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Henry VIII (1509-1547)

He married Catherine of Aragon who bore him a daughter, Mary.

He asked the Pope for a divorce to marry his pregnant mistress Anne Boleyn.
He broke with Rome when the Pope refused and declared himself ‘Supreme Head of the Church of England’ with the Act of Supremacy (1534).

He dissolved the monasteries, taking their wealth.

Ireland remained a Catholic country.
Anne Boleyn gave him a second daughter, Elizabeth.

She was executed for treason in 1536.
Henry went on to have four more wives and one son, Edward, later Edward VI, from Jane Seymour.
Mary I
The daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

She refused to abandon the Catholic faith.

She tried to restore England to papal obedience.
She married the Catholic Philip of Spain.
The burning of Protestants earned her the nickname ‘Bloody Mary’.
She died without an heir.

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Elizabeth I (1558-1603)

Her Church of England restored the country firmly to Protestantism.
She was unmarried and used this as a political weapon.

She said that ‘the Queen was married to her people’ and became the ‘Virgin Queen’.

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In the Italian city of Verona, two families hate each other. Romeo is from the Montague family and Juliet is a Capulet, but they fall in love at first sight. This is their tragic love story.

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Teens Explain Romeo & Juliet In A Minute

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English - The globe: Shakespeare's Theatre (B1-B2)

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Step inside the Globe Theatre

Everyone, no matter where they are in the world, can now walk around Shakespeare's Globe with our virtual tour and 360 iOS app.

Use this page or download the app to tour the Globe Theatre from the comfort of your own home. Our interactive 360 degrees virtual tour uses photos, videos and audible wonder to guide you along the way.

This online digital tour is free. We ask that you consider a donation to us in return, as a charity currently relying on your support more than ever before. Thank you.
DONATE

Using your mouse or your finger if you are on a mobile or tablet tap the box that says "VIEW 360".

Then click and hold or tap and drag the screen to look around the interior of the Globe Theatre.

Tap on the circles and explore the images, videos and sounds that are located around the Globe Theatre.

Tap out when you are done and keep tapping away to find discover more!

Have fun and keep on discovering!

Packed with interesting facts, videos and photos, our free app allows anyone in the world to explore a virtual version of the world's most iconic theatre.

Move around the virtual theatre, zoom in and out and reveal the theatre's oak frame. Venture through the oak doors and head inside, where you can explore the theatre as stunning 360 degree images. Locations include an actor's-eye view from the stage, backstage in the tiring-house, the musicians' gallery and standing in the Yard.

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Walk around the Globe Theatre at Shakespeare's Globe with our online virtual tour and 360 iOS app.

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Step inside London's only candlelit theatre.

Experience London's iconic open-air wooden 'O' this winter.

Globe Theatre Guided Tour

UNTIL 30 OCTOBER GLOBE THEATRE

Discover the stories and secrets of Shakespeare's London and our iconic theatre on a tour for all ages.
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Family Globe Theatre Guided Tour

Until 30 OCTOBER GLOBE THEATRE

Join a Globe Theatre Family Tour, ideal for families with children ages 7- 11.
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Shakespeare's Walking Tour

UNTIL 30 OCTOBER SOUTHWARK

Our Shakespeare's Walking Tour delves into the history of Bankside as a theatre district.
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Group Guided Tour

ONGOING GLOBE THEATRE

Your group of up to 30 people can enjoy our Globe Theatre Guided Tour with a discounted ticket rate.
DISCOVER MORE

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Step inside London's only candlelit theatre. Experience London's iconic open-air wooden 'O' this winter. Globe Theatre Guided Tour UNTIL 30 OCTOBER GLOBE THEATRE Discover the stories and secrets of Shakespeare's London and our iconic theatre on a tour for all ages.

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The Globe Theatre you see today in London is the third Globe.

The first opened in 1599 and was built by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, the company that William Shakespeare wrote for and part-owned.

We think that the first play Shakespeare wrote for the original Globe was Julius Caesar in spring 1599. Later that year he also wrote As You Like It and made a start on Hamlet. Over the next fourteen years Shakespeare wrote some of his greatest plays, including Twelfth Night, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra. Other playwrights wrote for the Globe during this time too, including Ben Jonson, Thomas Middleton and John Fletcher.

In 1613, during a performance of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII (co-written with Fletcher), a mis-fired prop canon caused the thatch roof to catch fire. The entire theatre burnt down within two hours, according to eyewitness reports (miraculously, no one was killed). The company rebuilt the Globe in a year – with a tiled roof. The second Globe operated until it was closed down by parliamentary decree in 1642.

In 1609 Shakespeare’s company started performing in the indoor Blackfriars playhouse as well as the Globe. It was here that Shakespeare conceived his final great plays, including The Tempest.

The current Globe Theatre opened in 1997, after many years of campaigning by the founder of the Shakespeare’s Globe Trust, Sam Wanamaker.

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A ‘roofless’, open-air theatre (bring your coats!).

Shape is an icosagon, a 20 sided polygon.

Can hold 1,570 people, 700 standing and the rest seated.

The twelve signs of the zodiac are painted on this roof over the stage (which we call ‘The Heavens’).

Built from oak beams, lime-plaster walls and a water-reed thatched roof.

The only thatched-roof building in London.

We had to fight for special permission to have our thatched roof, as there has been a law against thatched buildings in London since the Great Fire of 1666!

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TL;DR (may contains spoilers): Hamlet sees his dead dad's ghost, pretends to go crazy with revenge, actually goes crazy with revenge (debatable), and everyone dies.

Hamlet Summary
More detail: 2.5 minute read
The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel, during which the King, Queen, Hamlet's opponent and Hamlet himself are all killed.

Act I

Late at night, guards on the battlements of Denmark's Elsinore castle are met by Horatio, Prince Hamlet's friend from school. The guards describe a ghost they have seen that resembles Hamlet's father, the recently-deceased king. At that moment, the Ghost reappears, and the guards and Horatio decide to tell Hamlet.

Claudius, Hamlet's uncle, married Hamlet's recently-widowed mother, becoming the new King of Denmark. Hamlet continues to mourn for his father's death and laments his mother's lack of loyalty. When Hamlet hears of the Ghost from Horatio, he wants to see it for himself.

Elsewhere, the royal attendant Polonius says farewell to his son Laertes, who is departing for France. Laertes warns his sister, Ophelia, away from Hamlet and thinking too much of his attentions towards her.

This above all: to thine own self be true.
- Hamlet, Act 1 Scene 3

The Ghost appears to Hamlet, claiming indeed to be the ghost of his father. He tells Hamlet about how Claudius, the current King and Hamlet's uncle, murdered him, and Hamlet swears vengeance for his father. Hamlet decides to feign madness while he tests the truth of the Ghost's allegations (always a good idea in such situations).

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1984

Act II

According to his plan, Hamlet begins to act strangely. He rejects Ophelia, while Claudius and Polonius, the royal attendant, spy on him. They had hoped to find the reason for Hamlet's sudden change in behaviour but could not. Claudius summons Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, old friends of Hamlet to find out what's got into him. Their arrival coincides with a group of travelling actors that Hamlet happens to know well. Hamlet writes a play which includes scenes that mimic the murder of Hamlet's father. During rehearsal, Hamlet and the actors plot to present Hamlet's play before the King and Queen.

Act III

At the performance, Hamlet watches Claudius closely to see how he reacts. The play provokes Claudius, and he interrupts the action by storming out. He immediately resolves to send Hamlet away. Hamlet is summoned by his distressed mother, Gertrude, and on the way, he happens upon Claudius kneeling and attempting to pray. Hamlet reasons that to kill the King now would only send his soul to heaven rather than hell. Hamlet decides to spare his life for the time being.

Royal Shakespeare Company, Courtyard Theatre, 2008

Polonius hides in Gertrude's room to protect her from her unpredicatable son. When Hamlet arrives to scold his mother, he hears Polonius moving behind the arras (a kind of tapestry). He stabs the tapestry and, in so doing, kills Polonius. The ghost of Hamlet's father reappears and warns his son not to delay revenge or upset his mother.

What a piece of work is man!
- Hamlet, Act 2 Scene 2

Act IV

Hamlet is sent to England, supposedly as an ambassador, just as King Fortinbras of Norway crosses Denmark with an army to attack Poland. During his journey, Hamlet discovers Claudius has a plan to have him killed once he arrives. He returns to Denmark alone, sending his companions Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths in his place.

Rejected by Hamlet, Ophelia is now desolate at the loss of her father. She goes mad and drowns.

Royal Shakespeare Company, Swan Theatre, 2006

What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause.
- Hamlet, Act 3 Scene 1

Act V

On the way back to Denmark, Hamlet meets Horatio in the graveyard (along with a gravedigger), where they talk of the chances of life and death. Ophelia's funeral procession arrives at the very same graveyard (what luck!). Hamlet confronts Laertes, Ophelia's brother, who has taken his father's place at the court.

A duel is arranged between Hamlet and Laertes. During the match, Claudius conspires with Laertes to kill Hamlet. They plan that Hamlet will die either on a poisoned rapier or with poisoned wine. The plans go awry when Gertrude unwittingly drinks from the poisoned cup and dies. Then both Laertes and Hamlet are wounded by the poisoned blade, and Laertes dies.

Hamlet, in his death throes, kills Claudius. Hamlet dies, leaving only his friend Horatio to explain the truth to the new king, Fortinbras, as he returns in victory from the Polish wars.

Learn more of what Shakespeare has to say on the subject of life in Hamlet and other plays: Shakespeare Quotes on Life

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Summary of William Shakespeare's Hamlet: Hamlet sees his dead dad's ghost, pretends to go crazy with revenge, actually goes crazy with revenge (debatable), and everyone dies.

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Macbeth Main Characters

The brave, the true, the vengeful, the despairing: learn the complexities of the characters that make Macbeth unlike any other Shakespearian tragedy.

Macbeth

Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, is a brave Scottish general in King Duncan's army. However, upon hearing the three witches' prophecy that he would become King of Scotland, he becomes tyrannical. With his wife's help and encouragement he kills King Duncan, but this fills him with deep regret and guilt. Plagued by insecurities and the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants would be kings, he keeps spies on all the noblemen and arranges for Banquo and his son to be murdered, although he hides this from his wife. Banquo's ghost haunts him and he suffers from insanity and insomnia. He seeks out the witches again, who still affirm the prophecy, and he goes on a murderous rampage. He mourns his wife's death and contemplates killing himself too as Malcolm's army approaches him. However, Macduff challenges him and he decides to die fighting.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow / Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
- Macbeth; Act 5 Scene 5

Lady Macbeth

Even more ambitious and ruthless than her husband Macbeth, Lady Macbeth plots to murder King Duncan upon hearing of the witches' prophecy. She goads Macbeth into the evil deed despite his hesitance, gives the guards drugged wine, and lays out the bloody daggers. She comforts her husband in his guilt afterwards. When Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost, Lady Macbeth nervously tries to calm him down and dismisses their guests. However, her guilt soon turns her mad as well and, tormented by nightmares, she sleepwalks as she tries to wash out the invisible bloodstains on her hands. She dies offstage in the final act, a supposed suicide.

Out, damned spot!
- Lady Macbeth; Act 5 Scene 1

Macduff

Macduff, Thane of Fife, is loyal to King Duncan. He is the first to discover Duncan's dead body and never believes it was the servants who killed him. Macduff flees to England, trying to find King Duncan's son Malcolm and restore him as rightful king but meanwhile, Macbeth has Macduff's wife and children murdered. Full of grief and revenge, he persuades Malcolm to lead an army against Macbeth, challenges Macbeth one-to-one and slays him. A child of a caesarean birth, he thus fulfils the witches' prophecy that no man of woman born would harm Macbeth.

O horror, horror, horror! / Tongue nor heart cannot conceive nor name thee
- Macduff; Act 2 Scene 3

Three Witches

The Three Witches, or Three Weird Sisters, are the morally ambiguous characters whose prophecies drive Macbeth to his tyrannical desire for power. When the witches first meet Macbeth and Banquo, they prophesy that Macbeth will become King of Scotland and that Banquo's descendants will be kings. When Macbeth seeks them out again, they produce apparitions of his downfall while delivering three more prophecies to him: beware Macduff, none of woman born will harm him, and he will be safe until a local wood, Birnam Wood, marches into battle against him. They leave the audience questioning whether they are agents of fate or independent agents manipulating humans' lives.

Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn, and cauldron bubble
- Three Witches; Act 4 Scene 1

Malcolm

Malcolm is one of King Duncan's sons and proclaimed heir to his throne. Suspected of his own father's murder, he flees to England. When Macduff comes to find him in England, Malcolm initially tests his loyalty. Ultimately, Malcolm is convinced that they need to enact vengeance and fight Macbeth. He mobilises an army in England and leads them to Scotland with Macduff's help. He and his forces march on Dunsinane Castle, where Macbeth has retreated, camouflaging themselves with branches from Birnam Wood and thereby fulfilling the witches' prophecy. He takes over as king and restores order.

What I believe, I'll wail; / What know, believe; and what I can redress, / As I shall find the time to friend, I will
- Malcolm; Act 4 Scene 3

Banquo

Banquo, Thane of Lochaber, is a Scottish general known for his bravery like his friend Macbeth. They meet the witches together upon returning from battle, and Banquo is also eager to know what their prophecy is for him. They tell him that he will not be king, but that his descendants will inherit the throne. Banquo is sceptical of the prophecy and resists the temptation of power that Macbeth gives into. When Macbeth takes the throne, Banquo pledges loyalty to him despite his suspicions, but Macbeth has him murdered, seeking to secure his position as king. Banquo's ghost appears and haunts Macbeth at the banquet that night, as well as later in a vision from the witches.

Merciful powers / Restrain in me the cursed thoughts
- Banquo; Act 2 Scene 1

Macbeth Minor Characters

King Duncan
Donalbain

Fleance
Seyward
Young Seyward
Seyton
Son of Macduff
Wife of Macduff
A Captain
English Doctor
Scottish Doctor
Porter
Old Man
Gentlewoman

Three other witches
Hecat
Apparitions

Murderers
Messengers
Servants
Lords
Soldiers

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Discover the complex Macbeth characters with these character summaries and quotes

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British Council ELT - MYTHS & LEGENDS Elizabeth I

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Elizabeth: The Golden Age Official Trailer #1 - Cate Blanchett Movie (2007) HD