8-4TheGlobe

=WHAT IS THE GLOBE THEATRE? WHAT IS ITS HISTORY AND LEGACY? = //Answer prepared by: Bradley S.// The Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe Theater has a very interesting history. According to William-Shakespeare.info, ‘The first proper theater as we know it was called the Theatre, built at Shoreditch, London in 1576.’ Before this theater was built, ‘plays were performed in the courtyard of inns or inn-yards, or sometimes, in the houses of noblemen or in extreme circumstances on open ground,’ according to William-Shakespeare.info. The owner of the Theatre was James Burbage. Burbage had a 21-year lease on the ground were the Theatre was built. When this lease expired in 1597, the landlord, Giles Allen, demanded a ridiculously high price to renew the lease. Allen planned to tear down the Theatre and sell all the materials. However, Burbage discovered a provision in the original lease that allowed Burbage to tear the building down himself. Burbage and his acting troupe tore down the Theatre and moved the parts across the Thames. The Theatre was rebuilt and renamed, The Globe.

The Globe was much bigger and much more extravagant than the Theatre. According to William-Shakespeare.info, ‘This theatre could hold several thousand people! The Globe Theatre didn’t just show plays. It was also reputed to be a brothel (house of prostitution) and gambling house.’ The extravagance and success of The Globe led to the creation of The Hope Theatre in an attempt to compete with The Globe. Competition was fierce between the two theatres. William-Shakespeare.info sums it up perfectly: ‘Rival theater companies would send their members to attend plays to produce unauthorized copies of plays - notes were made and copied as quickly as possible. In Shakespeare’s time copyright did not exist.’

The Globe had other problems to deal with besides plagiarism. Outbreaks of bubonic plague were all too common, causing theatres to be closed for weeks or even months. Major outbreaks that closed all theatres occurred in 1593, 1603 and 1608, according to William-Shakespeare.info. Additionally, a fire broke out in the Globe Theatre on June 29, 1613. William-Shakespeare.info claims that the fire happened because, ‘The canon used for special effects, such as heralding great entrances, was loaded with gunpowder and wadding. The thatched roof caught on fire and the Globe Theatre burned to the ground. It is not known whether there were any casualties, but there must have been some panic. In 1614 the Globe Theatre was rebuilt.’ In 1644, under pressure by the Puritans (who had a majority in Parliament), the Globe Theatre was demolished. Thus was the end for the theatre that had brought acting onto the center stage (pardon the pun). Works Cited Claybourne, Anna, and Rebecca Treays. The Usborne World of Shakespeare. London: Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2001.

Forward, Toby. Shakespeare's Globe. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2005.

"The Old Globe Theater History." william-shakespeare.info. 2005. 12 Mar 2009 http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-globe-theatre.htm.