Shakespears Globe Theatre and Costumes

Essay by ballsy2743High School, 10th gradeA+, June 2005

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Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a storied place. The original Globe was built circa 1598 in London. It was one of four major theatres in the area--the other three being the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope. It was an open-air octagonal amphitheatre that could seat up to 3,000 viewers. The theatre was three stories high, with a diameter of roughly 100 feet. The rectangular stage platform on which the plays were performed was nearly 43 feet wide and 28 feet deep.

Some of Shakespeare's most famous plays that were preformed at the Globe Theatre were: Julius Caesar in 1599, Hamlet (1600-1601), Twelfth Night Or What You Will (1601), Richard II (February 7th 1601) Troilus and Cressida (1601-1602), All's Well That Ends Well (circa 1602), Timon of Athens (c1604), King Lear (1605), Macbeth (1606), Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1607) possibly The Tempest in 1610, The Two Noble Kinsmen in 1611, Shakespeare's "lost" play Cardenio in 1612 and Henry VIII in 1613.

(1)

There were no actresses. Female characters had to be played by young boys that hadn't reached puberty yet so their voices would be high. The acting profession was not a credible one and it was unthinkable that any woman would appear in a play.

Each play had many different styles of costumes and they were the most important assets of the play. More money was invested in making the costumes than in the props. The colors of the costumes had specific meanings. Red stood for blood, black stood for gloom and evil, yellow meant the sun, white stood for purity, scarlet was for a doctor, grey was for friar, and serving men usually wore blue. (2)

Costumes were stored in one of the galleries that were cit off by a tiring house wall. Costumes were hung everywhere for the...