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Shakespeare's Theatres: The SwanThe Swan Theatre was built by Francis Langley about 1594, south of the Thames, close to the Rose, in Surrey. Scholars disagree as to whether Shakespeare and his company, the Chamberlain's Men, played there -- some argue that the troupe definitely played at the Swan from time to time while they were looking for a permanent home. The Swan was one of the largest and most distinguished of all the playhouses, but its place in history is primarily owing to the following two facts: First, it was at the Swan that the acting company Pembroke's Men staged the infamous play, The Isle of Dogs, which was responsible for the government's closure of all playhouses in the summer of 1597. Second, the Swan is represented in the only contemporary drawing of the inside of an Elizabethan playhouse known to exist (see picture on right). The drawing was created in 1596 by Johannes de Witt, a Dutch traveler who made the sketch while on a trip to London, shortly after the Swan playhouse was built. The copy pictured here was discovered in Amsterdam in 1880. Anything we can deduce from this drawing of the Swan can most likely be applied to Shakespeare's Globe. The Swan has a rather bleak history after 1597, when the staging of plays gave way to a variety of other activities such as amateur poetry readings, and swashbuckling competitions. In 1632 it was declared that the Swan was now "fallen to decay." How to cite this article: References Bentley, Gerald Eades. Shakespeare: A Biographical Handbook. Yale University Press: New Haven, 1968. Berry, Herbert, ed. The First Public Playhouse. Queen's University Press: Montreal, 1979. Boyce, Charles. Shakespeare A to Z. Facts on File: New York, 1990. ______ Related Articles  The Evolution of the Elizabethan Playhouse (Inn Yards) Shakespeare's Globe The Curtain Theatre Shakespeare's Audience in his Day Going to a Play in Shakespeare's London London's First Public Playhouse Shakespeare's Boss Blackfriars: Shakespeare Hits the Big Time Theatre Closures Due to Disease Entertainment in Elizabethan England Shocking Elizabethan Drama How Many Plays Did Shakespeare Write? The Greatest Actor of Shakespeare's Day Edward Alleyn: Master of the Elizabethan Stage William Kempe: Shakespeare's Clown Daily Life in Shakespeare's London What did Shakespeare drink? What did Shakespeare look like? Shakespeare's Language Words Shakespeare Invented Reasons Behind Shakespeare's Influence Shakespeare's Blank Verse Play Chronology Shakespeare Characters A to Z Pronouncing Shakespearean Names Shakespeare's Metaphors and Similes How many plays did Shakespeare write? Shakespeare Quotations (by Play and Theme) The First Folio Most Common Questions About Shakespeare |
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