Globe Theater

II. Structure of the Globe

The theater that Cuthbert Burbage built for the Chamberlain's Men had a total capacity of between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators. Because there was no lighting, all performances at the Globe were conducted, weather permitting, during the day (probably most often in the mid-afternoon span between 2 P.M. and 5 P.M.). Because most of the Globe and all of its stage was open air, acoustics were poor and the actors were compelled by circumstances to shout their lines, stress their enunciation, and engage in exaggerated theatrical gestures. What would seem most striking to a modern (Broadway) theatergoer about the productions staged at the Globe is that they were completely devoid of background scenery. Although costumes and props were utilized, changes of scene in Shakespeare's plays were not conducted by stagehands during brief curtain closings. There was no proscenium arch, no curtains, and no stagehands to speak of other than the actors themselves. Instead, changes of scene were indicated explicitly or implicitly in the speeches and narrative situations that Shakespeare wrote into the text of the plays.

The stage of the Globe was a level platform about 43 feet in width some 27 or 28 feet deep that was raised about five feet off the ground. The stage was fitted with a number of mechanisms (trap doors in its floor for instance), and distinct sections (e.g., a sub-stage space toward its back lip for parallel action) that were creatively utilized by Shakespeare in his stage directions. It was surrounded on three sides by the "pit" in which "one-penny" spectators stood and, at a setback, by an amphitheater three stories high, each having a gallery and seating for "two-penny" theatergoers. While the galleries of the two-penny section may have been partially covered, the stage and the pit were open air. On the fourth side of the stage was an adjacent "tiring" house, where costumes changes were made. It was capped by a small turret structure, from which a flag and a trumpeter would announce the day's performances.

III. The Audience and the Actors

During Shakespeare's era, the Globe Theatre was not in the formal jurisdiction of London per se, but was located on the south side of the Thames River in the Southwark district. Along with its predecessors and rivals, the Globe Theatre was part of what might b...

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...ggeration in the Globe's outdoor setting, Burbage was best known for his naturalistic style of acting, his subtler performances standing in sharp relief to the wild rantings of his peers.

Prior to the Globe's opening in 1599, the leading comic actor of the Chamberlain's men (and another shareholder in the Globe) was Will Kemp. His roles included those of the servant Peter in Romeo and Juliet, (probably) Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and (quite possibly), Falstaff of the Henry IV plays. In 1599, Kemp prepared to cede his position as the leading comic actor of Shakespeare's troop when another popular comedian, Robert Armin, joined the Chamberlain's Men. Armin's capacity for wordplay through malaprops and half-meant puns became legendary, particularly in the clown roles of Touchstone ( As You Like It) and Feste (Twelfth Night); it is possible that Armin made his debut at the Globe in the role of Feste, with Viola, the heroine of Twelfth Night saying, "This fellow is wise enough to play the fool" (III, i., l.60). In any event, during the great tragedies period, Armin was blessed with one of the best comic roles in Shakespeare's canon, that of the Fool in King Lear.