The Globe Theatre
"All the world's a stage!" William Shakespeare
The Globe Theatre was built in the reign of Elizabeth I in 1599 by Shakespeare's company The Lord Chamberlain's Men on the south bank of the River Thames. Shakespeare described the theatre as the "Wooden O" because it was circular with an open roof. It could rain or snow on the audience! There was no lightning, so plays were performed in the afternoon. The Globe could hold 2,000 spectators. To attract new audiences, a flag at the top was used to advertise plays. A black flag meant a tragedy, white a comedy and red a history play.The Globe was built around a yard called the pit. Here stood the poor spectators. They only paid one penny. For two pence you could sit on a wooden seat in the balconies above. For three pence you could hire a cushion. For six pence you could sit in the Lord’s Gallery at the back of the stage. There were three levels of galleries around the yard. So, people from different social classes came to watch plays. When the play was good, everybody clapped and cheered. If the play was bad, spectators booed, and maybe threw tomatoes, lettuce or cabbage at the actors. Eating, drinking and shouting were permitted.
The stage was a large platform. The actors entered through three stage doors at the back. In Shakespeare's company there were between 8 to 12 actors but no actresses. In Elizabethan times women were not allowed on stage. The profession was considered immoral so young men dressed up as women played the female roles. There was little scenery, but actors wore rich costumes. There were props, objects that helped the audience understand where and when the scenes took place.
Two wooden pillars supported the thatched roof over the stage and the beautifully painted ceiling was called the Heavens. Above the stage was the musicians' balcony. There was a trapdoor in the stage as well as a trapdoor in the roof, through which actors could appear and disappear to surprise the audience, a special effect in Shakespeare's time. The cellar under the stage was called Hell. The Globe was made of wood and straw. It was destroyed in 1613 by a fire. It was rebuilt a year later and then demolished in 1645. A new theatre was reconstructed to the original plans in 1996. It is now called Shakespeare's Globe.
Psst...
Do you want to get language learning tips and resources every week or two? Join our mailing list to receive new ways to improve your language learning in your inbox!
Join the listEnglish Audio Request
|
404
Words
/
1 Recordings
/
0 Comments
|
Recordings
-
The Globe Theatre ( recorded by
rnp2014
),
American English
Download
Unlock
Corrected Textmore↓The Globe Theatre
"All the world's a stage!" William Shakespeare
The Globe Theatre was built in the reign of Elizabeth I in 1599 by Shakespeare's company The Lord Chamberlain's Men on the south bank of the River Thames. Shakespeare described the theatre as the "Wooden O" because it was circular with an open roof. It could rain or snow on the audience! There was no lightning, so plays were performed in the afternoon. The Globe could hold 2,000 spectators. To attract new audiences, a flag at the top was used to advertise plays. A black flag meant a tragedy, white a comedy, and red a history play. The Globe was built around a yard called the pit. Here stood the poor spectators. They only paid one penny. For two pence you could sit on a wooden seat in the balconies above. For three pence you could hire a cushion. For six pence you could sit in the Lord’s Gallery at the back of the stage. There were three levels of galleries around the yard. So, people from different social classes came to watch plays. When the play was good, everybody clapped and cheered. If the play was bad, spectators booed, and maybe threw tomatoes, lettuce, or cabbage at the actors. Eating, drinking, and shouting were permitted.
The stage was a large platform. The actors entered through three stage doors at the back. In Shakespeare's company, there were between 8 to 12 actors but no actresses. In Elizabethan times women were not allowed on stage. The profession was considered immoral so young men dressed up as women played the female roles. There was little scenery, but actors wore rich costumes. There were props, objects that helped the audience understand where and when the scenes took place.
Two wooden pillars supported the thatched roof over the stage and the beautifully painted ceiling was called the Heavens. Above the stage was the musicians' balcony. There was a trapdoor in the stage as well as a trapdoor in the roof, through which actors could appear and disappear to surprise the audience, a special effect in Shakespeare's time. The cellar under the stage was called Hell. The Globe was made of wood and straw. It was destroyed in 1613 by a fire. It was rebuilt a year later and then demolished in 1645. A new theatre was reconstructed to the original plans in 1996. It is now called Shakespeare's Globe.
Comments
You can use our built-in RhinoRecorder to record from within your browser, or you may also use the form to upload an audio file for this Audio Request.
Don't have audio recording software? We recommend Audacity. It's free and easy to use.
