8-2LordChamberlainsMen

Who were the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later called the King's Men? What was Shakespeare's role in the Lord Chamberlain's Men/The King's Men? //Answer prepared by Raythan.P//

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men was a company of players in Elizabethan and Jacobean England. As a matter of fact, they were the most important company in this time period. The players were first known as Hunsdon’s Men from 1564 to 1567. The company’s patron was Henry Carey, 1st Lord Hundson. A patron is someone who is chosen, named, or honored as a special guardian or supporter. In 1585, Hundson took office as Lord Chamberlain. The Lord Chamberlain is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom. It was a political party until 1924. So, after Henry Carey became the new Lord Chamberlain, the players of the company became known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Henry Hundson was the patron to this company until his death in 1596. At this time Henry Hundson’s son, George Carey, 2nd Lord Hundson became the new patron of the company. Once again, the players were known as Hundson’s Men until their new patron took office as Lord Chamberlain in 1597, much like his father did thirty years earlier. The players of the company would be known as Lord Chamberlain’s Men until James I came to power in 1603. The company was taken under royal patronage and so they were finally known as the King’s Men. The company played in numerous theaters like The Theatre in Shoreditch, the Curtain Theatre in that same area, the Blackfriars Theatre. They also played at their new playhouse, Globe Theatre. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men split up after the closing of the theatres in 1642. The closing of the theatres occurred when the Puritans took control of Parliament. By edict, they forbade all stage plays, resulting in the closing of all theatres.

The Lord Chamberlain’s Men became well known for their unique and talented actors. The Company had about six to eight “sharers” who would split the earnings from performances. These “sharers” were the main actors of the company, even though they would hire other actors to play minor parts. Also, the company had a few boy players that were usually apprenticing an adult actor. One of the company’s most famous actor was William Kempe who had very big roles in numerous funny plays by Shakespeare. He performed the parts of “Dogberry” in //__Much Ado About Nothing__//, and “Bottom” in //__A Midsummer Night’s Dream__//. Among the players in the Lord Chamberlain’s men were two boy actors: Henry Condell, and John Heminges. These two young actors were best know for collecting and editing the plays of Shakespeare’s first folio in 1623. Richard Burbage was another famous actor from the Chamberlain’s Men Company. He was the company’s lead actor and played the major roles of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. He became one of the most wealthiest and popular of the Renaissance actors. Even though the core members of the company changed before James I came into power, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Company always saw great talent in their actors. This company not only achieved great fame through their actors, but also through their staging of numerous plays by William Shakespeare.  Shakespeare played a huge role in the company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and was one of the major factors of the company’s great success. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men played regularly at the Globe Theater. It was at this theater that Shakespeare got a lot a fame because from 1594 on, his plays were first performed by Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and later, the King’s Men. He was also one of the original six joint owners of the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare joined the company in the 1580s. These men were all members of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men including Richard Burbage. Shakespeare and these other members invested a lot into the building of the Globe Theater. The members of the company first performed at “The Theater”, which was built by Richard Burbage’s father in Shoreditch. Shakespeare and the other members of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men Company used the timbers from “The Theater” to build the Globe Theatre by pushing the logs across a Frozen Thames River. Shakespeares-globe states that Shakespeare owned 12.5% of the theatre as did: John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, and Thomas Pope. Cuthbert and Richard Burbage both owned 25% of the theatre, and thus, the Burbage brothers together owned a total of 50% of the theatre. After the Globe burned down and was rebuilt the following year, Shakespeare wrote one final play for the company called, “The Two Noble Kinsmen” After this play he no longer wrote plays for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men because he retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, his birthplace. Shakespeare played a huge role in the company up until this point in 1614. Works Cited Best, Michael. "Internet Shakespeare Editions." // http://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/index.html //. 7 Apr 2009 Front of Mind. "Shakespeare's Globe." //www.shakespeares-globe.org///. 7 Apr 2009

Pressley, J.M.. "Shakespeare's Globe." //www.bardweb.net/globe.html//. 18 Feb 2009. 7 Apr 2009

"The Works & Life of William Shakespeare." //www.onlineshakespeare.com//. 7 Apr 2009

This is a picture of the inside of the __Globe Theater__, from the site saintannparish.com/school/webliz/williamshakespheare/williamshakespheareindex: