Riassunto

The Globe Theatre which is now located in England is actually the third Globe Theatre. The first Globe
Theatre was built in about 1598, and it was one of the four most important theatres in this area, among
with the Hope, the Swan and the Rose. The older one and the modern one aren’t in the same spot, because
at that time the River Thames was wider, so the actual yard would have been in the river, so the original
one was built about 200 yards away. The original theatre was found only in 1989.

Theatre were built on the south bank, and not on the north bank of the River Thames, because at the time
of Elizabeth I, it was the side of the River were people would come for entertainment. Very popular were
the bear gardens, where bear or bull baiting took places, and they were very popular even with the Queen
herself.

Theatres were very important, because they the favourite pastime of all classes, and people would also
travel from the other side of the river on little ferry boats or on foot, by walking over the London Bridge,
only to see a play. To let people know that there was a play ongoing, theatres put on their top a flag, which
could be seen even from the north bank.

As we said before, the first theatre was opened in 1599 and in the next 10 years it hosted some of
Shakespeare’s greatest works. Then in 1613 the first a canon was fired to create special effects during the
performance of Henry VIII, but it accidentally set the roof and the whole theatre on fire. Then in 1614, just
one year later, in the same site was built the second Globe, which survived until 1642, when Puritans closed
all forms of entertainment, including theatres. They even destroyed the whole structure in 1644 and
decided to build tenements on its site. The third and modern Globe is a reproduction of the original one, it
was built thanks to an American, Sam Wanamaker, and the construction began in 1993, and opened 4 years
later by Queen Elizabeth II.

The theatre has a circular 20 sided shape, and its centre is opened to the sky, because at the time the light
was provided by the sunlight, and this is also why the performances had to be played in the middle of the
afternoon and finished before dark. There were also no plays during the Lent or during the Plague. The roof
of the modern reproduction is the same as the original one: Norfolk reed thatch. Then we have the walls,
which are built of Lincolnshire oak timbers and plaster, which is made of sand, lime and goat hair. The
interior is based on the only picture of the interior of an Elizabethan theatre which has come down to us.

The open air is called the pit or the yard, and it is for members who are standing, so for this reason they are
called the Groundlings, and it was obviously the cheapest place to watch a play, because it cost only a
penny. Around the yard there are the galleries, which are more protected from the elements, so it costed 2
or more pennies to sit, and the most expensive were the ones closest to the stage, where the performances
could be best heard, because the script was even more important than the visual.

The actors were all men and boys, and they played both male and female roles with elaborate costumes
and especially the boys played female roles because of their soft voice. The stage projects halfway into the
pit, so it was surrounded on three sides by the audience, with some that would even sit on the edge of the
stage itself. The roof of the stage is supported by two Herculean pillars made of single tree trunks and
painted to represent the marble used in Greek and Roman buildings. The roof of the stage is called the
heavens, because from here gods would descend on the stage, thanks to a trapdoor and ropes, and the
heavens is painted with images of the sun, the moon and signs of the zodiac. Instead, the roof air is hollow
for special effects. Behind the pillars there is the fronds Shinae, or stage wall, which contains the doors that
the actors used to make their entrances, which also lead to the tiring house, which is the modern dressing
rooms, where actors changed their outfits. The stage itself is made of wood and has a trapdoor used for
special effects, such as apparitions and disapparitions. The stage is raised five feet off the ground and above
the stage there is a balcony which was mainly used by the musicians, because also music and songs were an
important element in the plays of that time, but it was also used as a real balcony, as we can see in Romeo
and Juliet.