with the theater as a sort of handy man of all work. One of his tasks was, with the assistance of several boy helpers, to hold the horses of the wealthy patrons who attended the theater.” (William Shakespeare)
Drama was a nation-wide activity in Shakespeare’s time but only in London were there buildings designed specifically for performing plays. Most public theatres were tall, roughly circular structures, open to the sky, with a cover over part of the stage and a roof running round the edge to protect the galleries. Performances took place in the afternoons, with the actors playing on a raised stage which projected halfway into the theatre. All the women’s roles were performed by boys. The audience, which either stood in the yard around the stage or sat in the galleries, represented a wide social mix of people.
It was only in London that a dramatist could survive, as it was the only city large and rich enough to support the theatre. Professional theatre didn’t emerge till the late 16th century when they were often in the rough area, near brothels etc, which is part of the reason that theatres came under attack. “There was a puritan movement in England, which was particularly strong in the city of London. The city Fathers disapproved of any form of playacting, regarding it as a the enactment of falsehoods.” (Cathcart Borer, 1984, p12) Plays were often interpreted in a bad way, and in 1575 the lord mayor banned all players from performing within the city limits. The following year “The Theatre” was built in Shoreditch, safely outside the city limits – theatre was a very risky trade, but if you were successful you could be rich, and if it weren’t for the rich and elite including Queen Elizabeth theatre may not have thrived during such judgmental times. It was money that kept Shakespeare writing and London that provided it; therefore London was essential to Shakespear’s career.
London was different to any other nation, the distinct difference being that the population of London had a much higher literacy rate. Simply put Londoners had the intelligence to appreciate theatre and the knowledge to understand it, compared to provincial and rural counterparts. “London could provide the playhouses with exceptionally high numbers of literate urban workers, as well as a huge population of the unemployed, and by far the greatest concentration of gentry and rich citizenry in the country. It is a reasonable presumption that London’s playgoers had a similarly exceptional level of literacy, wealth and power.” (Gurr, 1996, p56)
“The first reference to Shakespeare in the London literary world dates from 1592, when dramatist Robert Greene alluded to him as an upstart crow." (Poets Corner – Biography) Shakespeare further established himself as a professional actor and playwright when he joined the Lord Chamberlain's Men, an acting company formed in 1594. By 1598 he was principal comedian for the troupe, and by 1603 he was principal tragedian.
“The members of this company included the renowned tragedian Richard Burbage and the famous "clown" Will Kempe, who was one of the most popular actors of his time. This group began performing at the playhouse known simply as the Theatre and at the Cross Keys Inn, moving to the Swan Theatre on Bankside in 1596 when municipal authorities banned the public presentation of plays within the limits of the City of London. Three years later Shakespeare and other members of the company financed the building of the Globe Theatre, the most famous of all Elizabethan playhouses.” (Poets Corner – Biography) When James I came to the English throne in 1603 he granted royal patronage to Shakespeare’s acting company, consequently renamed the ‘King’s Men.’ As had happened in the 1590s in Elizabeth I’s last years, Shakespeare’s plays were presented before the court in the royal palaces, as well as to audiences in the public theatres. In 1609 the King’s Men acquired an indoor theatre, the Blackfriars, to use in addition to the Globe, their success largely due to their location in London.
Shakespeare wrote very little about London, although many scenes were set in London it was only incidentally and London was never center stage. His themes contained more national and international themes and although Shakespeare never traveled beyond London and Stratford his knowledge was vast and learned through reading.
Acting and writing plays at this time were not considered noble professions, but successful and prosperous actors were relatively well respected. Shakespeare’s success in the London theatres made him wealthy and in 1597 he bought one of the largest houses in Stratford for his parents. Although his professional career was spent in London, he maintained close links with his native town. Further property investments in Stratford followed, including the purchase of 107 acres of land in 1602. In 1596 Shakespeare’s father was granted a coat-of-arms, and upon his death in 1601 Shakespeare inherited the arms and the right to style himself a gentleman, even though, at the time, actors were generally regarded as rogues and vagabonds.
From around 1611 Shakespeare seems largely to have disengaged himself from the London theatre world and to have spent his time at his Stratford house. William Shakespeare lived until 1616; he was buried in the chancel of his church at Stratford.
During the 17th century printing was also a large business in London as opposed to the rest of England. If it hadn’t been for the popularity of printing in London Shakespeare’s plays would not have survived, as so many playwrights before him are still unknown today. In 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death, the first collected edition of his plays, was published. It contains thirty-six plays, about half of which had been published individually in his lifetime. His plays were still performed after his death especially in the 18th century, and the tradition continues. Even to this day Shakespeare lives through printing.
Bibliography
BOOKS
Cathacart Borer, M. (1984) The Story of Covent Garden London: Robert Hale Limited
Fontane, T. (1999) Shakespeare in the London Theatre London: The Society for Theater Research
Gurr, A. (1996) Playgoing in Sheakespeare’s London Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
WEBSITES
Poets Corner – Biography
William Shakespeare
FILM
Theatreland Summer Specials – The first three compilations from LWT’s Theatreland series looks at Shakespeare on the London stage.
Note – some information contained in this essay came from lecture notes on 11.03.02
