The Lord Chamberlain’s Men built the Globe in 1599 on the south bank of the Thames. Shakespeare was a shareholder, so the theatre was not merely where his plays appeared: it was part of his working and financial life.
A shared daylight space
The amphitheatre placed a projecting stage among spectators. Some stood in the yard; others paid more for seats in the galleries. Performances used daylight, limited scenery, rich costumes, music, props, and language that could summon a battlefield, forest, castle, or storm.
Fire and rebuilding
The first Globe burned in 1613 when a stage cannon ignited the thatched roof during Henry VIII. It was rebuilt the following year and later demolished after Parliament closed the theatres.
The modern Globe
Shakespeare’s Globe opened near the original site in 1997. It is a modern reconstruction, not a perfect time machine, but its architecture has renewed practical investigation into actor–audience contact, daylight, and early modern staging.