8-1Southwark

The Slums of Southwark //Answer prepared by Michelle T//

The medieval slums of London could have been simply defined with one word—Southwark. Overtime, Southwark had undergone forceful and somewhat hostile development by its citizens. Mark Love, author of “Southwark, London” from //In Search of Shakespeare// writes, “crowded tenements were going up as fast as they could build them. Houses were being divided up into apartments and gardens were rapidly disappearing beneath building extensions. The streets and alleys were teeming with life (a large proportion of it parasitic in one form or another).” The growing population resulted in booming industries; tanneries and glass works were the most common businesses, but they led to pollution and unbearable odors. Although Southwark was known for its squalid life, the public enjoyed attending entertaining theatre productions. Mark Love, author of “Southwark, London” from //In Search of Shakespeare// thinks theatres were extremely popular in Southwark because “the population explosion in turn attracted the Theatre to the area.” Marchette Chute, author of //Shakespeare of London// also agrees that Southwark was an extremely popular site because of its short distance outside the bustling city. This helped lead the building of the Rose, the Swan, and the most well-known, Globe Theatre.

The Globe was built by the Burbages between 1599 and 1600, but unfortunately, according to Scout, writer of “The Anchor at Bankside, Southwark, UK” from //Central London//, “[it was] burnt down in the early 1600s when a prop cannon set fire to the thatched roof. It was reconstructed on its original site and finally opened to the public in 1997. ” Marchette Chute, author of //Shakespeare of London//, claims “these [theatres] were circular, rather like the old Roman circuses, and built with curving tiers of upstairs seats. A circular building would give much better visibility than could be achieved in a rectangular inn-yard.” Other forms of entertainment included bowling, bull-baiting, and bear-baiting. Bear-baiting is known today as a form of a “blood sport.” A bear would be chained to a post and it would be able to move, but not able to escape. Dogs would then be released onto the bear and the spectators would bet on whether the dogs or the bear would win. Though The Globe was one of the most famous theatres in Southwark, it was not the only theatre.

Another extremely famous theatre was called The George Inn Theatre. “The George Inn Theatre” from //William Shakespeare Info// states “ the history of The George can be traced back to 1542 although it is likely that an inn existed here for some time before.” This same website claims that William Shakespeare “lived and worked in the area of the George Inn and there is no doubt that he would have frequented the Inn on a regular basis and even possibly have played there.” Unfortunately, The George that Shakespeare was familiarized with burnt down in 1676, but was immediately rebuilt to its original structure. Southwark was essentially the center of Shakespearian theatre. Though faced with miserable poverty, it is home to famous theatres like The Globe, The Swan, and The Rose, which led to growing theatre productions and an increased population. Its history is still long to be forgotten by many Shakespearian and Elizabethan followers.

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Works Cited: Chute, Marchette. __Shakespeare of London__. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company Inc., 1949.

Love, Mark. “Southwark, London.” __In Search of Shakespeare__ 2003 7 Mar 2009 .

Scout, “The Anchor at Bankside, Southwark, UK.” __Central London__ (2006) 07 Mar 2009 .