Shakespeare's Globe: History
(Picture credit: Utrecht University Library)
The Swan Theatre (de Witt) The sketch is perhaps one of the most important in theatrical
history. In 1596, a Dutch student by the name of Johannes de Witt attended a play in London at
the Swan Theatre. While there, de Witt made a drawing of the theatre's interior. A friend, Arend
van Buchell, copied this drawing—van Buchell's copy is the sketch rendered here—and in doing
so contributed greatly to posterity. The sketch is the only surviving contemporary rendering of
the interior of an Elizabethan-era public theatre. As such, it's the closest thing historians have to
an original picture of what the Globe may have looked like in its heyday.
Shakespeare's company erected the storied Globe Theatre about 1598 in London's
Bankside district. It was one of four major theatres in the area, along with the Swan, the Rose,
and the Hope. The open-air, octagonal amphitheater rose three stories high with a diameter of
approximately 100 feet, holding a seating capacity of up to 3,000 spectators. The rectangular
stage platform on which the plays were performed was nearly 43 feet wide and 28 feet deep. This
staging area probably housed trap doors in its flooring and primitive rigging overhead for various
stage effects.
Elizabethan Playhouse: The story of the original Globe's construction might be worthy
of a Shakespearean play of its own. The Lord Chamberlain's Men had been performing in the
Theatre, built by James Burbage (the father of Richard Burbage) in 1576. In 1597, although the
company technically owned the Theatre, their lease on the land on which it stood expired. Their
landlord, Giles Allen, desired to tear the Theatre down. This led the company to purchase
property at Blackfriars in Upper Frater Hall, which they bought for £600 and set about
converting for theatrical use.
Unfortunately, their aristocratic neighbors complained to the Privy Council about the
plans for Blackfriars. Cuthbert Burbage tried to renegotiate the Theatre lease with Giles Allen in
autumn of 1598; Allen vowed to put the wood and timber of the building "to better use." Richard
and Cuthbert learned of his plans and set in motion a plot of their own. It seems that the
company's lease had contained a provision allowing them to dismantle the building themselves.
In late December of 1598, Allen left London for the countryside. The Burbage brothers,
their chief carpenter, and a party of workmen assembled at the Theatre on the night of December
28. The men stripped the Theatre down to its foundation, moved the materials across the Thames
to Bankside, and proceeded to use them in constructing the Globe.
The endeavor was not without controversy. A furious Giles Allen later sued Peter Street,
the Burbage's carpenter, for £800 in damages. The courts found in favor of the Lord
Chamberlain's Men and ordered Allen to desist from any further legal wrangling. The Globe
would play host to some of Shakespeare's greatest works over the next decade. In an ironic
epilogue, the troupe won the right in 1609 to produce plays at Blackfriars, and subsequently split
time between there and the Globe.
In 1613, the original Globe Theatre burned to the ground when a cannon shot during a
performance of Henry VIII ignited the thatched roof of the gallery. The company completed a
new Globe on the foundations of its predecessor before Shakespeare's death. It continued
operating until 1642, when the Puritans closed it down (and all the other theatres, as well as any
place, for that matter, where people might be entertained). Puritans razed the building two years
later in 1644 to build tenements upon the premises. The Globe would remain a ghost for the next
352 years.
The Globe in Southwark: The foundations of the Globe were rediscovered in 1989,
rekindling interest in a fitful attempt to erect a modern version of the amphitheater. Led by the
vision of the late Sam Wanamaker, workers began construction in 1993 on the new theatre near
the site of the original. The latest Globe Theatre was completed in 1996; Queen Elizabeth II
officially opened the theatre on June 12, 1997 with a production of Henry V. The Globe is as
faithful a reproduction as possible to the Elizabethan model, seating 1,500 people between the
galleries and the "groundlings." In its initial 1997 season, the theatre attracted 210,000 patrons.
Reconstructed Globe Theater
Pressley, J.M. “Shakespeare’s Globe.” Shakespeare Resource Center. 10 January 2010.
Retrieved on 16 March 2010. http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html
Globe Theatre Structure
Interesting information about the Globe Theatre Structure description during the life and times of
William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre of Elizabethan London, England
Globe Theatre Exterior Structure Description
The Globe Theatre Structure of the exterior description is as follows:
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Open air arena about 100 feet in diameter - circular shape
Circumference of the Globe Theatre was approximately 300 feet
Built of timber, nails, stone (flint) and plaster
Two sets of stairs
There were two doors - the Main entrance and the exit door
The original Globe had a partly thatch roof. Following a fire the second Globe Theater
had a partly tiled roof
The Roof spanned 46 feet
The Globe Theatre also featured a flag pole
Globe Theatre Interior Structure Description
The Globe Theatre Structure of the interior description is as follows:
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The arena was called the 'pit' or the 'yard' and had a raised stage at one end which
projected halfway into the 'pit'
The arena was surrounded by three tiers of roofed galleries with balconies
The stage structure projected halfway into the ' yard ' where the commoners
(groundlings) paid 1 penny to stand to watch the play
The stage was 5 feet high and measured approx 45 foot wide and approx 30 feet long
The stage wall structure contained at least two doors, which lead to a small structure,
back stage, called the ' Tiring House '. The stage wall was covered by a curtain. The
actors used this area to change their attire
Above the ' Tiring House ' was a small house-like structure called the 'hut' complete
with a roof. Used as covered storage space for the troupe
Two large, ornate pillars supported a roof over the stage which was called the ' Heavens
Behind the pillars was the stage wall called the ' Frons Scenae '
Above the stage wall was the stage gallery known as ' the Lord's rooms that were used
by actors, musicians and rich patrons
Either side of the central Lords Rooms were the 'Gentlemen's Rooms'
Seating Structure - The seats in each of the three levels of galleries were tiered with three
rows of wooden benches, increasing in size towards the back, following the shape of the
building and structure
The galleries were covered affording some shelter from the elements
Globe Theater Stage
The Globe Theatre Stage dimensions were believed to be as follows:
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Height of the stage - 5 feet
Width of Stage - approx 45 foot wide
Length of the stage - approx 30 feet long
The above picture of the New Globe Theatre stage illustrates some of the different elements of
the original Globe Theatre stage.
Globe Theater a Stage of two parts
The original Globe Theatre Stage had two main parts - the outer stage and the inner stage:
 The outer stage projected from the back stage wall called the ' Frons Scenae ' into the
central yard or pit. There were no side or front curtains - from this are of the stage
everything was visible
 The inner stage - was a recess at the back of the outer stage. This back part of the stage
was used by actors who were not directly involved in the immediate action of the play,
and it was also used when a scene took place in an inner room. Many of the plays by
William Shakespeare featured a scene within a scene, such as Miranda and Ferdinand
playing chess as a backdrop to the main scene in 'The Tempest'
Globe Theater Stage the Trapdoors and 'Hell'
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Trap doors were built into the stage allowing dramatic entrances during the performances
of plays. The height of the stage was five feet - so the area beneath the stage was easily
big enough to hold actors. This area underneath the stage was given the title "Hell". This
was taken from the term 'hell mouth' which was used to refer to any trap door in the
bottom of a stage (called the cellerage). The Globe Theater stage was believed to have
had two trap doors on the outer stage and one trap door on the inner stage called the
"grave trap" Actors would hide in "Hell" waiting to make their entrance or to create other
special effects. Unusual special effects could be made from 'Hell' including different
sounds using different musical instruments such as the trumpet, or drums. Actors skilled
in imitating the baying of hounds and crowing of roosters or the wailing of ghostly
sounds would also be waiting in 'Hell'.
The Globe Theater. Retrieved on 16 March 2010 http://www.globe-theatre.org.uk/globe-theatrestructure.htm
Heaven
Lord’s
Rooms
Inner Stage
Hell