London is well known for its West End, which has loads of great theatres where you can see all kinds of shows, but perhaps no London theatre is as iconic as the Globe, a theatre that is best known for its association with Shakespeare. Though today’s globe is not the original, it stands only approximately 750 feet from it. The one used by Shakespeare was sadly shut down in 1644, and even that was not the original, since the very first globe was destroyed in a fire in 1613. Still, the current one, known as ‘Shakespeare’s Globe’ is supposed to give quite an accurate representation of what the original would have been like, though with some modern safety changes.
The theatre is also quite well-known for its architecture, having a somewhat circular shape. Many believe that the problem with the reconstruction was that it was far too difficult to achieve a faithful reconstruction, due to current fire safety requirements and differences in design between now and the 16th century. However, much historical research went into trying to make the reconstruction as accurate as possible. The building is mostly based around the first of the two Jacobean theatres, since this is the one that Shakespeare himself would have spent the most time in. However, some features from the 1614 redesign of the building were also incorporated, for example exterior staircases since they made practical sense to the designers. Other modern replicas that have been made of this theatre can be found in Argentina, across Germany and the United States and in Tokyo, Japan.
The original globe was built for ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’, the acting troupe for whom Shakespeare wrote the majority of his plays. It was made from timber from the previous theatre that had stood on the site, but it was somewhat larger. It is estimated that the build was completed by around the summer of 1599, as this was when the first production of Henry V took place within the theatre. This play makes reference to the theatre itself, describing the audience as being within a ‘wooden O’, clearly a reference to the shape of the globe. The original was thought to be 3 storeys high, and an open-air amphitheatre, just as the current reproduction is. It would have been able to hold 3000 spectators, though the majority of these would have had to stand in the middle of the circle, looking up at the stage. This ‘pit’ would have been where the poorer people could have watched from, while the seats around the outside would have been more expensive. This is strange, since in today’s theatres, it tends to be more expensive to be further down, since you are closer to the action on stage, though of course you no longer have to stand. The stage featured two or three doors on the back wall, where the actors could enter from and a balcony above where musicians would sit and certain scenes requiring another level could take place. Large columns also supported a roof which came out over some of the stage and was painted to look like the sky. This ceiling featured a trap door, so that using ropes, actors could descend from the trap-door as if an angel coming down from Heaven. It’s really quite impressive some of the things that the theatre allowed for and some of the scenes that the actors must have attempted in such primitive times.
Shakespeare’s Globe in London is a great organisation that are trying to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare’s work and they are currently undergoing a worldwide tour, attempting to perform Hamlet in every country across the globe. For those who wish to visit Shakespeare’s Globe in London, there are tours available every day and an exhibition about Shakespeare and the theatre itself, and the Globe is also still an active theatre, performing the amazing works of Shakespeare, amongst others. Each show only lasts for around half a month, so there are plenty to choose from, and you’ll get to really experience what it was like for a Jacobean person taking a trip to the theatre.
Image from: https://sunshineinlondon.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/king-lear-at-the-globe-theatre-ii.jpg
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