ind the stage, was the Tiring House. Here is where the actors dressed for the plays. Individual dressing rooms were not a feature of Elizabethan playhouses, so actors were to dress in whatever open space they could find. (Yowell 16)The Globe Theater was the home to one of the most honored writers of the time, William Shakespeare. Here, Shakespeare wrote, rehearsed, and performed his plays. Plays such as "Caesar" and "Romeo & Juliet" were performed at The Globe, which helped build The Globe into a very popular and prestigious theater. (Richman 1) When the actual performance was taking place, a flag was raised to show that the play was ready to be performed. (Encarta n/p)Inside the theater was very different than one might expect. The Globe was almost always filled to its capacity with people. Thus, it was so filled that it was near impossible to move about once inside. In Elizabethan times, people were known not to bathe frequently. With close to 3,000 patrons all rubbing against each other, the stench was quite horrendous. (Hornell 30) Holes in the roof over the stage were constructed to let more wind in, and the stench of dirty bodies out. (Yowell 42) Rats and fleas were also a very big problem inside the theater. This was mainly due to the audience's behavior. During plays, audiences ate, drank, spat, argued, booed, fought, and even threw fruit at the actors. This was the main cause of the rat and flea problem. (Hornell 12) Prostitutes would hang around the stage, looking for drunken individuals to take advantage of. (Hornell 15) With all of this, disease was also a major problem the theaters faced. Smallpox, scarlet fever, and tuberculosis were just a few of the diseases that regularly killed thousands of people in the Elizabethan time period. When fights broke out, there were big risks of the disease spreading when blood was dispersed. Other diseases were due to the rodent and flea problem. (Yowell 6)In 161...
