The Globe: Shakespeare On the Wrong Side of the River

Been to London innumerable times, but never visited The Globe, the wonderful, full-scale repro of the most famous of 16^th Century theaters.  This is the third Globe and was finished in 1997, about 150 yards from the original.

I’ve been a Shakespeare fan since 10^th Grade English class, when the witches’ cauldron boiled and bubbled for me in Macbeth, Act IV, Scene 1, and when ‘Out out damned spot’ flew out of Lady Macbeth’s mouth during her incessant hand-washing scene.

Tried reading Shakespeare?  Found it only as entertaining as a bad cold?  Bet you didn’t know you quote The Bard almost everyday, even if you lack a proper education and don’t know Macbeth from Big Mac, or King Lear from King Kong.

Ever said: it’s a forgone conclusion?  Ever refused to budge an inch?  How about it’s Greek to me - vanished into thin air - slept not one wink -stood on ceremony – seen better days – too much of a good thing – own flesh and blood – the game is up – the crack of doom????  Or maybe you’ve said your teeth are set on edge – one fell swoop – the long and short of it – for goodness sakes – what the dickens.  Yep, those are all quotes from Will Shakespeare and there are dozens of other common expressions he injected straight into the heart of the English language.

Still think Shakespeare is just important between snoozes at the back of the classroom?

Maybe the next words out of your “raised on TV and video games” mouth is, “Yeah, but the words are too hard to understand.  I read a play and have no idea what the hell is going on!”

I’ve got two pieces of advice.  Firstly: Plays are meant to be seen and heard, not read.  Reading Shakespeare in English class is about as much fun as reading about Ping-Pong in the locker room. Secondly:  It helps to know the story.  Grab yourself a simple synopsis, then go see the play.  You may read about comic relief and have no idea what the hell it is, but when you see the obese and sometimes cowardly Falstaff prancing around the stage in Henry IV, parts I and II, the words suddenly come to life.  If you know the plot before you go, you’re in for an unexpected and surprisingly understandable treat.

By the way, in the 16^th Century, women were not permitted to be in stage productions, so all the parts were played by men.  As if women were incapable of drama!

Thrilled by witches and ghosts?  Kings doing battle?  Castles? Murderous plots?  Good versus evil?  Love stories? Romance and tragedy?  Comedy?  “Can’t all be in Shakespeare’s plays,” you say.  Well, they are!

You can tell I’m wrapped up in The Bard.  So, getting a tour of an almost perfect reconstruction of this famous Elizabethan playhouse seemed just the thing to wedge in between pints at waterside pubs.  Tours are from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and begin every half hour, no reservations needed.

Ok, so you get to see a building.  My friends, a tour is much more than that. You get to find out all about life in the 16^th Century, which makes you appreciate today’s lifestyle even more.  The first thing you notice is The Globe is round and the second thing you notice is, it has no roof.  It was built in the round for a very good reason.  No microphones.  The round shape has wonderful acoustics.  No roof because the only source of light after sundown was candles.  Guess what happens when a massive amount of candles burn under a thatched straw roof?

Also a tour tells you a bit about how the people lived.  The poor paid a penny to sit in the middle of the theater where there was no roof.  Because many could not read or write, nor did they have large vocabularies, stage plays often used symbolism everyone could understand.  Devils, demons, and witches appeared from a trap door in the floor. Angels and such descended from a trap door in the stage ceiling. 

Shakespeare used flashing swords, ghosts, teary-eyed lovers, raving lunatics, and life and death drama to turn 16^th Century language into passions and actions anyone can understand.  He had to.  He had a tough audience.

The poor were also known to drink a lot of beer, since water carried disease. They also never bathed, so you have the center of the theater filled with smelly, drunken people who laughed too loudly and had a habit of throwing trash and rotten vegetables at the actors.  This rowdy mob was irreverently known as the ‘penny stinkards.’  We call them Shakespeare’s bread and butter.

By the way, you put your penny in a box as you entered, hence the modern word:  Box Office.

Those who could afford to pay a penny more sat in covered seats that rose up stadium style.  And just like in a stadium, vendors sold food and drink.

The original Globe is in the center, right across the river, and you will note the river is frozen.

I should mention, 16^th Century London was nothing like London today.  A collection of wooden buildings, mostly unpaved streets, and only 200,000 souls. The city limit was the River Thames (Tims).  On the other side of the river sat the theatres, brothels, gambling dens, pubs, and pretty much everything you find in today’s Las Vegas.  Wonder if they had the expression, “What happens across the Thames stays across the Thames?”

I suspect you’ve reached the foregone conclusion that I haven’t scratched the surface when it comes to Will Shakespeare, The Globe, or 16^th Century life. I may also have played fast and loose with the tale of the Globe.  I hope this doesn’t make me a laughing stock, or make you think I’ve written without rhyme or reason!   But, that’s the long and short of it. Yep, the boldface is more of Will’s work.

Now, go take a tour on your next visit to London, that city of ceaseless delight.  Better yet, go see a play or two.  Watch Shakespeare come to life.