The Globe Theatre and William Shakespeare Plays

Background: The apparent shape and even the precise location of the original Globe Theatre have continually been subjects of controversy. While Adams’ view of this debate stands that it doesn’t realistically matter to the artistry of Shakespeare’s plays whether it was a few yards north or south of Maid Lane; he does remark, “it is important to the study of Shakespeare and his contemporary dramatists to understand the design of an Elizabethan playhouse and stage and the extent to which that state was equipped…all helping to enlarge and sustain the scope and force of dramatic illusion…”(Adams, v). Within his work, The Globe Playhouse: Its Design and Equipment, the author takes the approach of examining each part of the playhouse to defend his claim in its relation to the illusions developed in Shakespeare’s and his contemporaries’ plays. He first discusses the shape of the Globe and the nature of the property; then he inspects the frame of the building; the auditorium; the platform stage; the tiring house; exterior and first, second, and third levels; and also finally the superstructure.

Purpose: To endorse his argument, while recreating the image of each of the components of the Globe Theatre, he presents different illustrations of which of Shakespeare’s productions would have required each component of the design. For example, within chapter six Adams displays the works of Shakespeare that call for a scene within a scene or an inner stage. This necessitates the use of the first level of the tiring house. The tiring-house was sheltered in curtains so the non-dramatic elements of the production would be shielded from the audience. The drapes of the first floor tiring-house would have hidden Falstaff in 1 Henry IV (II,vi), when ...

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... Weaknesses: The pitfalls observed within this source is there is often disregard to timeline of productions in terms of the example passages from the Lord Chamberlain’s men’s productions and if they were actually written for the Globe or written before the original Globe was even constructed. He makes the assumption that at one point or another plays like Henry IV were performed at the Globe during Shakespeare’s time. While this is a suitable assumption, it often discredits the validity of his passages and their relation to the design. He often doesn’t mention the date or the theatre for which a specific play was written. While this is a disadvantage, the source still consistently creates such a detailed overview of what the original Globe Theatre design consisted of that it is difficult to argue that the majority of Adams’ case is not valid.