8-1BurbageFamily

WHO WAS THE BURBAGE FAMILY AND WHAT ROLE DID THEY PLAY IN SHAKESPEARE'S LIFE? //Answer prepared by Kimberly H.// William Shakespeare’s Greatest Friends In addition to being the greatest writer of his time, William Shakespeare also played roles in some of his plays, including Theseus, the Duke of Athens, in __A Midsummer Night's Dream__ and the ghost of Hamlet’s father in __Hamlet__. Shakespeare only acted occasionally, however. His troupe of actors, The Lord Chamberlain's Men did most of the acting. One of his actors was named Richard Burbage. Richard Burbage was a close, personal friend of the Bard; the section of PBS.org titled “Richard Burbage” even states that he was remembered in the poet's will. He was also the lead actor of the Lord Chamberlain's men, which was Shakespeare’s acting troupe. According to Tarnya Cooper, author of the book __Searching For Shakespeare__, Richard Burbage played all of the celebrated roles of Shakespeare's works, including Hamlet, Othello, Richard the Third and King Lear. He was an established method actor whose acting style, the immersion of oneself in a character, is still copied today by professional actors. The section entitled “Shakespeare’s Actors” of the website “Internet Shakespeare Editions” even goes so far to say that he “rivaled Edward Alleyn [a fellow actor] as the greatest English tragedian.” James Burbage, the patriarch of the Burbage clan, was also a very important man. Before dying at the age of 66, James Burbage had been a carpenter, an actor, a builder, and most importantly, an innovator. After receiving training as a joiner, or carpenter, he made an unusual decision for that time and became an actor, first in the Earl of Leicester’s Men Acting Troupe and then in the Lord Chamberlain's Men Acting Troupe. The section entitled “James Burbage” on PBS.org suggests that James Burbage might have been the one to give William Shakespeare his first opportunity as an actor. James Burbage became the first Englishman to get a theatre license, which certifies you as being allowed to own, operate and manage your own theatre. After that, he became a builder and built and designed Shakespeare's first theatre, which was simply called The Theatre. He made sure The Theatre had room for special effects like cannons and fireworks. According to Peter Chrisp, author of __Shakespeare__, James owned the Theatre, Richard was the star actor, and Richard’s brother, Cuthbert, managed the business. He also tried to renovate the Blackfriar's Theatre but had to abandon the project up because of local opposition. According to the section entitled “James Burbage” on the website “Elizabethan Era”, James Burbage also drew up the blueprints for The Globe, which was Shakespeare’s main theatre. I learned from Rene Weiss, author of __Shakespeare Unbound: Decoding A Hidden Life,__ that the Burbage family was a part of Shakespeare’s life before he even moved to London. One of Stratford’s mayors during Shakespeare’s childhood was a Burbage. Strangely enough, Shakespeare’s father once had a lawsuit against a member of the Burbage clan for some unknown reason. The Burbage family was a constant in Shakespeare’s life. More important than any of this, however, the Burbage men were both in William Shakespeare's group of very good friends. I am sure Shakespeare would be honored if he knew that his friends are recognized along with him even today! Works Cited Alchin, Linda. "James Burbage." //Elizabethan Era//. 20 Mar 2008. 19 Apr 2009 <[]>.

Best, Michael. "Shakespeare's Actors." //Internet Shakespeare Editions//. 2005. University of Victoria. 19 Apr 2009 <[]>.

Cooper, Tarnya. //Searching for Shakespeare//. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2006. Print.

Love, Mark. "In Search of Shakespeare: James Burbage." //pbs.org//. 2003. PBS. 19 Apr 2009

Weis, Rene. //Shakespeare Unbound: Decoding A Hidden Life//. 1. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2007. Print.

Chrisp, Peter. //Shakespeare//. 1. New York, NY: DK Publishing, 2002. Print