The video below is an in depth documentary on The Globe Theatre. It is intriguing, and it covers in detail the history of this most famous of theatres, but sadly it only briefly touches on Th…
“This public would therefore have been very conscious of the differing applications of violence at the time, and a performance involving a duel on stage that did not live up to lifelike expectations would have suffered as a consequence. This was something of which the writers were, of course, aware, and so both the writing and the performance reflected this. Actors would train under prominent fencing masters to ensure that they had become convincing experts with the sword.“
(N.B. There’s a great response written by Casey Kaleba in the Tooth & Claw Combat Arts Fbook group that argues this article is not correct. Interested in responses - how much would Shakespeare actor’s have known/needed to know?)
