Shakespeare - Globe Theatre.

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Shakespeare – Globe Theatre

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WRITER in all of English literature, William Shakespeare was born in 1564 to a successful middle-class glove-maker in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare attended grammar school, but his formal education proceeded no further. In 1582 he married an older woman, Anne Hathaway, and had three children with her. Around 1590 he left his family behind and traveled to London to work as an actor and playwright. Public and critical acclaim quickly followed, and Shakespeare eventually became the most popular playwright in England and a part-owner of the Globe Theater. His career bridged the reigns of Elizabeth I (ruled 1558€“1603) and James I (ruled 1603€“1625), and he was a favorite of both monarchs.

The Globe was the most important structure to Shakespeare’s drama because most of his plays were to be performed on the stage of the Globe. Shakespeare was with this company for 20 years. The formation of the Lord Chamberlains men led to the building of the first playhouse, The Theatre. James Burbage built the “The Theatre,” and it prospered for nearly twenty-one years. In 1597, James Burbage died, leaving the Theatre to his two sons Richard and Cuthbert who became managers. Things began to get rough for the Theatre after James died. The landowner Giles Allen caused an unexpected problem. Giles raised the rent and refused to renew the lease, so one cold night in December 1598, with much assistance from others, the Burbage brothers disassembled the “Theatre,” and piece by piece they took it by ferry across the Thanes River to the opposite shore. In a short period of time the Theatre was rebuilt, only now it was to be called the Globe theatre. The Lord Chamberlains Men used this theater from 1594-1596. The lease for land and ownership of the Globe was divided in 2. James Burbage owned 50 percent and the other 50 percent was divided among five other members of the Chamberlain’s Men: John Heminge, Will Kempe, Augustine Phillips, Thomas Pope and Shakespeare himself. In 1599 Shakespeare purchased shares in the Globe Theater. In 1611 Shakespeare sold his shares to the troupe because he was ready to retire. Then, on the 26th of June 1613, one of Shakespeare's newest plays King Henry the VIII was being preformed by the King's men. With one of the Burbages in the title role, this must have attracted a rather large audience. When Burbage (Playing King Henry the VIII) arrived on stage, a cannon was fired to announce his presence. A spark from the explosion of the cannon set the thatched roof smoldering. No one smelled the smoke at first, and those that did thought nothing of it until it was too late.  The main reason for rebuilding the Globe was out of tradition. Construction began on the original foundation and the new roof was now tiled instead of thatch. It was rumored that King James and other noble men helped the troupe with the cost of rebuilding the Globe. The replacement was completed in 1614 using the same basic design as the previous version. The theater was the same as the old Globe, if not better in all aspects. Shakespeare was still a joint owner, but had retired to Stratford.  Just two years later Shakespeare died. The Globe held performances for many more years until 1642. In this year the Puritans closed down all playhouses in London. The Puritans believed that playhouses had nothing to do with God, therefore they were evil. Then, in 1644 the Globe was pulled down so tenements could be built, and it’s foundations were buried. In 1949 Sam Wanamaker came to London to look for evidence of the Globe. Although the Globe was not found until October 1989

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The first performance in the new Globe was in 1993 but the Globe wasn’t even finished at this time. Finally after many years the Globe Theatre is completed on June 12th, 1997.

The Globe theatre was made from wood. It was an almost round building hence the nickname “The wooden O”. There was place for between 2,000 and 3,000 people. A roof made of thatch and later tile, that protected the three galleries inside the theatre and also the dressing room but not the stage. There was no lighting so all performances were conducted during the day. Even ...

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