Suggestions
Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Please wait while we process your payment
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. Sometimes it can end up there.
Please wait while we process your payment
By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy.
Don’t have an account? Subscribe now
Create Your Account
Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial
Already have an account? Log in
Your Email
Choose Your Plan
Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan!
Purchasing SparkNotes PLUS for a group?
Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more!
Price
$24.99 $18.74 /subscription + tax
Subtotal $37.48 + tax
Save 25% on 2-49 accounts
Save 30% on 50-99 accounts
Want 100 or more? Contact us for a customized plan.
Your Plan
Payment Details
Payment Summary
SparkNotes Plus
You'll be billed after your free trial ends.
7-Day Free Trial
Not Applicable
Renews June 9, 2023 June 2, 2023
Discounts (applied to next billing)
DUE NOW
US $0.00
SNPLUSROCKS20 | 20% Discount
This is not a valid promo code.
Discount Code (one code per order)
SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Free trial is available to new customers only.
Choose Your Plan
For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more!
You’ve successfully purchased a group discount. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. You'll also receive an email with the link.
Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership.
Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial.
Please wait while we process your payment
Your PLUS subscription has expired
Please wait while we process your payment
Shakespeare had his longest and most intimate relationship with the theater company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. This company began as far back as the 1560s, but under a different name: Hunsdon’s Men. In the Elizabethan period, troupes of players were generally referred to by their patron’s noble title, and before 1585 the patron of this group, Henry Carey, was the first Lord Hunsdon. In 1585, however, he was appointed to the office of Lord Chamberlain, and by 1590 his troupe had become known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. It isn’t clear when Shakespeare joined the troupe, but we have records showing that by 1595 the playwright had a financial stake in the company. Henry Carey’s death in 1596 placed the company’s future in jeopardy. But Carey’s son George, the second Lord Hunsdon, adopted the company and saved it. The troupe was again known as Hunsdon’s Men until 1597, when George took office as Lord Chamberlain and the name changed yet back once more. It would remain the Lord Chamberlain’s Men until 1603, when the newly crowned King James I took the company under his royal patronage. From then on the Lord Chamberlain’s Men would be known as the King’s Men.
Despite the turmoil caused by Henry Carey’s death and the frequent changes of the company’s name, the core membership of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men remained consistent over time. Aside from Shakespeare, who acted in the company and wrote exclusively for it, the most famous member was Richard Burbage. Burbage enjoyed a reputation for being the greatest actor of his day, and he almost certainly originated many of Shakespeare’s most iconic roles, from Romeo to King Lear. With Shakespeare penning many of the company’s plays, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men quickly rose to prominence as London’s most popular theater troupe. Though Shakespeare’s repertoire helped make them famous, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men also performed works by prominent playwrights like Ben Jonson. In the late 1590s the company played in a number of public theaters, including one known as the Theater, which had been built by Richard Burbage’s father. In 1596 the Theater closed because the landowner refused to renew the lease, and Burbage’s father built another theater at Blackfriars. But the new theater closed shortly after it opened due to complaints from neighboring landowners. In dire financial straits, the company repurposed the materials from the Theater to construct the world’s most famous theater, the Globe, which would remain the company’s home for years to come.