The king gives clear instructions to his lord to leave his “chamber,” “draw the curtains” and to “cause some music to rock me to sleep.” The lords then all exit leaving the king alone on stage, and the king falls asleep. Since it would unfitting for a king to sleep on the floor, there must be something on stage for him to sleep in. It is also seems likely that there are actual curtains for the lords to “draw.”
One possibility here is that the text is calling for the use of a mansion, or scaffold. The use of mansions is much more common in medieval drama where they would be used to indicate different locations in Biblical stories. However, they were still used at times in Elizabethan theatre. A mansion was like a mini wooden stage and might have a backdrop or curtains around it (this is a terrible description but I going to keep writing to get this finished. Should probably link to a picture here to save on the description).
In Friar Bacon a stage direction refers to Bacon’s study which might also be such a mansion. A similar study is needed for another Queen’s Men play, The Old Wives’ Tale so it is very possible that the Queen’s Men might have travelled with such a structure. In this case it might contain a bed on which the king can fall asleep. If it was curtained, then we have actual curtains on stage for the lords to draw closed.
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-- StaceyWheal - 21 Jun 2007