How Shakespeare’s Stage Caught Fire—Literally and Figuratively
On June 29, 1613, the Globe Theatre would burn to the ground in under two hours.
A crowd, hundreds strong, had gathered to watch Shakespeare’s latest spectacle.
It was a performance filled with pageantry, intrigue, and royal ambition.
The play was Henry VIII.
But during a scene meant to dazzle the crowd, a cannon fired to announce the king’s arrival.
The shot misfired.
The sparks would ignite an inferno.
Flames spread.
Wood crackled.
T…
