History of Bear Baiting in London

Bear baiting was a gruesome yet popular blood sport during the early modern period. The sport consisted of chaining a bear to a stake then unleashing dogs into the arena who would taunt and attack the bear. The sport of bear baiting was typically held in an arena known as a Bear Garden. Some London playhouses, such as The Hope, were used mainly as theatres, with bear baiting taking place on specific days when plays were not staged. Once the sport reached its peak between 1615–1635, the baitings left the theatres altogether and were held only in specialized arenas. Some scholars like Erica Fudge argue that bear baiting was symbolic of the various power struggles that were occurring during the Elizabethan era. Due to the disapproval of Puritan ministers, the sport began a decline in the late 1630s and it never regained in popularity in England again.

Royal Opinion

This violent sport was initially accepted by the rulers of the era, so much that it was also known as The King’s Game. The Master of The King’s Game received a small salary from the king in addition to status in the court. Many men who wanted to get close to the king, thus gaining influence in the royal court, pursued this position. The Master was also held accountable for the animals within the arena. People who did not enjoy the sport due to its cruel nature were obligated to respect it because of royal interest and the approval of the royal court. But that attitude changed about a decade into the rule of King James I of England. Starting in 1618, as declared in , all the ministers for the Church of England were required, by royal order, to inform their parishioners of sports permitted by the king that could occur on Sundays after church services, in part due to Puritan opposition to some folk customs in England. But banned Sunday bear baiting, initiating the decline of the once popular entertainement. While it seldom occured after the 1630s, animal baiting was not formally banned in England until Parliament did so in 1835.

Shakespeare’s View

Shakespeare occasionally compared the situation of his characters to that of the bear in the arena: tied to a stake surrounded by those who wish harm upon them. In , Richard of Gloucester asks that Call hither to the stake my two brave bears,/That with the very shaking of their chains/They may astonish these fell-lurking curs and in reply, Lord Clifford cries, Are these thy bears? we'll bait thy bears to death./ And manacle the bear-ward in their chains,/If thou darest bring them to the baiting place, (5.1.142–144 and 146–147), using the sport as a metaphor for tormenting enemies. In , the captured Earl of Gloucester discovers the cruelty he faces at the hands of Lear’s daughters and cries out I am tied to th' stake, and I must stand the course (3.7.56). In , the title character uses the metaphor of being baited when he discovers in the final battle that he is surrounded and without hope of survival.

Shakespeare’s characters sometimes appear to have a more sensitive approach to bear baiting, associating themselves with the fate and unfortunate circumstances of the bear, although in , Sir Toby says, to anger him Malvolio we’ll have the bear again, and we’ll fool him black and blue, shall we not, Sir Andrew?, showing that the entertainment value of bear baiting was not absent from the plays.

Key Print Sources Fudge, Erica. . University of Illinois Press, 2002. Scott-Warren, Jason. . , vol. 54, no. 1, 2003, pp. 63–82.

Key Online Sources Andrews, Evan. . . A&E Television Networks. 30 Jan. 2017; updated 28 May 2025. https://www.history.com/articles/the-gruesome-blood-sports-of-shakespearean-england. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026. Best, Michael. . . . https://internetshakespeare.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/society/city%20life/sports.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020. . . 26 Sep. 2016. https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/elizabethan-playhouses-and-bear-baiting-arenas-given-protection. Accessed 12 Dec. 2020. Lauenstein, Eva. . . 29 Jan. 2016. https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/discover/blogs-and-features/2016/01/29/exit-pursued-by-a-bear/. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.

Image Source Lily, William. . . London, 1521. Folger Shakespeare Library, Digital Image Collection. https://digitalcollections.folger.edu/img1202. Access 11 Feb. 2026.