While some of Shakespeares audience would have paid good money for seats in the galleries, a great many of them would have paid a penny to stand on the floor surrounding the stage. These groundlings would sit on the ground and watch on quiet days, but when it was busy theyd be crammed in and would get restless. Heckling was expected, and many regulars would sneak in rotten food to throw at the actors on stage. Many werent even bothered with the play, they were just there to meet, and fight, their fellow audience members. Full-on brawls werent uncommon, and some men would reportedly fight to stand next to attractive women. More often than not, the actors were expected to soldier on, even when they were drowned out by shouts and being pelted with vegetables. And, as Shakespeare often acted in his own plays, there are probably some people out there who can say their ancestors nailed Shakespeare with a cabbage.
