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The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Enrichment: The Globe Theater
North of the main part of London, the flag is flying from the top of the O-shaped GlobeTheater. The flag means the company is performing this afternoon. You and about 3,000 other
people pay your few pennies admission and crowd into the galleries of the theater. You makeyour way to the third gallery—the top tier—and find a spot on a wooden bench. Down below, the
rectangular stage juts out into the round “yard.” At the back of the stage is a three-story facade.Today, the facade represents the Roman Senate for the afternoon performance of The Tragedy of
Julius Caesar.
Around the edge of the stage, in the yard, are the “groundlings.” These spectators paid a pennyapiece to enter the theater and stand on the ground to watch. They surround the wooden stage,which is raised to prevent overeager spectators from joining on-stage fights and battle scenes.
The round shape and tiered structure of the theater allowed for an intimacy that contributedto the popularity and success of Elizabethan plays. Viewers of Julius Caesar, for example, mighthave felt as if they were part of Caesar’s train, the crowd of senators who accompanied him ashe went to and from the Senate. The original Globe Theater was destroyed by fire in 1613. Theacting company, of which William Shakespeare was a prominent member, rebuilt it. The Globe
was then shut down in 1642 for political reasons, and it was finally dismantled in 1644.
In 1987, construction began on a re-creation of the Globe Theater near the original site. The
plan of the new Globe is based on sixteenth-century drawings and on evidence drawn fromarchaeological excavations carried out at the site of the original Globe. The new Globe’s first
season opened in June 1997, just 398 years after its original opening in 1599. Modern-daytheatergoers can once again experience a Shakespearean play in the intimate, open-airatmosphere for which it was written.
DIRECTIONS: Use the information on this page to answer the following questions.
1. Imagine that you are a groundling. How would being so close to the action on stage affect
your viewing of Act I of Julius Caesar?
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2. Suppose you are viewing Julius Caesar during a performance in the original Globe. Review
the events of Act I, Scene iii, of Julius Caesar. What do you imagine the actors are doing onstage to convey the mood of this scene? Remember that it is afternoon and there is no roofover the theater. Describe the actors’ movements.
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3. What do you think an audience member can expect from the experience of attending a
Shakespearean play in the new Globe Theater?
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Grade 10, Unit 5