A trip to the theatre, bearing in mind you are wearing the correct garms and sitting in the\u00a0right place, could cause you to be the talk of the town in the 1600s. Those sitting higher up in the theatre would have, of course, paid more. This gave the groundlings<\/a> below the chance to look upon them and their finery. However, as Shakespeare himself warned, via Iago in ‘Othello’, \u201cBeware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed monster<\/a>.\u2019\u2019 Don\u2019t worry about these braggarts<\/a> though, as the underground scene could be just as much fun (and by ‘fun’ we mean ‘as much fun as blinding a monk with a laser pointer’).<\/p>\n Ye Olde Garments and Rank\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Before heading out to the playhouse, be sure that you haven’t accidentally dressed yourself in garms which are not in accordance with your rank! In this glorious Elizabethan age of ours, our radiant Queen has had the great judgement to grant us with the gift of\u00a0Sumptuariae Leges<\/em>, or Sumputuary Laws. These govern the sorts of garms and gowns that may or may not be worn by certain ranks in our land. For instance, vestments made from silk, tissue or fur are only to be worn by those high and noble ladies bearing the title of Duchess, Countess or Marquise. What’s more, those items of clothing adorned with gold, silver or pearls are limited to those of the aristocratic rank.<\/p>\n Yet hark, dear friend, there is a\u00a0loopus holus<\/em>, that is to say, a ‘loop hole’. Aristocrats who are rather fond of playhouses often bequeath their clothes and other garments to members of an acting troop so that they may be used in future performances and merriment onstage. Thus, thespians are often seen to be wearing garms onstage which they ought not to be since their murky, lowly rank is undeserving of their finery! This is, however, the one instance in which splendid vestments may adorn one of a lower rank. Yet, that is not to say that is does not cause discord and a troubled disposition amongst some members of the gentry. “First they take our garments!”, they think, “Next they’ll take our money and riches and sacrifice us to their Blood-God! Those damned thespians!”.<\/p>\n Ye Olde Women\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Say, Love if ever thou didst find,<\/em><\/a> Whilst women are allowed in the playhouse to regard and enjoy (though not too much!) the play, they are, under no circumstances, permitted to act upon the stage. Such a defiant and whorish act would expose a woman as being an inconstant, sluttish gutter-snipe! ‘Tis only ever appropriate for men to act upon the stage. To this day, no woman has ever acted upon a stage (to my knowledge), not even as in disguise and this will almost certainly never, ever be the plot of an Academy-Award winning film<\/a> in 400 years time because women will never act!\u00a0But dear ladies, those of the fairer sex and, God help thee, one day, defiers of the patriarchy, on your trip, be sure to keep an eye out for the most roguish celeb of the day – Mr Richard Burbage. When Shakespeare was just a lad, celeb culture started to emerge in our humble playhouses, with Richard Tarlton in his buttoned cap or Edward Alleyn drawing crowds to the theatre. Burbage is the most admired lover and will most likely have you screaming like a fool. Warning<\/strong> – do not attempt to climb any balconies in the pursuit of this handsome devil, especially as the window is our preferred route for our WC activities here in Elizabeth\u2019s day.<\/p>\n Do I Hear Ye Cry for More Entertainment?<\/strong><\/p>\n If there isn\u2019t enough blood and gore (spoiler alert!) in the end of ‘Hamlet’ or ‘Titus Andronicus’ for you, then there\u2019s plenty to be found in Old London Town. Not that you won\u2019t see plenty of animal blood in Shakespeare\u2019s theatre, as that’s what is used for the bloody scenes. A more realistic setting for which this blood can be shed is the bear and bull baiting arenas! \u2018How low and vulgar\u2019, I hear you cry in horror, however, Queen Elizabeth herself was known to have visited this gory tourist attraction. If you\u2019re not on so much of a budget, you can place a bet to add even more excitement! Although, I don\u2019t think anymore excitement is needed! For the truly sick-minded, make sure you access the South Bank via London Bridge so you can have a good old ogle at the heads on spikes at traitor\u2019s gate. DISCLAIMER:<\/strong> Not for the faint-hearted (or vegan.)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/shakespearesix\/files\/2018\/10\/Ren-GIF-1-1.gif\")
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\nA woman with a constant mind<\/em><\/p>\n
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