Globe Theater and Shakespearean Dreams

The Impact of Educators

Who was the most influential teacher that you have ever had? I’ll never forget my English teacher, Ms. Walsh. I had her for both 10th and 12th grade, and she will always be my favorite educator. She is responsible for so much contentment in my life. She’s the one who gave me a reason not to continue down the path of being a perpetual fuck up. And the reason I had to visit Shakespeare’s school and the Globe Theater. But more importantly, this woman inspired me to be a public school English teacher myself. 

In 10th grade, I didn’t have a clue where I was heading in life. I was doing just enough to get by in my classes. I was much more concerned with how to get out of gym, and smoking cigarettes over the bridge after school without getting caught. One day in her class we had to write poems. I scribbled (what I thought was) bullshit onto a page, made it rhyme, and couldn’t wait for class to end. She read it a few times. “You know, not everyone can do this.” I shrugged indifferently. “Do what?” Her long, white finger tapped my paper. “Write like this. This is really good. You’re going to read it at the Humanities honor society coffee house event.” 

Discovering the Bard of Globe Theater

I read my stupid little poem to a crowd of administrators, families, and peers. That one opportunity opened up many doors for me. I earned top grades in my classes and was inducted into the Humanities Honor Society. I would go on to become an English major in college being accepted into the Sigma Tau Delta academic honor society and the school’s English Studies honor society. Ms. Walsh changed my life.

Today I use so much of what she did in her class in my own classes. Ms. Walsh made me feel like I was worth something, and fostered a tremendous love of writing and literature within me. She was a HUGE fan of big Willie (Shakespeare.) I credit her with igniting a fearsome passion for all things Shakespeare within my soul. 

It was when I took her elective course on Shakespeare that I became obsessed. I loved discovering his lesser-known works, like The Winter’s Tale and Titus Andronicus. Ms. Walsh taught us everything having to do with the Bard. I learned about Shakespeare gardens, which I had no idea existed. She was even cool enough to let us to put on a birthday party for Shakespeare in April for the whole school, complete with a birthday cake and performances to seal the deal. The takeaway? I love Shakespeare—he is brilliant. And I love Ms. Walsh for introducing me. She is also brilliant. 

Shakespeare’s Impact

What many don’t realize, is that Shakespeare pioneered the development of a ton of common plot lines in movies and TV shows today. If you can get past the discomfort of the language, Shakespearean plots are actually REALLY interesting. They are full of rage, sex, lust, passion, and humor. Shakespeare delved into modern issues such as racism and sexism centuries before they were hot-button topics. He wrote at least 40 plays, falling into the categories of tragedy, comedy, history, and romances. He also wrote 154 sonnets which is a kind of poem.

Shakespeare was born and raised in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon in West England. From the time I was an impressionable teenager to a 28 year old traveling to England, I dreamed of visiting SUA (Stratford-Upon-Avon.) I long entertained fantasies of seeing Tudor-style buildings and strolling cobblestone streets. I longed to walk among the ghosts of the Bard’s time. And when I visited London in the summer of 2018, I finally got the chance.

Shakespeare’s School

The trifecta of being a Shakespeare groupie, English teacher, and perpetual student met its apex as I explored Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall. I physically shook from excitement as I prepared to enter the building. We were made to stand in the street and wait for our “lesson” to begin. I walked up and down the road, looking at the Tudor-era houses that I had been dreaming of seeing for so very long. Their small crisscross windows and wooden frames delighted me.

I felt as though I were transported back in time and imagined the citizens of SUA in their medieval garb. I pictured them running to and from the market, cooking up their dinners, and trying to stay clear of the drizzle that was falling from the sky. It felt as though at any moment, the Bard himself would come strolling along. He would pat me on the head and offer to help me with my writing, naturally. I would offer my body as compensation for his assistance, even though he didn’t even ask, and he would undoubtedly not be interested in me. It got really weird in my head. I was glad the tour started.

The Bard Before Globe Theater

I remember the moment I set foot in the building. I remember the exact sound my foot made stepping onto the dark wooden floor as the gray light from the stormy outside shone dimly into the room. At that instant, I stepped back in time. The sound was of a heavy and eager foot onto a hollow floor, reverberating through centuries of history. I can still feel the welling of hot salty tears in my eyes and my heart doing its best impression of a roller coaster. A dream of mine was smack dab in the middle of becoming true.

The guildhall served as home for the Stratford Borough Council for over four hundred years, all the way until 1848. The significance and residual energy of the hall are undoubtedly palpable.

Our tour group walked upstairs and suddenly found ourselves the 1570s. The walls were white with crude wooden beams and uneven strips of polished wood abound. Long benches filled the floors of the room, and a teacher’s chair and desk were at the head of Shakespeare’s former classroom. The iconic crisscrossed Tudor-period windows let just enough sunlight into the room where we would be having a lesson.

This was where Shakespeare attended school from age seven to 14. This school may very well be the institution that kindled his literary genius and started him on a path to the Globe Theater and the history books.

A Tudor-Era Lesson

Soon, I had to pick my jaw up from off the floor. Our “schoolmaster” had arrived and demanded our utmost attention. We learned a history of the Bard’s education. In Shakespeare’s day, male students of all ages were packed into this one room. Boys would be separated into age-appropriate clusters, and taught by the master group by group.

The rest of the pupils not actively receiving instruction would practice their lessons, or engage in tutoring each other. Surprisingly, traditional desks did not exist in Big Willie’s time. Students sat on benches just as we had done. The manner of study in Elizabethan times was largely listen, repeat, and practice on your own. Pure rote memorization. To do this nowadays would be considered a sin in classrooms.

Taking on Latin

After learning some history and an uplifting lecture on education, we were given a lesson similar to what Shakespeare would have been taught. We had to learn several phrases in Latin and commit them to memory. It was hilarious to watch the schoolmaster call on random ‘students’ to show off what they had just learned. We were all brought back to those traumatizing days of school where you would avoid eye contact with the teacher and hope he or she didn’t call on you. I’m pretty intelligent, but apparently not in Latin. Thank God he didn’t call on my dumb ass. In Shakespeare’s day, we would have studied Christian based faith, English, classics, and music.

In the back of the schoolroom, there are traditional student desks. These were used decades after Big Willie was a student at the school. We were given the opportunity to sit down and try writing on parchment with quill and ink. It’s way harder than it looks. I would definitely be thought of as illiterate if forced to use these methods of writing. Our hard work was rewarded with scones, clotted cream, and sparkling wine.

Personally, I think every school day should begin and end in this manner. My cousin Nina and I took some photos with our schoolmaster. True story, he made some kind of joke about spanking us with a branch. If it will get us a passing grade, so be it.

A Night at the Globe Theater

An event that might surpass even visiting Big Willie’s school was the opportunity to see a play at the Globe Theater in London. (As of 2020 during the COVID19 pandemic, it is at risk of closing its doors forever! Please donate!)

The Globe today is a recreation of what the original is said to look like. The ownership does everything to ensure an authentic experience. Walking into the theater, you really feel as though you’ve stepped back in time. Globe Theater is circular with an open center. The roof is thatched and almost everything is wooden. To top it all off, the Globe sits on the River Thames. It looks as though it has floated in from another century.

Seating in Globe Theater

The seating is similar to that of 400 years ago in a few ways. There are still seats in the Globe toward the back where you cannot see the stage much, but these still cost a decent price. This might strike you as very very odd. However, back in the day, royalty sat there. They did not care much for seeing the stage. For royalty, the experience was about being seen by others! It was an opportunity to show off their affluence and most importantly their outfits. There are plenty of seats in the second and third rings with excellent views of the play. We sat in the second ring.

If you don’t want to spend too much on a ticket, there is a standing area right in front of the stage. Historically, this is where the poorest of citizens would observe Shakespeare’s plays. The higher classes who sat upwards would throw their garbage down below. The so-called “groundlings” would sometimes pick up the trash and throw it at actors! These tickets only cost a few quid. A few notes. You can get very close to the stage, but you are unable to sit. If you come in late, you might very well end up in the back. If there is any kind of storm, you are not protected because the theater is circular and open in the middle.

Shock and Awe

I’m sure you’ll be shocked, but I showed up pretty buzzed to the globe performance. I had been “researching” some pubs all afternoon. However, I was immediately sobered as I began watching the play, The Winter’s Tale. At the Globe Theater, there are no elaborate set designs or costumes. The exquisite degree of performance is really contingent upon the talent of the actors, and wow are they talented.

I couldn’t help but revel in watching the audience’s reaction to the play. Not see a single person broke their entranced gaze from the actors. I could tell that there were people who, like me, had dreamed of seeing a play at Globe Theater for so long. I clung to the actors’ every word, laughed at every joke, and savored every moment of my time at the performance. Other than the dialogue, the Globe was SILENT. You could have heard a 16th-century costume designer’s needle drop.

If you read my blog, you’ll know my imagination runs wild when I visit historical places. In this case, I imagined that I was transported back in time. For the duration of the performance, I imagined Shakespeare off to the side of the stage, watching his plays come to life. I pictured him looking up at the Queen and her court to see if she was amused. I thought of the peasants on the floor being drunk and rowdy and I imagined myself in the midst of all of this.

The Take Away.

The experiences we have as young people really impact us for a lifetime. It was my teacher in 10th grade who ignited my utter passion for all things Shakespeare. I knew from 15 years old that I wanted to visit Shakespeare’s home and the Globe Theater, but I never thought I would actually get to do it. I didn’t think highly of myself back then and never thought my life would include the opportunity to visit England. It was the selflessness of my teacher that inspired me to pursue a career teaching English in public schools. Having that background in education and English is what allows me to have this outlet of writing on my blog. Becoming a teacher is what allows me to pursue experiences such as these ones.

I always wonder if I make an impression on my students the way Ms. Walsh did for me. Last year, a graduating student stopped me in the hallway. “Ms. A! I had you for 10th grade, do you remember?” His face was familiar, but I couldn’t recall his name. I was suffering badly from ‘baby brain’. Nonetheless, smiling, I nodded. “I saved up my money and decided to visit Greece with my grandmother before basic training this summer. I remember how you always taught us about the importance of traveling. It made me passionate about seeing more of the world.”

Life had indeed come full circle (or full globe.) ← Bad English teacher joke.