As feudalism drew to a close, a new middle class in England began to develop. Performances of secular plays began at approximately the same time, mostly as university tools to instruct attorneys in the art of elocution. Young William Shakespeare was born into this world. Shakespeare was the son of a glovemaker and was not university educated. His plays utilized the English language in ways never before seen. Despite this linguistic flourish, Shakespeare's academic contemporaries considered his plays inferior to the other "University Wits", because they defied classical conventions of genre. Shakespeare's plays were considered popular entertainment only, and his rival, Ben Jonson, was his superior in academic circles.
Despite being shunned at Oxford and Cambridge, Shakespeare's plays remained immensely popular among the commoners. Effective at mixing comedy with tragedy, there was, in effect, something for everyone. Despite this battle between playwrights and theatres, one thing was certain. Theatre remained the popular form of the day. Bearbating--a blood-sport that pitted a starved bear against other animals was it's main competition. Like the other forms of theatre before it, the Elizabethan theatre was one where common people could come together in fellowship and celebrate in a holiday like atmosphere. The "pit" , the area on the floor that young apprentices could gain entrance for the equivalent of 10% of a day's salary, was infamous for its raucous activity. While the day's play was being performed, the "groundlings" ate and bought fruit and nuts, gambled, fought, and drank alcohol. Despite the pleas of many playwrights, no effort was made to corral this seemingly derogatory activity. While it may be easy to dismiss this activity as "getting in the way" of viewing the play, this seems contrary to the historical facts. The groundlings were famous for throwing objects and generally rebelling against parts of the play that they found unlikeable. If this is true, then they must have been, at least, half listening.
Like the ancient theatres before it, the Elizabethan theatre utilized a thrust stage, where one could see and be seen. Certainly the upper classes knew it, as the "worst" seats by today's standards cost 5 times as much as "the pit" and were elevated boxes towards the sides of the theatre. They were, in effect, the farthest ones from the stage.
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