During this time, the audience of a given play came from diverse backgrounds, with rich and poor in attendance. Playhouses were a place of entertainment for all, including the foreigners who would come. The price for entrance to the theater varied based on where the person wanted to be seated. The better the spot, the higher the increment of payment they had to hand over. The actors that performed there were expected to know many plays since a play would not be performed for many consecutive nights. However, just like playwrights, they usually were not paid large sums.

The majority of playwrights had modest backgrounds and were self-made in their profession. Although there were some playwrights like Shakespeare who were also actors, the majority of playwrights did not participate in the acting of the plays. The playwrights typically were not educated at Oxford or Cambridge, but there were a few that were.

The playwrights were typically paid in parts as they wrote the play. Once the play was completed, they received no more payments and the company had the right to do whatever they wanted with the play. In a given year, a playwright would usually be able to write a total of two plays. In general, the life of a playwright was not a glamorous one and could easily lead to financial struggles.

Based on this information, how could you argue that Shakespeare's background made him well suited to be an Elizabethan playwright?

Romeo and Juliet, 1884 painting by Frank Dicksee, photo from liveinternet.ru, 2018