Shakespeare's Globe

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the history, design and impact of one of the world's most famous playhouses, Shakespeare's Globe Theater. It shows how despite many unforeseen setbacks, the Globe quickly rose to become one of the most popular social venues for royalty and commoners alike in London. The paper specifically focuses on the influence that the Globe Theater has had on the modern day.

From the Paper:

"On top of all of the stages and galleries is where a part of the Globe called the "superstructure" was located. The superstructure's primary purpose was to allow actors to descend onto stage and rise back up (Smith 146). The superstructure is where the heavens were located, and it consisted of two "huts" where actors would wait for their cues to drop through trap doors and down onto the stage thirty-two feet below (Smith 148). The lowering of actors onto stage was usually accompanied by a noisy distraction of some sort because the winching mechanisms were loud (Smith 149). The superstructure also contained a belfry which contained a bell. The bell was used in certain plays, such as at the beginning of Shakespeare's play Hamlet, in order to give a more dramatic opening to the play (Smith 157). On top of the belfry was the playhouse flag. This flag was used to let citizens know when a play was to be performed, and was situated on a flagpole atop of the bell tower (Smith 159)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Robert. "The Elizabethan Stage." Elements of Literature: Fourth Course (2005): 745-749.
• Cleaver, James. Theatre Through the Ages. New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1967.
• Gurliacci, David. "Class act: Westchester Broadway Theatre owners owe business success to putting best feet forward." Goliath 16 Feb 2004. 28 Feb 2008 <http://goliath.ecnext.com>.
• Morley, Jacqueline, and John James. Shakespeare's Theater. New York: Peter Bedrich Books, 1994.
• Professional Website. "About the Globe." Shakespeare's Globe. The Shakespeare Globe Trust. 8 Feb 2008 <http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/information/abouttheglobe/>.

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• Research Paper # 28429 : "On Shakespeare and Artistic License"

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