Shakespeare's London And Elizabethan Audiences

London:
During the Elizabethan period, the population in London was growing at a pace - some might have even called it an 'overcrowded city'. It was the richest and biggest city in the whole of England, so everyone wanted to migrate there - from the countryside and from abroad. Due to so many people wanting to move there, it was very dirty, noisy and crowded. There was a lot of punishment and execution, mainly beheading, due to lots of crime because of standards of living - poorer people had to steal to eat and survive. There was a large rise in the entertainment industry. New theaters were being built as more people were interested in going out and enjoying themselves, being social. Sports were very popular among men at the time, with lots of tournaments and festivals being held. Men were expected to be the breadwinners and women tended to stay at home as a housewife, looking after the children and home.

Audiences:
With a larger population - there were more industries on the rise, especially the entertainment industry. Due to the increase in jobs, people were earning more money - which meant they had the ability to go out and enjoy themselves. Entertainment in the Elizabethan time period included bear-baiting, cock-fighting among others. Around 20,000 people attended the theatre every week! The audiences were a wide variety of people - traditionally, more men visited the theatre to watch shows and all the actors were male too. Wealthier people tended to visit the theatre more often, but people from all backgrounds went too. The entry fee to stand at an open air theatre was around 1 penny - the same price as a loaf of bread at the time. You would have to pay double if you wanted to be seated. It cost about 6 pence to have a seat in a theatre indoors. So just like now, theatre was accessible to a lot of people - with a range of prices. Perhaps it was even more popular back then because it was slightly cheaper and something new for audiences to witness. Audiences would voice their reactions to things happening in a play by clapping, cheering and booing when they wanted to - not when it was appropriate too. This often led to fights breaking out among members of the audience.

References:

www.ShakespearesGlobe.com/Discovery-Space/Fact-Sheets
www.Elizabethan-Era.org.uk/Elizabethan-London.htm