The Globe Theatre

The air around me is humid and sweaty, and there are people packed to bursting in the standing area—called the pit, I think—at the bottom of the stage.  It is a surprisingly hot day, and since this theatre is open air, the warmth of the sun mixes with the mingling bodies to make it hot enough that my clothes begin to stick to me.  There are crushed peanuts on the earthy floor that have started to dig into my feet, and loud chatter and noise comes at me from every which direction.  I turn to say something to my sister Mary, who came with me for an entertaining afternoon since we had finished work early.  I speak quite loudly to her, but she can barely hear above the festive atmosphere that surrounds us.  As groundlings, we are not exactly in the most comfortable position here at the Globe Theatre; but the price was only a penny and we are finally about to see one of William Shakespeare’s infamous plays!  I adore theatre of all sorts, and have always aspired to be an actress…however, as a girl, I know that dream is highly unreachable.  I will have to settle for today’s show, Romeo and Juliet.

I glance around at the people surrounding me, then at the wealthier class sitting in higher rows.  Their seats are better, but Mary and I could never afford it.  The people of the upper class that are sitting above us are dressed nicely, and some of the wealthiest women are even adorned in ornate masks.  There are three levels of seating above us, and they all look relatively packed.  I wonder how many people this place could hold—Mary thought one or two thousand, but I would guess something more like three thousand!  I gaze even farther upward, toward the architecture of the theatre.  The roof above the stage is decorated to look like part of the scenery—the sky, I suppose.  Everything surrounds the stage, which is right in the middle of the place.

                As the play starts, the crowd quiets only a little.  This appears to be a social function as much as it is entertainment!  There are even people who paid extra money sitting on the stage.  However, it is not hard for me to get lost in the play.  The plot is incredible, and I am immediately entranced by the star-crossed lovers.  It’s just so romantic!  I don’t understand everything that’s being said—partly because it can get hard to hear the actors over the crowd, and partly because the language of the play can get a little bit unusual, but I understand the underlying message. When the fight scenes occur, I gasp, and when Romeo kills himself just as Juliet wakes up, I feel tears welling up in my eyes.  This William Shakespeare fellow is a genius.           

                As Mary and I leave to walk back home, we bump into some friends who suggest going out to the local hang out spot, a friendly neighborhood tavern.  They were as impressed with the play as we were—and they said another play may be coming soon!