The Globe

“The Theater, the Theater, what’s happened to the theater?” Although this exact question is asked in the modern movie White Christmas, it is a question that can equally be applied to Shakespeare’s Globe theater. What did happen to the Globe, and how did it get to its present state?

Shakespeare and his companions decided they needed to change venues, and in May 1599 they began building anew what later became known as the Globe theater (Aaron, 281). When I say anew, I mean there was something existing in the spot, and they used that material to build on. Shakespeare owned a portion of the theater, and commented in his play Henry V over his frustration in the delay before he was able to switch theaters (Aaron, 282).

Unfortunately nothing remains the same, especially in an age lacking fire sprinklers. Fire struck the Globe in 1613. Recovery from this tragic event was immediate as it was rebuilt in 1614 (Saunders, 401). Sadly, Shakespeare died only two years later in 1616 (tear). The Globe continued on without Shakespeare until the Puritans shut it down and then destroyed it in the year 1644. The Globe remained in this non existing state for many a year.

Time passed, and with it the memory of where exactly the Globe used to be. Finally in 1989, the remains were discovered, surprising people by not being the same dimensions as they expected (Egan, 11). The stage was is a different place, and the walls were a different shape. They recovered from the shock and went on to try and recreate it in the Elizabethan style. This, also according to Egan, was not possible (Egan, 14). Too much time has passed and people have changed. I tend to agree with Egan. No matter what the actors did to convince me that I was in Elizabethan times, the occasional noise of an airplane flying overhead, drowning out their voices, forced me to come to terms with where I was. I was in theater pretending to exist in a different time.

Overall, the Globe theater is a delightful place to pretend you are in Shakespearian times. Even if I was unable to suspend my belief through the entire play, I was able to do it enough to have a great time. The Globe is built with the idea of giving the same atmosphere and although the rebuilding crew included some differences from the original theater (they made it bigger), it still a delightful place to see a Shakespearian play. I will be honest, seeing the Globe from the outside was pretty cool because it looked like it was from the Elizabethan period. Seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream was even better because it was experiencing the period. I found it interesting that to provide lights, the theater provided a giant white glowing orb. It gave light without the effect of being modern. The theater took the liberty of being modern in some aspects (dyed blue hair) but not with technology. There were no special effects that could not be accomplished in Shakespeare’s time.

Even though the building now known as The Globe was built in the 1990s, it still creates a delightful experience for a Shakespearian play. It was O.K. to be sitting on a hard wooden bench, because many others have done it before. Besides I was glad that I was not one of the people in the crowd on the floor standing in the rain watching the play. The theater tried to convey the way it was, but there have been changes. What has happened to the theater? A lot, but the magic is still there.

Aaron, Melissa D. “The Globe and Henry V as Business Document.” SEL: Studies in

English Literature 1500-1900. (2000) 277-292.

Egan, Gabriel. “Reconstructions of the Globe: A Retrospective.” Shakespeare Survey,

(1999) Vol. 52. 1-16.

Saunders, J.W. “Staging at the Globe, 1599-1613.” Shakespeare Quarterly. Vol. 11, No.

4 (Autumn, 1960), 401-425.