William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer of world literature. He created life-like convincing characters and situations, he expressed human problems and dilemmas extremely well poetically, he was able to convincingly portray the passions of man and the complexity of the human soul, and thus he succeeded in raising the theater to unimagined heights.
His plays have been translated into all major world languages and have been performed all over the world, more often than any other.
Very little is known about Shakespeare. He was born on April 26, 1564 in Stratford. He may have attended the local primary and secondary schools. He is thought to have studied Latin and to have read classical historians, moralists and poets - Plato and Terence.
The Globe Theater was an ideal venue for the performance of Shakespeare's plays as well as other authors of the Elizabethan theater boom.
Various plays with medieval content and messages were performed in his area, which had an impact on his commitment. He married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. The first written evidence of Shakespeare is a newspaper from 1592 in which he is attacked by his rival, the playwright Robert Greene. During this period he was associated with Barbidjon's troupe as a writer and actor.
In 1599, with several actors from the troupe, he built his own theater on the south bank of the River Thames and called it the "Globe". In the meantime, Shakespeare became a co-owner of the theater and a fairly wealthy man. He was awarded a coat of arms, officially making him a gentleman. He bought a house in Stratford and seems to have retired in 1612. He died on April 23, 1616, and was buried in the church of St. Trinity in Stratford.
It is unnecessary to emphasize Shakespeare's invaluable influence on world literature. His works are the backbone of world theaters, but they have left their mark in music, film, and painting.
In terms of architectural form, the places where plays were performed in England did not differ from the theaters for secular performances in Spain. The hundred or more troupes that, around 1550, developed the art of theater in England, performed before ticket-paying audiences in the courtyards of inns both in London and in other small and large towns in England. Which would later serve as a model for theater buildings during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
A drawing of the Globe from Shakespeare's time
The leader of one of the theater companies, James Burbidge, felt the need to map the spacious conditions in which he had worked until then. His plan represented the structure of the inn yard and the arena, which was the first edifice in England to be built exclusively for the performance of plays, and he called it simply "The Theatre". This happened in 1576, but the very next year London got another theater in the construction of which Burbidge also took part and which was called "The Curtain". Then in 1599, the "Glob" theater was built - Shakespeare's theater.
It is not known exactly when Shakespeare began writing, but allusions from contemporaries and notes on plays indicate that several of his plays were on the stage before 1592. From 1594, Shakespeare's plays were performed only by the "Lord Chamberland's Men", which later became the leading acting company in London.
The Globe Theater was built using wood from the earlier Theater, built by Richard Burbidge's father, James Burbidge in Stratford in 1576. It is the first theater that was built for a theater company, which also finances it.
The "Globe" was built in the shape of a "wooden O", with twenty corners, a diameter of 25 and a height of 13 meters. It could accommodate three thousand people.
The courtyard was dominated by a stage that was raised about 1 meter above the ground, the audience stood around it, and the gallery consisted of two to five rows of benches. There were boxes next to the stage itself, the most expensive of which were the "gentleman's boxes" that were located above the stage itself. Only the central box above the stage was used for acting, and the others for the audience.
Globe Theater
Performances were played during the day from two to five, without the possibility of using light effects, and their beginning was announced by the sound of a trumpet from the roof. The actors directly addressed the audience, which often responded loudly.
The "Glob" theater was an ideal place for the performance of Shakespeare's plays as well as other authors of the Elizabethan theater boom. Thanks to their shape and their dimensions, Elizabethan theaters had no echo or reverberation. The actors of the Elizabethan theater were asked, like the actors of the ancient theater, to speak loudly, with an understanding of what they say, with the emotions required by a certain dramatic situation, with an expert temperament to attract the attention of a large audience.
The Globe was burnt down in 1613 by fire from a cannon used for special effects during a performance of Henry VIII, only to be rebuilt in 1614.
The second "Globe" lasted thirty years, until the conflict between the theater companies and the Puritan government, which closed the theaters for a period of twenty years. In that period, theaters gradually lost their function and importance, fell into oblivion, and people turned to other habits. The "Glob" was demolished in 1644, and buildings for the poor population were built from its construction material.
His works are the backbone of world theaters, but they have left their mark in music, film, and painting
The third "Globe" was officially opened by the British Queen in June 1997 near its original location. It was built on the model of the first "Glob". And if it was built according to the original layout, they changed it by adding sprinklers in case of fire, as well as a visitor section with a modern lobby.
Given that today is the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, part of the ensemble of his "Globe" theater will make sure that the jubilee of the great English writer does not go unnoticed on all seven continents. On the map of their world tour will be CNP, on whose boards they will dance on June 12 with the play "Hamlet" directed by Peter Brook.
Whether we are talking about ancient, Elizabethan or contemporary theater, it has always encouraged us and encourages us to think about the reality in which we live and of which we are a part.
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