8-2Southwark

 

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Southwark, London was a loud, lively, rambunctious part of the city. There were over three hundred inns and alehouses where guests and residents could eat, drink, gamble, and then dream away. According to the researchers of BBC's h2g2 website, “The bustling ‘Soho’ which Southwark must have been in Shakespeare's day is quite a contrast with the comparative backwater of today!” Yes, it was a fun place to be, always moving, never really asleep, but Southwark had its flaws.======

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Southwark was home to the industries of tannery and glasswork. This brought with it pollution and odors. There were also a lot more people coming, causing tenements to shoot up. They were splitting houses to create more room, gobbling up backyards, parks, and even front lawns with building extensions. Even though Southwark was dirty and wild, because of the way it was, it attracted Theater-folk. According to researchers at PBS, “Southwark became the residing city of The Globe, The Rose and The Swan.” Many of Shakespeare’s scenes and characters, plus the actors, who gave life to his productions, came from Southwark.======

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Of course, with the theater came more entertainment as well. There was bowling, and bear-baiting. Bear- baiting was a “sport” but more of a show. It was bloody and gruesome and would nowadays be considered animal abuse. The way it ensued, was that they chained a bear to a post, tightly but it would still be able to move, then they would let dogs go and attack it. Spectators would bet on which animal would survive. It was very popular. Almost everyone who had been to Southwark had seen one of these “sporting” events. There was also the synergistic entertainment provided by the brothels.======

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In Southwark, there was a prison referred to as “The Clink”. There has been a prison owned by the Bishop of Winchester in one form or another since the year 860, although at that time it would only have been one cell. The building of a chapel and mansion at Southwark was begun in 1107 and was ended in 1144. There were two prisons included, one for men and one for women. By 1180, the land was owned completely by the Clink Prison. The prisoners were treated horribly; those with money and friends on the outside were able to pay the jailers to make their time better. The jail guard, or jailers, were paid very little and would sell “luxuries” to the prisoners for money. Some would sell blankets, candles, fuel, and food and drink at double the price. Some would even be paid to fit lighter irons or to leave the cells open. Sometimes the prisoners could wander begging for food and even get jobs. Women, who were running the brothels that were shut down, were sometimes allowed to reopen them if the majority of the profits went to the jailers. The less wealthy had to beg through the grates in the street. Many of them would sell anything on them, including their clothes, to get some money. Life was extremely harsh and brutality was a part of life. Beatings and kicking were common; irons and fetters were fitted to prevent sleeping or cause paralysis, and prisoners were forced to stand in water until their feet rotted. Murder and fighting were not unusual. Authorized torture included the rack, breaking on the wheel, or crushing under very heavy weights. I wouldn’t have wanted to break the law in anyway, or fall into debt. Creditors could send the debtors to jail.======

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Life could be harsh in Southwark, as it could be anywhere. But in Southwark, unfairness was common. Southwark could be a grisly place to be, but it could also be great fun. Many people went to enjoy themselves for awhile. Others went to enjoy themselves as well but their fun and merriment quickly turned into harshness and punishments. Some went straight to the cruelty. Southwark had a little bit of everything.======

____Works Cited____ ** Lloyd Evans, Gareth, and Barbara. The Shakespeare Companion. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1978. Print.

Nicoll, Allardyce. Studies in Shakespeare. London, England: The Hogarth Press,1927. Print.

"Southwark Community Projects." Shakespeare's Globe. 2009. 3 Apr 2009 < [] >.

"Southwark, London." In Search of Shakespeare. 2003. 4 Apr 2009 < [] >

"The Anchor at Bayside, Southwark, UK." h2g2. 15 Sep 2006. 5 Apr 2009 < [] >.

"The Clink Prison Museum, Clink Street, London." h2g2. 15 Sep 2006. 14 Apr 2009 < [] >.

Wood, Michael. In Search of Shakespeare. New York: Longman, 2003. Print. **