Sep 8, 2008

Shakespeare's Work | Shakespeare and His Audiences

Who goes to see Shakespeare? Answering such a question taxes the strengths of any researcher or thinker. Everyone knows a farmer, taxi driver, or butcher who attends productions in Ashland, Oregon, New York City, or Stratford-upon- Avon. Students and tourists by the busload dutifully pay homage to Shakespeare, especially as part of a predetermined itinerary or class assignment. But though drawing a mass audience numerically, Shakespeare tends to attract playgoers rather more sophisticated than those of hit movies or Broadway musicals. To go beyond such rough generalizations would require...