ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -People did not sit all the time and it was not quiet during the performance. The audience could walk around, eat and drink during the play. They cheered, booed and sometimes even threw objects at the actors. Theatres were open arenas or playhouses that had room for up to three thousand people.

Detailed explanation-2: -In Shakespeare’s theatre actors were called players. There were no actresses, so women’s parts were played by boys.

Detailed explanation-3: -Shakespeare was involved in many aspects of London’s professional theatrical world. He was an actor, a playwright, and a shareholder in an acting company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which became the King’s Men when James I became king in 1603.

Detailed explanation-4: -By the time Shakespeare died, London had several permanent theatres where the actors performed, drawing in huge audiences. Yet, despite the popularity of play-going, the acting profession had a bad reputation. Actors were seen as unruly and a threat to a peaceful society.