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University Press.Stage Combat
Stage combatis broadly used to define any physical confrontation that is
performed on stage. These confrontations can range from a slap to a mas-
sive battle sequence, and they can be performed by as few as two people
(as in a duel) or by large groups (as in a bar fight). Unlike conventional
martial systems, stage combat is meant to function as entertainment, not as
a series of defensive and offensive techniques. Its main objective is to cre-
ate an entertaining and exciting experience for the audience.
During the English Renaissance (in the sixteenth and seventeenth cen-
turies) the London Masters of Defence (a professional organization of
British fencing masters) rented out playhouses to test their students pub-
licly. Men who could afford to do so were trained in the ways of swords-
manship with one of the recognized masters of this organization. Also,
there were opportunities to train with foreign masters if one was so in-
clined. At this time, however, the foreign masters ran serious risks in order
to teach in London because of the monopoly that the Masters of Defence
held in the city; if, however, they could find a powerful enough patron to
offer them protection, it was possible. By the 1580s, Italian and French
styles of swordplay had come into vogue, and several Italian schools were
in operation in London. During this time, duels settling a private difference
through combat were extremely common; therefore, these fencing masters
had no shortage of students eager to learn their skills. Thus, sword fight-
ing was so prevalent at this time that everyone had some personal experi-
ence with it, either as a participant or an observer. Thus, theatrical sword
fighting was a popular form of entertainment, and the fights themselves
were spectacular displays.
Like any acting apprentice in the sixteenth century, William Shake-
speare would have spent considerable time training with at least one mas-
ter swordsman, until he himself was an accomplished fighter. The weapons
found in Shakespeare’s plays—the buckler, dagger, rapier, long-sword,
Stage Combat 551