# of Words: 353

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.

Related Papers

Ethan Frome Edith Wharton

Ethan Frome, first published in 1911, shows off Edith Wharton's down in the dumps chops. This lady was as successful as they come, and most of her things wasn't at the super uplifting category of literature. In addition to the zillions of other things she composed, you may have known of her Pulitzer Prize-winning society novel The Age of Innocence. Kind of a big deal, because she was the first woman ever awarded the Pulitzer. And in case that wasn't baller sufficient, she was also the first......Read More

Antony And Cleopatra William Shakespeare

Antony and Cleopatra were fairly much the Brangelina of early times,only much more striking. Inside this catastrophe--composed by none other than Shakespeare himself around 1608--Mark Antony (no, not who Marc Anthony) and Cleopatra drop in love. Straightforward enough, right? Wrong. These two are not your typical star-crossed fans. Oh no. They both rule over two of the most significant empires in history: Rome and Ancient Egypt. The play opens into Cleopatra's palace in Alexandria, Egypt.......Read More

The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams

The writer, Tennessee Williams, was introduced into fame and made prey to the forties' equal of literary paparazzi because of it. The play revolves around a young guy begrudgingly behind the household his father has abandoned. Additionally, it offers a painfully shy and somewhat crippled sister personality, whose preoccupation with a collection of glass animals draws her away in reality. OK, so you never dwelt at the Great Depression. We did not either. Or abandoned your household for......Read More

Related Topics