Elizabethan Theatre: Entertainment and Social Appeal

Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Stage

William Shakespeare is one of the most recognizable names in the world, even four hundred years after his death. His dramatic texts contain some of the most well-known stories and phrases in the English language, and indeed throughout the Western world. This fame is so pronounced that many other playwrights of his era have been obscured and forgotten in light of Shakespeare's prominence. His celebrity today might lead one to believe that he was single-handedly responsible for the popularity and genius of Elizabethan theatre. In reality, however, Shakespeare arrived relatively late in the Elizabethan theatrical tradition. Though certainly the preeminent practitioner of playwriting in the Elizabethan style, he did not so much create the genre as perfect it and carry it forward into the Jacobean age.

The fact is, Shakespeare's genius might simply have gone unnoticed if not for the already-established popularity of theatregoing in the Elizabethan age. The plays of this time — particularly Shakespeare's — are still celebrated today, but attending the theatre in Elizabethan England was arguably more popular than attending films is today. This popularity is not immediately understandable given the complex relationship that Elizabethans had with their theatre. Theatre practitioners, from playwrights to actors, were considered little better than prostitutes in the social hierarchy, yet they enjoyed royal patronage at the same time. This contradiction, in fact, helps explain theatre's popularity: Elizabethans were no strangers to contradiction, and in fact thrived on it.

There are other reasons that theatre was so popular, of course, but the richness and apparent paradox of the experience was what brought audiences in droves night after night to the many theatres within and just outside the City of London (Shakespeare Info). It was taboo — and that taboo was titillating and exciting to Elizabethan audiences, who admitted to this appeal more openly and fully than might be expected today.

Social Climate and the Rise of Popular Entertainment

It is essential to note that prior to Elizabeth's reign, England had endured first the rule of Henry VIII — which was at best disruptive and at worst tyrannical in his separation from the Catholic Church and his assumption of religious leadership — followed by harsh Protestant measures under Edward VI's handlers and even harsher Catholic reform efforts under Mary (Freedley & Reeves 93). Though a Protestant herself, Elizabeth was far less vocal about it, and the easing of social and religious tensions led to a general licentiousness throughout English society.

Though drama certainly existed in England prior to Elizabeth's reign, it was largely derivative of Roman and Greek plays, and many works were little more than translations of these classical texts. Original plays, still modeled on older works, began to appear in the decade before Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, but it was her patronage of the theatre — though considered frugal by many standards — that signaled the beginning of the Golden Age of English drama, which has yet to be matched in that country, or arguably in any other, ever since (Freedley & Reeves). The emergence of theatre as the entertainment of choice cannot be seen as an automatic response to easing social tensions, however, and in fact a great deal of variety existed in Elizabethan entertainment.

Other Elizabethan Entertainments and Their Influence

An examination of these other forms of entertainment can help explain theatre's popularity on several levels. First, the trend of licentious behavior and an enjoyment of things that appealed to baser human instincts is clearly visible in many popular amusements of the time. Bear-baiting — in which trained dogs were set against chained bears, often to the point of death for the bear and several dogs — along with dogfights and cockfights, were all common entertainments. The viciousness and violence of these events perhaps served as a vicarious outlet for such impulses during a time of relative peace and prosperity (Elizabethan Entertainment). Dancing, which was one of the only activities in which members of the opposite sex could publicly engage together with impunity (provided the social context was appropriate), also gained in popularity during the Elizabethan Age.

While these twinned elements of violence and sexuality were becoming more publicly embraced in popular entertainments, the enjoyment of traditional entertainers such as traveling troubadours and minstrels was seen to decline (Elizabethan Entertainment). This reflects a definite shift of interest away from tradition and past-oriented storytelling toward a greater fascination with the more prurient aspects of contemporary life and society. This shift is directly reflected in many plays of the time, especially the histories. These "history" plays, though they portrayed real people taking part in real events, stretched the truth enormously. Certain characters in Shakespeare's histories are not even consistent in their personalities or life details across different plays. Instead, elements of violence, greed, heroism, and other extremes of human character are rendered larger than life.

The various entertainments of the Elizabethan Age also intersected directly with theatre in a more practical sense. The spectacle of animals fighting was often included in a theatre's program, either before the play or during an intermission (Elizabethan Entertainment). The feasting and banqueting that formed another common diversion for many Londoners could also be incorporated into an evening at the theatre, with those able to afford the privilege obtaining tables in the higher balconies, away from the crowded standing area below (Elizabethan Entertainment; Shakespeare Info). Music was likewise a common feature in many plays of the day, adding to the variety of entertainment available in a single theatrical evening (Kareti par. 5).