Anti-semitism was highly prevalent in the time when Elizabethan drama was popular. The type of anti-semitism during that period of time was more religious than racial. This was due to the fact that the early church believed that the Jews had killed Christ and thus were in league with the devil.
             The situation was very severe at that time as the Jews were just returning to England after 350 years of exile and they were treated with little or no respect at all. For example, they were spit on and vicious rumours were spread about them. Also, their choice of jobs was severely limited which made it harder for them to make a living.
             The audience of the play consisted mostly of the common people (i.e. the lowest common denomination). As they were uneducated, they it was unlikely that they would have been able to understand all the nuances, sub-plots and undertones. However, they were probably also able to understand the main plot and thus enjoy the play.
             A common theatrical convention during that period of time was that only males acted. In fact, there were no female actors at all and pre-adolescent boys usually played the female roles. Old women were played by men but these roles were mainly comedic and thus relatively unimportant.
             During plays, the actors would often refer to the weather and usually describe it in much detail as there were few props and the play took place in playhouses, which were lit naturally. Therefore, the actors needed to tell the audience what the current weather situation in the play was like (e.g., night or day, etc.) and the easiest, best and most convenient way for them to do it was through their conversations.
             The most famous playwright of the time was William Shakespeare (1564-1616). He was also an actor and poet and to this day he arguably remains the most famous personality in english literature. In his lifetime, he wrote 37 plays and almost 200 sonnets.
             Drama functioned primarily as a form of e...