Shakespeare’s globe-LONDON-UK

London other attractions and things to do

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HISTORY

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London which was built in 1599 at Southwark by Shakespeare’s playing company, which was the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. As everyone knows William Shakespeare was an actor and playwright who born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England in 1564. He spent most of his life in London. Julius Caesar was the first play Shakespeare wrote for the GLOBE in 1599. In the same year he wrote As You Like It and Hamlet. Twelfth Night, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra are the other great plays written by him over the next 14 years for the GLOBE. He was not the only playwright for the GLOBE. Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton and John Fletcher are other playwrights.

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As the company struggled to find the money for the construction Shakespeare decided to become part-owner of the theatre, bought 12.5% share for £10. Colosseum in Rome was the model they used for the construction of the Globe. The tiered seating areas are arranged around the stage, which hold up to around 3000 spectators. The standing area in front of the stage, nicknamed ‘groundlings’, were the cheapest option to watch the play. It was just a penny.

In 1613 the whole theatre burnt down by an accident during the play Henry VIII, which was co-written with Fletcher. The thatch roof caught fire by a mis-fired prop canon and the whole building went down with in an hour. A tiled roof GLOBE was rebuilt in the same place within a year.

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In 1642 theatres were shut down by the parliament to prevent public disorder, because in that year the civil war broke out in England (between the Parliamentarians (puritans- the English Protestants) led by Oliver Cromwell and the supporters of King Charles I). Another reason for closure was the rising anti-theatrical sentiment among Puritans. The Puritans claimed that the Globe Theatre causing increased theft, prostitution and fighting by attracting large crowds of people. They also accused that The Globe is making the pandemic worse as it was the time when the Plague started spreading in London. In 1644, The Globe was demolished to build accommodations. The Globe Theatre is never re-built until 1996.

In 1970, American actor and director Sam Wanamaker took initiative to rebuild the Globe close to its original location at Bankside, Southwark. The reconstruction was completed in 1997. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, which is the part of the Globe’s complex, also hosts smaller, indoor plays.

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WILLIAM SHAKESPERE (23 April 1564- 23 April 1616) (age 52 years)

TIPS

As it is a roofless (open air) theatre, be prepared for the adverse weather as plays will be continued with all kind of weather. Cushions and blankets are able to be hired.
During winter the plays will be indoors in Wanamaker Playhouse.
Shakespeare’s First Folio is kept in VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM
The Shakespeare’s Globe is included in Go city London pass. Check out if you planning to visit more attractions in London. It will save a lot of money for you.

(Image credit- :Hugh Llewelyn from Keynsham, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Common)

William Shakespeare’s first folio

OPENING TIME: Open at specific times for tours and performances. Pre-booking essential.
ADDRESS: 21 New Globe Walk, SE1 9DT
NEAREST TUBE STATION: London Bridge on the Northern line (9 minute walk); Blackfriars on the District and Circle Lines (10 minute walk); Mansion House on the District and Circle Lines (10 minute walk)
BUS: Local routes: 45, 63, 100 (to Blackfriars Bridge); 11, 15, 17, 26 (to Mansion House); 76 (to St Paul’s Cathedral); 344 (from Liverpool Street Station, towards Clapham, on Southwark Bridge Road) and 381, 344 (towards Liverpool Street Station, on Southwark Street).
ON FOOT: There are excellent footpaths along the river from Waterloo Underground station.
ACCESSIBLE TOILETS-available
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS-available
FOOD AND DRINKS: check out the menu and opening times in Swan Restaurant. You can book an afternoon tea. More details