Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the role of the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's plays. The author describes the layout of the Globe Theatre and explained that, as all of Shakespeare's plays relied upon a highly interactive relationship between the audience and actors, he clearly wrote his plays with an eye upon such a performance space. The paper relates that Elizabethan plays, unlike those of today, were staged in a very minimalist style, with little in the way of scenery. Characters created the scenery with their words rather than the sets, which explains the ornate quality of the language. The paper provides a short history of the Globe Theatre and heralds it as a full-bodied, cut-throat performance space.

From the Paper:

"Shakespeare clearly wrote his plays with an eye upon such a performance space. All of his plays rely upon a highly interactive relationship between the audience and actors, as is exemplified in the use of soliloquies, for example, where the actor is often in dialogue with the audience as he shares his thoughts aloud. The beginning of many of Shakespeare's plays, like "Romeo and Juliet," start with fights or quarrels, to settle the noisy audience down. At the Globe, there was no opening of the curtain or dimming of the lights, as in an enclosed theater. There was no artificial light at all, and plays were performed mid-day in the open air."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burgess, Anthony. Shakespeare. First Published 1970. Da Capo Press, 2002.
• Cummings, Michael. "Globe Theater." Cummings Study Guide. 2003. 1 May 2008. http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xGlobe.html
• Hodges, Walter. Shakespeare's Theater. Coward-McCann, 1964.
• "James Burbage." Elizabethan Era. 1 May 2008. http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/james-burbage.htm

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