If you cannot understand my argument, and declare “It’s Greek to me”, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool’s paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you , for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then – to give the devil his due – if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then – by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness’ sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! – it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare,  Said Bernard Levin.

Don’t worry. I didn’t know either that I am already using so many of Shakespeare quotes until I stopped at the Globe Theatre for an hour yesterday.  Reshma told me about this place, when I was chatting with her on FB few months ago. I did watch many of Hollywood made and few British made movies from Shakespeare books, and also read few simplified abstracts of his books in high school.  My knowledge (or lack of it) is limited to those activities only

Visiting the Globe Theatre was a good experience, which included a long walk across the south bank, amongst 1000s of tourist crowd, which made experience little more colorful.  Tour is of about 30 minutes duration with interesting anecdotes from the guide, and lots of history to browse in the exhibition theatre.  When we entered the theatre, some of the crew was getting the stage ready for the maiden show ‘Holy Warriors”.  The story line didn’t interest so I did not buy the tickets for the show.  I was hoping to watch Julius Caesar, which was sold out, and I was told I could come an hour before the show and buy Standing Tickets for 5 quid.  Not sure, I would do that, but proposition is tantalizing.

I have no doubt that many of you may have no clue about Shakespeare Globe Theater.  Here is the condensed version of what you find, if you Google it or go directly to wiki.  So, do not be envious of my knowledge 🙂

Shakespeare’s Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames that was originally built in 1599, destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic approximation based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings.   I am quite impressed what they did.  The place looks as if it’s from 1600, though with access of modern access and safety needs

 The original Globe Theatre was built in 1599 by the playing company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men, to which Shakespeare belonged, and was destroyed by fire. The fire was caused by an accident with a cannon during a production of Henry VIII. The theatre was rebuilt by June 1614, but was officially closed by pressure of Puritan opinion in 1642 and demolished in 1644

In 1970, American actor and director Sam Wanamaker founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust and the International Shakespeare Globe Centre, with the objective of building a faithful recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe close to its original location at Bankside, Southwark.  It was Wanamaker’s wish that the new building recreate the Globe, as it existed during most of Shakespeare’s time there; that is, the 1599 building rather than its 1614 replacement.

Wiki indicates that a study was made of what was known of the construction of The Theatre, the building from which the 1599 Globe obtained much of its timber, as a starting point for the modern building’s design. To this were added: examinations of other surviving London buildings from the latter part of the 16th century; comparisons with other theatres of the period and contemporary drawings and descriptions of the first Globe. For practical reasons, some features of the 1614 rebuilding were incorporated into the modern design, such as the external staircases.

The theatre opened in 1997 under the name “Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre”, and has staged plays every summer