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Way back in 1613, the Globe Theater, where Shakespeare worked, burst into flames during a performance of his play Henry VIII. The king was making his grand entrance at Wolsey's house when a canon went off to signify his regal blood. We guess the actors fell asleep during fire safety day, because setting fire to a cannon at a wooden, thatched-roof construction doesn't sound like such a hot idea to us.

Check out the one theatergoer describes it: "[C]ertain chambers being taken off in his entry, some of the paper, or other substances, wherewith one of them was stopped, did light on the thatch, where being thought at first but idle smoke, and their eyes much more attentive to the show, it kindled inwardly, and ran around like a train, consuming within less than an hour the whole home to the very ground [...] Only one guy had his breeches put on fire, that would perhaps have broiled him, if he had not by the benefit of a provident humor, place it out with a jar of ale" (origin).

That is right, someone's pants were actually on fire.

Fortunately, the Globe Theater was rebuilt the year after it burnt down, and things went on as though nothing had ever happened. This was good news for Shakespeare's buddy and co-writer with this play, John Fletcher, because Fletcher would eventually replace old Shakes as the go-to author for the King's Men: Firstly, there wouldn't really be a stage in keeping a playwright around when there weren't any Globe theater to perform in.

By this stage in his career, Shakespeare was ending up, anyhow. Henry VIIIwas written in the tail-end of his career, making it one of last plays--if not the last play--he ever wrote. Sometimes the play goes by the alias All is True. In fact, some scholars think this was its only title back in Shakespeare's day, and that it only became known as Henry VIII later on. Others think All Is Authentic is merely a subtitle.

Either way, it is clear that fact--or the search for the fact--is a super important from the play.

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