Southwark, the neighborhood of the Globe Theater, was a rowdy, turbulent place to be. According to History, this thriving entertainment center had a very seedy reputation, in part because it was technically outside of the city of London. For much of the city's history, anyone traveling south out of London had to go through Southwark. That encouraged the spread of taverns, which, in turn, gave rise to a red light district. As time went on, other entertainment options became popular, including numerous playhouses. The first, The Theatre, was built by James Burbage in 1576.
The Globe, which opened in 1599, reports British History Online, was, at the time, just the latest theater in a crowded market. During the late 16th century, visitors to Southwark would have had four distinct playhouses to pick from. This meant that the players at the Globe had to work hard to attract audience members.
Many distractions could have kept people from buying a ticket, from the taverns, to the brothels, to the ever-popular sport of bear baiting. The activity of tormenting a captive bear was so well-known, says History, that it was even referenced in Macbeth. Bear-baiting arenas, where bears engaged in bloody fights with dogs for the amusement of onlookers, were a prime Southwark attraction. Even Queen Elizabeth I was said to be a fan of the brutal pastime, though some critics decried it as inhumane. Bear baiting was banned by Parliament in 1835.
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