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All Site ContentHamletAct 3Scene 2
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"groundlings"
Allusion
Act 3,
Scene 2
Lines 1-14

An explanation of Hamlet’s mention of “groundlings” in Act 3, Scene 2 of myShakespeare’s Hamlet.

[Enter Hamlet, and two or three of the Players (actors)]

Hamlet

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to 
you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as
many of your players do, I had as lief the town crier had
spoke my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with
your hand, thus, but useuse gently. For in the very torrent,
tempest, and as I may say, whirlwind of your passion,
you acquire and beget a temperance that may give
it smoothness. Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear a 
robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to 
tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings,
who for the most part are capable of nothing but
inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I could have such a    
fellow whipped for o’erdoing Termagant. It out-Herods     
Herod. Pray you avoid it.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theater is believed to have been able to hold as many as 3,000 people. This includes space for about 800 “groundlings”—the poorest audience members who chose to pay a small sum to stand on the ground in front of the stage. Because of their proximity to the stage, groundlings would certainly suffer if an actor was bellowing too loudly.