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Shakespeare’s Globe Ashlynn Webb
2 Abstract When you think about the greatest writer in the English language, there’s a very high chance you’re thinking about William Shakespeare. Most people know him for his plays and, of course, his poetry. A vital part of Shakespeare’s fame was the theater that preformed his plays in. It’s called Shakespeare’s Globe. Most people don’t know the history of the Globe itself and that brought me to write a research piece on this great theater. One of the greatest Queens of England lived during the time of William Shakespeare. Did Shakespeare always preform there? Did he build the theater? Did his plays ever get out of control? What’s the globe like today?
When I was in London, this past February, I visited the New Shakespeare globe and fell in love with the beautiful architecture. Even though it was not the same one that Shakespeare had
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3 preformed in, it was an exact replica and it made me want to learn more about The Globe Theater. “To be, or not to be” a famous play writer and Poet once wrote. His name was William Shakespeare, and he created the Globe Theater after his lease expired in 1597. The history of the Globe Theater is amazing; burned to the ground twice and finally rebuilt by an American actor, Sam Wanamaker. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are just a few of the plays preformed by Shakespeare and his actors. Even Shakespeare’s history is just as mystifying as the Globe Theater. Shakespeare has left a legacy and his name appears in just about every history book. Everyone learns about his plays and poems through our education system. Shakespeare wrote thirty-seven plays, which ranged from comedies, romances, tragedies and even historical. He also wrote 154 sonnets and poems. These works are the “greatest example of English literature (Fiero 140).” Though scholars have searched, they haven’t found out much about Shakespeare’s early life or even his own education. Scholars have found information that says he grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and that Shakespeare lived from 1565 to 1616. He married “Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children and moved to London sometimes before 1585 (Fiero 140).” After moving to London he formed an acting company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Company, also know as the King’s Men. Shakespeare’s “company preformed for the court of Elizabeth I and that of her successor James I (Fiero 140).” Though they occasionally entertained the Queen at her theater, all main performances happened in The Globe. The Globe Theater was built after Shakespeare’s lease expired in April 1597. James Burbage built the Theatre in Shoreditch, the first purpose-built playhouse in London. The company the King’s Men then demolished the Rose Theatre, which lied on the other side of the
4 Thames and "carried its timbers over the river (The Shakespeare Globe Trust).” They did this to cover the cost for the new theatre or the Globe. Cuthbert and Richard, sons of James Burbage, offered shares to the Globe to members of the King’s Men. Shakespeare was one of the men who bought a share. By 1599, the Globe was opened and was a huge hit with the community. He preformed the greatest plays ever written right on that stage. For fourteen years the first theater thrived but in 1613, during Henry VIII rule, a cannon ignited the roof and burned the theater to the ground. The theater was rebuilt fairly fast and this time they built it with a titled roof. No one knows for sure if Shakespeare preformed at the second globe but we do know he never wrote for it. In 1642, all theatres where to be closed due to England’s Puritan Administration, which lead to the Demolition of the globe to make room for apartments two years later. Three-hounded and seven years later, a man named Sam Wanamaker visited London for the very first time looking for a replica of Shakespeare’s great theater but sadly never found one. Wanamaker was an American actor, director and producer. Wanamaker founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust twenty-one years later after going to London and their objective was to build a faithful recreation of the Globe. Though nobody actually knows what the very first globe looked like during Shakespeare’s time, it didn’t stop Wanamaker from accomplishing his dream. Printed panoramas, written accounts, building contracts and descriptions in the plays themselves, give us an idea as to how the Globe appeared during Shakespeare’s time. The time came to start building after scholars finished their archaeological excavation. They made sure they used the same techniques during Shakespeare’s time to build the building; a water reed thatch roof, oak lath and staves support lime plaster. Even the walls where covered in a white lime wash. The most important part of the whole Globe was the stage. “Almost nothing survives from the period to suggest the appearance of this part of the theater (The Shakespeare
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5 Globe Trust).” The Queen made Wanamaker an Honorary Commander of the British Empire in July 1993. He died shortly after on December 18, 1993 at age seventy-four in London. It’s heartbreaking that Wanamaker never got to see the masterpiece he built with the help of scholars and British pounds from the people. Four years later, the Queen of England opened the Globe in June. Shakespeare was a writing genius, his plays and poems have been written in the history books forever. Everyone knows his plays, most don’t like them very much, but they sure do know Romeo and Juliet. Sam Wanamaker, not as famous as Shakespeare, accomplished so much and hardly anyone knows. He made the best replica of the Globe Theater he thought best.
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References: Davis, John. Stratford-upon-avon. 31 march 2013 <http://www.stratford-uponavon.co.uk/soawshst.htm>. Economist, The. "The great globe itself: Theatre."." Asademic One File (1995): 84+. Fiero, Gloria K. THe humanistic Tradition. 6th edition. new york: McGraw-Hill, 2011. The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Shakespeare's Globe. 4th march 2013. 2013 <http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us/history-of-the-globe>.
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