ABSTRACT
While a lot has been said about Shakespeare being "of all time," "universal," and "timeless," the plays he wrote are the particular products of a very specific cultural landscape and reflect a time when theatre-making was undergoing radical changes. Shakespeare wrote his plays within a very specific moment of theatre history, and understanding this context and the differences between his practices and ours will help us to better understand the plays and how to explore and engage them in performance. Early in Shakespeare's career, theatre companies depended on the support of wealthy patrons who commissioned performances at court, and these companies bore the names of those patrons. Shakespeare's own company was first known as the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare's theatre was representative of all Elizabethan playhouses at the time, and also of their material performance conditions. Shakespeare's players depended on their audience to help tell the story—and we should be prepared to do the same.
