The Globe Theatre
“Totus mundus agit histrionem.” is the Globe’s motto- which was once located
above the entrance door of the theatre- and , not by chance, Shakespeare inserted a pretty similar
phrase: “All the world’s a stage” in his comedy “As You Like It”.
The playwright may have referred to the common feeling of being a part of destiny’s design or
maybe to the fact that people often wear a mask, pretending to be people they aren’t.
Anyway, leaving aside these considerations, we can affirm that visiting the reconstructed Globe
Theatre on Friday 28th March was one of the highlights of our stage in London.
In fact the tour helped us to understand several features of the Elizabethan theatre and many of us
travelled backwards in time with our imagination, sitting in the gallery of the Globe.
It wouldn’t have been the same without the presence of our fantastic guide, Kaja, who endeared
herself with us with her kind manners and wit.
She explained everything about the structure and construction of the new Globe theatre, which is
actually located approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre, which was
destroyed by a fire in 1613.
She went on talking about Shakespeare, giving us curious details about his plays. She told us, for
example, that the bloody tragedy “Titus Andronicus” keeps causing people in the audience to faint
because of its gruesome story, which includes the scene of Titus’s daughter Lavinia entering with
“her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out, and ravished”.
Probably the part we appreciated the most was her funny imitation of the way British
Shakespearean actors act the well-known Hamlet monologue “To be or not to be”.
According to her, actors nowadays speak too slowly while acting, since in the Elizabethan era,
Shakespearean language wasn’t as noble and complicated as it may seem today.
Kaja tried to make us understand that Shakespeare isn’t just boring literature at all.
Shakespeare’s works are still being read after over four hundred years because of his ability to
describe the inner psychology of his characters, his sense of humour and because of the unique way
he conveys emotions to his readers, along with his poetry and musicality.
Natalia Lecce
Aurora Ortolani