Shakespeare and the Elizabethan and Jacobean Theatres.

            In order to understand Shakespeare's mastery in drama we have to take into account the period when the author wrote the plays. To give us a hand, we could take a look at some other plays that were written at that time, such as The Shoemaker's Holiday, The White Devil, The Duchess of Malfi, Philaster, A New Day to Pay Old Debts, Doctor Faustus, and so on. They offer the image of the epoch, a time in which theatres were becoming more and more popular, and the audience was starting to enjoy drama as its main entertainment. They also show the author's concern in presenting colourful shows and rich to the eyes. They included original passages that were addressing the audience attention, such us the dumb show we find in The White Devil, in which the action takes over the dialogue, it eliminates it, and shows a much more interactive performance. Shakespeare does not forget his audience at any moment, and gifts them with surprising events, that sometimes have nothing to do with the play at all, but they interfere dramatically in the action. An instance of that is the drawer appearing confused at stage, as seen in Hamlet. As we will see below, not only from the process of his writing but also while performing, Shakespeare is at any time paying attention to the world where he lives.
             The city of London plays a crucial role in Shakespeare's way of writing plays. We have to bear in mind that at that time playhouses were not very extended. It was a phenomenon that was still expanding its frontiers. Sometimes, Shakespeare adapted his writing to the poor conditions offered, and looked for alternatives to perform his plays, and some other times he writes specially for the environment where he expects to perform. The thing was that playhouses started spreading all over London because society found a rising profitability on them. Whereas plays were usually performed in streets, market places and public sites in general, Shakespeare would see how a world of opportunity opened before his eyes, as famous playhouses in London started to open.