The Globe Theatre

Why was the Globe built?

The Lord Chamberlain’s

Men (Shakespeare’s

acting troupe) needed

a place to perform

their plays, so they

could compete with

other acting troupes.

History of the Globe Theatre

• Built in 1598 and opened in 1599

• Burned down in 1613 from a cannon blast

during the play Henry VIII

• Only injury was to a man whose pants caught fire.

• He was saved by someone who dumped beer on

his pants.

• All escaped through the single entrance/exit.

• Rebuilt and reopened in 1614

• Closed down by Puritans in 1642 and torn

down in 1644

• In 1996, a replica was built on the original site

Facts about the Globe Theatre

• Original Globe was three stories tall and

held about 3000 people.

• Although most of Shakespeare’s plays were

held there, he only owned 12% of the

theatre.

• Located in Southwark near the Thames

River (just outside of London).

More Globe Facts

• All classes of people attended plays there.

• No roof so that they had sunlight.

• All plays held during the day.

• People often skipped work to go.

• Was not allowed to be built in the city of

London because crowds often became

rowdy.

Problems at the Theatre

• Fights

• Spread of disease (the plague)

• Drug dealing

• Prostitution

• Theft

Entrance View

• Everybody entered at

the same place

regardless of where

you paid to sit or

stand.

• The stage juts out onto

the floor, so some

people would view

from the side.

Floor View

• Poor people could get into

plays for little money, but

had to stand. They were

known as Groundlings.

• It would be very difficult

to see unless you were

right next to the stage.

• Plays often lasted four to

six hours and the

Groundlings would stand

the whole time.

Second Floor View

• The middle to upper

class people could

afford to sit on the

second level.

• The second level

wrapped around both

sides of the stage.

Third Floor View

• Only the upper class

could afford seats on

the third level.

• For extra money they

could get a padded

seat.

Stage View

• The actors had to deal

with many

distractions:

• Weather (no roof)

• Rowdy Audience

• Fruits and Veggies

thrown at them if the

play or the acting was bad