Of Pentameter & Bear Baiting - Romeo & Juliet Part 1: Crash Course English Literature #2 - YouTube (2)

So, I know sometimes it feels more like translation than reading, but if you stick with it, you will find yourself in Shakespeare's world.

Actually, it might help a little to imagine the plays as they were originally staged

because the Elizabethan playhouse was very different from theaters of today.

There were a few indoor, private theaters and a couple more in palaces and at the Inns of Court,

but Shakespeare's company typically performed in large theaters like the Globe,

partly open to the air and partly covered by a thatched roof.

Now, I don't know if these thatched roofs inspired Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three to record their hit

song, "The Roof Is on Fire," however the roof was often on fire, particularly when plays necessitated cannons.

And as there was limited water and firefighting resources, it was sometimes necessary to let the William Faulkner burn.

So, if you had the cash for it, you sat on tiered benches in the galleries with a good view of the stage.

But if you had less money, you stood in the pit.

And you usually stood there for more than three hours. These weren't short plays. Well, except for Macbeth.

Ah! I should have said "the Scottish play."

Romeo and Juliet wasn't performed at the Globe, but probably at a theater called the Curtain, slightly older,

but otherwise very similar, although on the good side of the river Thames.

Shakespeare referred to it as "the Wooden O."

It was rediscovered earlier this year by archaeologists working in London.

Theaters like the Globe and the Curtain were dirty, they probably didn't smell very good,

and while cellphones didn't go off in the middle of plays, they were not quiet places.

Today, you go to the theater and everyone gets quiet when the lights go down,

but there were no lights. There also weren't any microphones.

There was nothing to focus attention on the stage except the play itself,

so people drank and ate and jeered at the actors if they thought the performances were bad.

So Romeo and Juliet may be an amazing work of poetry, but it also pandered to the popular tastes of the time.

I mean, Renaissance theater wasn't, like, high art.

So, yes, nobles went to the theater, but it wasn't considered classy.

I mean, a lot of times people were literally choosing between

seeing this play and watching a chained bear try to fight off a bunch of dogs.

So this wasn't highbrow entertainment,

and I hope it doesn't feel highbrow to you just because of the fancy language.

Shakespeare knew how to navigate between high and low culture.

He knew how to amuse and entertain us while also grappling with big questions

about honor and fate and duty and human frailty.

And the idea that something can be both fun and smart still resonates today.

I mean, isn't that why you watch Crash Course? And yes, I went there.

We are of Shakespearean quality.

Next week we'll delve further into the themes of Romeo and Juliet

and discuss whether it's really love or lust at the heart of their relationship.

Thanks for watching. I'll see you then.

Crash Course is produced and directed by Stan Muller. Our script supervisor is Meredith Danko.

The associate producer is Danica Johnson. The show is written by Alexis Soloski and myself.

And our graphics team is Thought Bubble.

Every week, instead of cursing, I use the names of writers I like.

If you'd like to suggest writers, you can do so in the comments

where you can also ask questions about today's video

that will be answered by our team of highly-trained English people.

Thanks for watching Crash Course. And as we say in my hometown, Don't Forget To Be Awesome.