''For other uses, see King's Men.

The King's Men was the playing company that William Shakespeare worked for throughout most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.

The company was the most successful in London. It was based at the Globe Theatre and the indoor Blackfriars theatre. Its lead actor was Richard Burbage, who played Hamlet, King Lear, Othello and Macbeth, among many other roles. The company's "clown" was Robert Armin, who had replaced Will Kempe in 1599. Armin is thought to have originated roles such as Feste in Twelfth Night and The Fool in King Lear.

The Folio's list of the names of the principal actors in Shakespeare's plays provides a fairly comprehensive roster of the members of the Chamberlain's Men/King's Men throughout its history, up to the time of the Folio's publication. The roster names: William Shakespeare, Richard Burbage, John Heminges, Augustine Phillips, William Kempe, Thomas Pope, George Bryan, Henry Condell, William Slye, Richard Cowly, John Lowin, Samuel Crosse, Alexander Cooke, Samuel Gilburne, Robert Armin, William Ostler, Nathaniel Field, John Underwood, Nicholas Tooley, William Ecclestone, Joseph Taylor, Robert Benfield, Robert Goughe, Richard Robinson, John Shank, and John Rice.

When the Puritan faction of Parliament gained control over the city of London at the beginning of the English Civil War, it ordered the closing of all theatres in 1642, an action that marked the dissolution of all the then-current playing companies, including the King's Men.

By the time the theatres finally re-opened after the monarchy was restored few of the old players and playwrights remained, and the old theatrical practices and traditions had largely been lost. Female roles were now performed by women rather than boys, and the open-air playhouses common in the past were no more; the more elite higher-priced indoor theaters became the norm.

Although a new King's Men company was established, it had little in common with its predecessor other than a royal patron. The Restoration drama in which it participated was largely a new foundation. While Elizabethan and Jacobean classics were the mainstay of the Restoration repertory, many, particularly the tragedies, were adapted to conform to new tastes influenced by the French theatre of Louis XIV. The Elizabethan features of multitude of scenes, multitude of characters, and melange of genres lived on primarily in Restoration comedy.

Theatre companies | William Shakespeare

Lord Chamberlain’s Men