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let's visit the Globe Theatre in London
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The Globe Theatre which you can see here
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and visit today is in fact the third
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Globe Theatre the first Globe Theatre
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was built in about fifteen ninety-eight
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and it opened for its first production
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in 1599 it was one of four important
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theaters in this area the other three
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were the Hope the Swan and the Rose the
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original globe was not built precisely
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on the same spot as the modern-day globe
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at that time the River Thames was wider
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and the yard would have been in the
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river the original site is close by just
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200 yards away the foundations of the
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globe were rediscovered in 1989 and the
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site is marked by a plaque hopefully one
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day they will be properly excavated to
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reveal more of their secrets theaters
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were generally built on the south bank
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rather than on the north bank of the
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River Thames in the times of Elizabeth
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the First Bank side as the area was
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known was the place Londoners would come
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for entertainment the bear gardens where
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bear or bull baiting took place were
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very popular even with the Queen herself
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theater-going was a favorite pastime of
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all classes and walks of life the public
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would travel over the river to the
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theaters on little ferry boats if they
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could afford it or by walking over the
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London Bridge the only bridge across the
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river at that time theaters would
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advertise the fact that they were going
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to put on a performance by raising a
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flag over the theatre which could be
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seen from the north bank so the first
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row was open for performances in 1599
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and it would host some of Shakespeare's
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greatest works over the next 10 years
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it saw the death of Queen Elizabeth and
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the accession to the throne of James the
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first the first robe burnt down in 1613
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in a dramatic accident a cannon which
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was fired to create special effects
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during a performance of Henry the
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eighth's Shakespeare's last play set
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fire to the roof of thatch and the whole
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theater burnt down the second globe was
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built on the same site just one year
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later in 1614 it survived until 1642
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when the Puritans closed down all
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theatres as well as all other forms of
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entertainment
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the Puritans knocked down the theater
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completely in 1644 and built tenements
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on the site this third globe is a
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faithful reproduction of the original as
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faithful as possible given the
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relatively small amount of information
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available it was thanks to the
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determination and the vision of an
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American Sam Wanamaker that construction
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began in 1993 it was officially opened
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by Queen Elizabeth the second in 1997 as
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you can see the center of the circular
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shaped theater is open to the sky
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lighting for the performances was in
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fact provided by the sunlight so a
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performance would begin in the middle of
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the afternoon and finished before dark
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so that the audience could get home
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safely there were no performances during
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Lent or during outbreaks of the plague
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the roof of this reproduction is in
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Norfolk read thatch like the original
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and it is the first that's roof in
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London since the Great Fire of 1666 the
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walls are built of Lincolnshire oak
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timbers and plaster made of sand lime
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and goat hair
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the layout of the interior has been
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determined by using the only picture of
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the interior of an Elizabethan theatre
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which has come down to us the sketch was
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made by a Dutch traveler Johannes Davitt
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and copied by his friend
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Harvin van buco and it is of the Swan
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theatre the globe is a circular 20 sided
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shape the open air is called the pit or
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the yard and it is for members of the
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audience who are standing The
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Groundlings the yard was the cheapest
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place to watch a play and it cost a
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penny about a thousand people would be
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Groundlings around the yard are the
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galleries which are more protected from
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the elements the galleries held two to
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three thousand people who paid two or
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more pennies to sit the most expensive
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areas in the galleries were those
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closest to the stage from which the
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performance could be best heard play
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goers in shakespeare's times would say
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I'm going to hear a play and not I'm
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going to see a play showing how
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important the script was from here that
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could also be best seen by the rest of
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the audience showing off their finery
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the new globe sits 900 people in the
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galleries and houses 700 in the Pitt
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actors were all men and boys and they
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played both male and female roles
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costumes were elaborate and specially
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made the stage projects halfway into the
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pit so the audience would stand on three
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sides of it some would even sit on the
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edge of the stage itself the roof of the
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stage is supported by two Herculean
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pillars made of single tree trunks and
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painted to represent marble in the style
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of Greek or Roman buildings the roof of
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the stage is called the heavens and it
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is from here that gods would descend to
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the stage lowered through a trapdoor on
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ropes the roof air is hollow for special
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effects the heavens are painted with
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images of the
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the moon and the signs of the zodiac
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behind the pillars is the fronds Shinae
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or stage wall this wall contains the
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doors through which the actors would
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make their entrances the doors lead to
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the tiring house the place where actors
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would change their attire in modern day
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turns the dressing rooms the stage
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itself is made of wood and has a
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trapdoor to allow for special effects
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such as the grave of the gravediggers in
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Hamlet the stages raised five feet off
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the ground above the stage there is a
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balcony which was mainly used for the
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musicians music and songs were an
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important element in plays at the time
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but could also serve as the balcony and
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Romeo and Juliet for example
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The Globe Theatre are part of English
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history and a fascinating point of
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interest in contemporary London