SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE

Description

Essentials about Shakespeare’s Globe in brief

A visit to the Globe Theatre is a truly unique London experience and worth a visit not only for friends of Shakespeare. It is an Elizabethan theater building located on the south bank of the Thames right next to the Tate Modern gallery and the Millennium Bridge. The theater has since been renamed Shakespeare’s Globe, as the English national poet William Shakespeare was one of its builders and many of his plays were performed at the Globe.

The history and architecture of Shakespeare’s Globe

The Globe Theatre was built in 1599 outside the city of London on the banks of the Thames in Bankside, where the city’s entertainment center with most theaters was located. The founder of the theater was the acting troupe “The Lord Chamberlain’s Men”, which included William Shakespeare as part owner and house poet. The Globe Theater was probably the most successful theater of its time, performing all the plays of Shakespeare and many of his contemporaries.

In the summer of 1613, the theater was destroyed by a fire that broke out during a performance when a cannon was fired, setting fire to the thatched roof. Such elaborate performances, full of realistic effects, were quite common at the time. Within a year, the Globe was rebuilt, but this time with a tiled roof. The year 1642 sealed the end of the Globe Theatre when the Puritan government decided to close all places of entertainment, including theaters. The building stood empty for two years and was finally demolished in 1644.

The original location of the Globe was subsequently forgotten and was not rediscovered until 1989 during construction work when remains of the foundation were excavated. Although the exact shape and size of the Globe is still not known in detail, a reconstruction of the theater as close to the original as possible was completed by 1997. Today, the Globe Theatre is the first address for all people who want to see a play by Shakespeare in a historical atmosphere. Those who can no longer get a ticket can also visit the in-house museum or take a guided tour of the theater.