What was the set like in the original production of Hamlet?

Answer 1

This is a brief comment on the set of Hamlet from the Wikipedia article on Hamlet: "Shakespeare provides no clear indication of when his play is set; however, as Elizabethan actors performed at the Globe in contemporary dress on minimal sets, this would not have affected the staging." See link.

The Elizabethan playhouses did not have scenery as we think of it today. The stage itself served as a permanent unit set, with features that allowed for rapid movement from one area of the façade to another, and along with conventions, helped the audience understand what they needed to know about location. There was an upper level for scenes that required them, such as the Balcony Scene in Romeo & Juliet. Some theaters had a tapestry known as an Arras hanging between the stage doors Stage Right and Stage Left from which most entrances and exits were made. Many playhouses included a roof or awning over the rear half of the stage called the Heavens, which may have included machinery for flying effects in some theaters. Most had columns or pillars holding up the roof which could double as the trunks of trees in outdoor scenes. So in a way, the stage was the set.