The space below the stage could be as crucial as the stage itself. Most, if not all, of the indoor and outdoor stages seem to have had a trapdoor built into the boards of the stage, leading to a cavernous space below. While sometimes representing a simple hole in the ground – most famously, Ophelia’s violated grave in Hamlet – more often a descent into or ascent from the understage signified a departure to, or arrival from, Hell.