PROPS & SCENERY IN SHAKESPEARE'S THEATRE

Large pieces of scenery were not used in the theatres of Shakespeare's time, where the stage projected right out into the middle of the audience.

Scenery being carried on and off in full view would have been very disruptive of a play's action, and of course some members of the audience at the sides would have been able to see the back of the scenery once it was in position. If the script called for a particular environment – perhaps a cave or a tomb – a curtain at the back of the stage was pulled aside to reveal the 'discovery space', where a set could be prepared in advance.

Small items (known as 'properties', or props for short) were carried on by the actors themselves. The surviving inventory of an Elizabethan theatre company's property-cupboard includes a pair of wings, a bear skin, a cage, a golden fleece, two coffins, four crowns (three imperial and one plain), a cauldron, even a wooden leg. No doubt much armour and numerous spears, swords and daggers were also held in stock.

The quotation at the top of the page is from Macbeth, Act 2 Scene 1. Use the link below to read a speech, also from Macbeth, showing props being put to good use by three witches.