RUSH HOUR

  

                                                                         

       

                                          1)  Our life seems like damn rush-hour city

                                               No time for steady, cool and thoughtful mood ;

                                               From dawn to dusk too busy, no time to brood

                                               No lotus moments of sweet tranquility;

                                               With clock-like precision we have to wake

                                               Go through our chores, no chance for mistake.

                                         2)   Within full-curtained walls encaged we dwell

                                                In glow of electric lights we spend our days

                                                We gulp our breakfast soon to rush away

                                                Shouting hastily a formal farewell ;

                                                Struggling through crowded streets of deafening hell

                                                Unnoticed and unnoticing, talking through cell ;

                                         3)    Like moving automatons do we stress

                                                Mouthing code words like lifeless robots

                                                We live in rutted channels so and so ;

                                                Through loads of data like muzzled beasts we press

                                                As systems crash and our inputs confound

                                                In search of solutions we push round and round.

                                         4)   We grab our lunch and listen to our cell

                                                Some idiot's tale of political cheat ;

                                                Some sensual song impassioned with rugged beat

                                                Some brutal crime done under drunken spell ;

                                                We fly back to our cabins to sweat and fret ;

                                                Like tangled flies in a poisoned net.

                                         

                                         5)    With formal smiles and empty feelings sham

                                                We leave our work half-done and start our ride ;

                                                Through swelling rush of cars at eventide;

                                                Through unruly movements of vehicular jam

                                                We reach our home dead-tired and drop down dead

                                                One more day lost in life's tumultuous tread.

                                         6)    Our dreary tedium we can't express

                                                Our dearth of feelings and of what to say;

                                                We end our talk with bye,byes and dry Okays

                                                We lost our lives in this confounding mess

                                                To our nearest kin an sms we send

                                                Saying too busy and no time to spend.



    

                                

                                       7)      We bury ourselves in blankets blank

                                                 Faking amorous scenes and try to sleep

                                                 Disgusted at our dry excuses we heap

                                                 Counting our shares and savings in bank

                                                 Feeling secure we strive to dream in vain 

                                                 As next day looms to repeat our routine again.

                                       8)      Have we lost our senses to feel ?

                                                Blind to the colorful scenes around ?

                                                Blind to the leisurely pace of Nature sound ?

                                                Blind to see butterflies fluttering with zeal ?

                                                Blind to chirping wings in dancing hues above

                                                In magnificent galaxies throbbing with love ?




      




                                                  


                                                                                                    

                                       9)     No time to watch the fascinating green

                                               Clusters of trees dotting the verdant plain

                                               With no touch of tension and greedy strain ;

                                               How butterflies enjoy sweet honey from flowers !

                                               How flowers dance to the cool thrill of showers !

                                   10)      Look how blissfully sing those birds on trees !

                                              Look how unruffled move those streams so deep !

                                              Look how silently graze those herded sheep !

                                              Look how smoothly glide those white ducks so free !

                                              No disturbing desires or restless state

                                             They live with ease without nurturing hate.

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                                                                                                         SOMASESHU GUTALA                              

                                                 

   

                                         

                                               

                                               

                                                

AT THE GLOBE THEATER (PART---II)

Plan of the Globe Theater

Inside View

Outside View

                

        

                   









 After six years of construction " The Globe Theater" was opened on June 12,1997 by Queen Elizabeth II.
 This theater is located in an area of 1.2 acre land with the construction of a museum, a restaurant, a gift shop and a three hundred-seat lecture theater."The Globe"theater was built in the shape of a twenty-sided circular  shaped building with ninety-nine feet in diameter. The thatched roof of the stage made of Norfolk reeda  was coated with a special fire-protective liquid. The construction work was done by McCurdy & Co, Burkshire.  The open area called "Pit" or "the Yard"  had a raised stage thrust half way into it. The pit is surrounded by three tiers of roofed galleries with balconies overlooking the back of the stage. This theater can house nearly  seven hundred people standing in the pit (called groundlings) and nine hundred people seated in galleries.Two sets of external stairs on either side of the theater provide access to balconies while the four main entrances lead the way to the yard and lower gallery. The stage is forty four feet wide and twenty five feet in depth and is five feet high supported by oak pillars painted like marble with golden leaves, called "Herculean Pillars".Two statues above the stage represent the figures of  Tragedy and Comedy.

View of the roof called "Heavens"

Statues above the stage

   The roof is called "Heavens" painted with the pictures of sun,moon and zodiac. There is a trapdoor in the middle of the ceiling for performers to descend onto the stage using some lever arrangement.Above the roof there is a porthole or opening which was used in Shakespeare's time for firing cannons and fireworks to produce special sound effects like thunder and lightning or to announce arrival of the royal persons. The stage wall (called "Frons Scenae" a name given by the Imperial Rome to  the stage walls of their amphitheaters) has a central doorway along with two other doorways on either side for the actors to make their entrances. The central doorway leads to the dressing room called "a tiring house". There is a trap door on the stage for actors to enter from the cellar beneath the stage. The balcony above the stage is flanked by two balconies on either side for accommodating the prestigious and wealthy people.

 Our elderly tour guide informed us that in Shakespeare's time common people used to pay one penny to stand in the pit and watch the play. Most of them used to drink and munch hazel nuts and garlic. So Shakespeare referred to them as "Pennystinks". The announcement about the performance of plays was done by sounding a trumpet. Our guide spoke in a jovial and entertaining manner, but gave very little information about the Elizabethan stage of Shakespeare's time. We were not allowed to see the Sam Wanamaker Play House as it was not included in our guided tour schedule. A little disappointed we went to the gift-shop. There were many books, stationery items, keychains, pictures and cards concerned with the great dramatist's life and plays. But when compared with Indian editions their cost is rather high. So we came out without buying any mementos to keep as cherished memories of this memorable visit.
                                       
                                                 ************************************
 17th September, 2015                                                                                Somaseshu Gutala                                  

                                                     

                                                                    

AT THE GLOBE THEATER (Part--I)

Globe Theater

View of the stage

 

Musical Instruments at Exhibition Hall

Props (swords & Daggers) at Exhibition Hall

                                                           

                         
   The present Globe Theater located in the Bankside is a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater constructed by the famous American actor and Director, Sam Wanamaker in 1990s. This theater was completed in 1997. The original site of Shakespeare's Globe Theater was about two hundred meters from the existing theater and is occupied by the heritage-listed Georgian buildings and Southwark Bridge Road. The spot is marked by a plaque and information panel. The design of the present theater is based on that of the early 17th century playhouses and is modelled on the earliest known designs of an English playhouse.

  At first we bought tickets to see the Globe Exhibition set up just below the present Globe Theater, wherein many exhibits of  the Elizabethan age are displayed along  with detailed information about Shakespeare's plays, stage devices, actor's costumes and accessories used by them. We saw a model of Shakespeare's Globe Theater and a chart showing the poet's dramatic career and other important historical events. One can hear the dramatic speeches of various Shakespearean characters by touching the computer screen. An audio guide is also available to help you know about the exhibits. But it needs more than three hours to learn about all these things.

Dressed figures at Exhibition Hall

Dress showcased at Exhibition Hall

Hazel nuts and other items

Chart Showing the dramas of Shakespeare

 





  Many visitors prefer to watch the objects directly and move on see their next place of visit that is the Globe Theater. One is attracted by the heavy and decorative royal dresses of the Elizabethan characters like Cleopatra and other queens. The male characters wore doublets and broad ruffs or collars around their necks. The musical instruments used in Elizabethan theaters such as  the tabor, the lutes, the violins, the flutes and the drums are displayed along with swords, daggers and other props in glass show cases.Heaps of hazel nuts are kept in bowls showing the eating habits of the spectators who used to munch nuts while watching the play. A number of whistles are seen which might have been used by spectators to show off their response to the performances of the actors on the stage. We saw  the earthen pots that had been used to collect pennies as fee from the spectators of those times. We also saw the surviving signboard of "Boar's Head Tavern"

Hercules hanging at Lecture Hall

Atlas hanging

Adonis Hanging

                                                                                                    

                                                
   After spending nearly one hour at the Globe Exhibition we went down the steps to see a practical demonstration lecture on Elizabethan costumes. The hall is decorated with various banners known as Newzealand Hangings. To add classical touch and to attract the attention of the audience various banners depicting characters like Hercules, Atlas and Adonis were displayed during Shakespeare's time. Following the same tradition characters like Hercules, Atlas,and Venus and Adonis are seen on these modern hangings made in Newzealand between January,1990 and April,1991.  These hangings made of finest wool were created by five hundred embroiders under the supervision of the theatrical designer, Raymond Boyce of Newzealand. These hangings were unveiled by the Globe's Patron,Prince Philip in June, 1997.

Queen Elizabeth (1533--1603)

King James I (1566--1625)

 




                                                                              
           

    We watched the elaborate Elizabethan way of dressing consisting of so many items as the speakers explained how class and status distinction in dress code were meticulously observed by people during those times. Everybody used to cover their bodies with four or five layers of clothing giving out a bulging appearance.The innermost clothing was made of linen so that it can be changed frequently. Ladies used to wear smock or shift linen covered by corset or a close fitting bodice stiffened with reeds or whalebone. A cone-shaped skirt stiffened with ropes was worn on the kirtle or under-gown. It is tied down to the corset at the sides to keep it secure without slipping down. A shirt with a high neck and puffed sleeves was worn securely tied under arms. A gown wide-spread like a fan and stiffened with whalebone and ropes was  worn . A cloak was used to safeguard them from rain. Ladies used to wear knee-high stockings made of wool, silk or yarn according to their status.

    Men used to wear a shirt covered by a waist coat and a jacket. They wore breeches or upper hose covering from waist to knee.On it they wore upper or nether hose with a girdle on which they hung their dagger and purse. They used to pad their bellies to give a bulging appearance which was considered a sign of high status. The rich and royal people used clothes made of fine wool, silk and velvet with bright colors like purple, red, gold and blue. The lower class or common people were permitted to use clothes made of linen, coarse wool or sheepskin with sober colors like brown, green, yellow,beige and orange.

  After the demonstration class we were asked to attend the guided tour of Shakespeare's Globe. An elderly gentleman with a booming voice hurriedly led us up into the open air theater re-constructed by the famous American actor and director, Sam Wanamaker. This Theater was opened in 1997 with the performance of  Henry V. Just beside the Globe there is an indoor sister theater built in Jacobean style commemorating Sir Wanamaker called Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, where stage shows are organized. It was opened in 2014 with staging of the play "The Duchess of Malfi". No artificial light is used. Only daylight through openings in shutters or candlelights served for giving illumination during performance of plays.
                       
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   9th September, 2015                                                                                 Somaseshu Gutala

ON OUR WAY TO THE " GLOBE "

Maiden Lane (Park Street)

Clink Street

     

           

        The nearest railway station to Shakespeare's Globe Theater is the London Bridge or the Southwark. It is just a   fifteen-minute walk from these two stations. As we passed through the Park Street (earlier called as Maiden Lane ) we could recapture the atmosphere of the Elizabethan times to some extent , of course modified by modern facilities and comforts. The lane was narrow flanked by pubs, restaurants and shops. The path was a  cobbled road with old constructions bearing testimony to the fact that once it was a notorious and squalid place where brothels, bear-baiting pits, taverns and gambling dens flourished. The playhouses or theaters were given permission only to set up in this locality outside London in Southwark borough as acting was looked down as not a worthy profession. The audience also consisted of many low class people who drank, abused and loved ribald jokes. The rich aristocratic people asked players to act in their own private halls.

The Anchor

Interior View

                                

      As we passed by, we saw "The Anchor" the oldest surviving inn of Elizabethan times where people flock even now to relish the ale and enjoy refreshments. It had a long history of nearly eight hundred years. During Shakespeare's time many actors from the Globe, the Swan and the Rose theaters used to frequent this inn. After the Great Fire of London in 1666, this inn was re-built in 1676 and later in 1770 and in 19th century.

    There used to be many inns and taverns in this lane during Elizabethan times. Many of these inns were owned by Philip Henslowe, the theatrical manager of Shakespeare's Globe. Of  course today most of them are nowhere to be seen. They had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London or demolished to give space for later construction of buildings or roads by the riverside.

George Inn

Boar's Head Tavern Sign

  

                 

The Mitre Tavern

                                                                                

    Shakespeare in one of his plays ("Twelfth Night " Act III, Scene III ) referred to the "Elephant Inn " as the best place to lodge. (" In the south suburbs at the Elephant is best to lodge " ). The Boar's Head Tavern on Eastcheap was established in Southwark before 1537. It was re-built and existed till 1831 when it was demolished. But we can see the signboard of this inn (the meeting place of many famous playwrights of Elizabethan times) in the exhibition hall of today's Shakespeare's  Globe. The site of the original inn is now a part of the approach road to London Bridge in Canon Street.

   Before the advent of theaters plays were staged in the courtyards of inns by touring actors. In the courtyards of "The Bull Inn" and "The White Hart Inn" (Shakespeare's reference in  Henry VI)
many plays were staged between 1576 and 1594. "The George Inn" built in 1542h  on Borough High Street near the White Hart Inn was frequented by Shakespeare and his fellow-actors. It was destroyed in fire in 1576 but was later re-built. With galleried hall and cobbled courtyard it still functions as a stage for actors to enact their plays at this inn. Only the southern part of the inn remains intact and is protected by the National Trust.

  

The White Hart Inn

George Inn

   In the courtyard of "The Cross key Inn" located in Grace Church Street, actors used to stage their plays between 1576 and 1594. Shakespeare's acting troupe of Chamberlain's Men used the Cross key Inn Theatre on a regular basis.

Cross Keys Inn

Sign of Cross Keys at the original location

          
          












  "The Mermaid Tavern" located at the junction of Friday Street and Bread Street in East Cheap end deserves special mention as it was frequented by many Elizabethan poets and scholars like Ben Jonson, Francis Beaumont, John Donne, John Fletcher and Richard Carew. A group of these people called "Fraternity of the Sirenical Gentlemen" or "The Friday Club" (a drinking club) used to visit this tavern on the first Friday of every month and engaged themselves in witty conversation or in discussing on various literary topics and contemporary events.Shakespeare, though not a member of this club, might have visited this tavern occasionally to meet and converse with his poet-friends and fellow-dramatists. Ben Jonson and Beaumont mentioned about this tavern in their poems "Inviting a Friend to Supper" (by Ben Jonson) and "Letter to Ben Jonson" (by Francis Beaumont). This famous tavern was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.


   Ben Jonson and his group also  used to visit "The Mitre Tavern" located nearby which had been in existence even before 1475, but was later destroyed in the Great Fire of London . That site was now occupied by buildings and offices.

View of inside prison

Clink Prison Museum

                                                                       

 Apart from these inns and taverns most of which had been razed down by mishaps of time, one can see a replica of the "Clinker's Prison" on the original site as one passes by this South Bank Street leading to Shakespeare's Globe. This was one of the oldest prisons in England which existed right since 1144 up to 1780. It was located within the premises of Winchester's Palace, the home of the bishops of Winchester from 1140 to 1626. This prison was first used to house religious prisoners before being burnt at stake or hanged. Later it became a debtors' prison and was used to keep thieves, harlots, heretics and other criminals. The inmates were tortured and were not given food by the warden. They had to beg food from the passers-by. The prison was located below the level of Thames and a sewer with squalid surroundings.  In the Clink Museum one can see the examples of crime and instruments of torture used at that time. The word "clink" is derived from the Middle English word "clinken" which means 'a Lock". 

The Ruined Winchester Palace

The Rose Window on western gable

                 





 
  





 Another strange fact is that the Bishop of Winchester, being the sole proprietor of the most of the land in Bankside, gave licences to brothels in the area in 1611. So the local prostitutes in that area were nicknamed as "Winchester Geese." The Winchester Palace and the original prison were destroyed in the fire of 1814 and only the rose window of the palace remains as a historic reminder of those notorious times. 

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                                                                                                                 Somaseshu Gutala
 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THEATERS IN ELIZABETHAN AGE

The Swan Theater in 1596

The Curtain Theater in 1577

            








 The first playhouse in London was "The Red Lion" built in 1567 by John Brayne who converted the Red Lion  inn in Stepney  (located outside the city into a theater). But it survived only for a few months. Many more playhouses were built between 1570s and 1620s. In 1576 Brayne and James Burbage (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) built "The Theater" at Shoreditch. James Burbage himself was an actor associated with the "Earl of Leister's Men" and acted in "The Theater" during the first two years of its establishment. The "Newington Butts Theater" was built in the 1577.

 After this five more theaters were built to meet the growing demand of the people who showed keen interest in watching plays. No remains of the "Theater" remain now. The site is marked by a plaque at 88-86, Curtain Road. "The Swan Theater" in Southwark was built between 1594 and 1596. It was the fourth in the series of the large playhouses in London after James Burbage's "Theater", Henry Lanman's "The Curtain" (1577) and Philip Henslowe's "The Rose"  (1587-1588). Francis Langley built "The Swan" on the west end of the Bank Side in 1595-96. It was the finest and largest of the London theaters. In 1597 in "Swan", the acting company "Pembroke's Men" staged the infamous play "The Isle of Dogs" written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson. Both were imprisoned along with the actor Gabriel Spenser. The playhouse was temporarily closed. In 1632 it was finally closed down.

 In 1613 Philip Henslowe built the new "Hope Theater" modelled after "Swan Theater" rather than his own theater "The Rose" as it appeared out of style in comparison. Shakespeare's company, " Lord Chamberlain's Men " played at "The Theater", "The Curtain" and "The Globe". They also played at the Court for Queen Elizabeth I and later for James I. They toured and acted in the courtyards of inns like "The Bull Inn", "The White Hart Inn" and "The Cross Keys Inn", especially between 1576 and 1594. After 1609 during winter time they played at the "Black Friars" indoor theater. Shakespeare's earliest plays were staged at "The Rose" theater.

        

Black Friars in 1596

                          



The "Black Friars" theater located in Ludgate Hill on the northern banks of the Thames was built by James Burbage in 1596 on the grounds of a former monastery. After his death in 1597 it was bequeathed to his two sons, Richard and Cuthbert Burbage. As it was located in the area where wealthy and respectable people lived, there was stiff opposition from people against adult actors staging plays. So Richard Burbage leased it Henry Evans who used child actors "The Children of the Chapel" (a commercial enterprise) to present plays to entertain royal and aristocratic people between 1600 and 1608. Even before the establishment of this theater, some parts of the monastery were used for acting by boys between 1576 and 1584.

 Soon after James I ascended the throne in 1603, he supported "The Chamberlain's Men" who called themselves as "King's Men". They took on lease the "Black Friars" from Richard and Cuthbert Burbage for a period of 21 years, with each member of the group a seventh share. Shakespeare was also one of its members. He also bought a house a short walk away from the "Black Friars" in Ireland Yard in 1613. After making some renovations, from 1609 onward, "The King's Men" were allowed to perform for a select audience. They performed at "Black Friars" for seven months during winter and continued to act at "The Globe" during summer season. "The Black Friars" was an indoor theater with an area of 69x49 ft. with two or three galleries and had stage boxes or balconies adjacent to the stage balcony. It had a seating capacity of about seven hundred people. But it was equipped with better stage devices, lighting arrangement, and best musicians. The plays of   many famous Jacobean dramatists such as Ben Jonson, John Fletcher and Philip Massinger. were performed at Black Friars. During the civil war in 1642 the Puritans closed the Black Friars Theater. Ultimately it was demolished on 6th August in 1655.The site is still commemorated by the playhouse yard close to the Apothecaries Hall.

William Shakespeare (1564--1616)

Ben Jonson (1572--1637)

        

                           



          



 
 "The Globe Theater" was built by Shakespeare's company "Lord Chamberlain's Men" in 1599 on the land owned by Thomas Brend inherited by his son Nicholas Brend and later by his grandson Matthew Brend.
The Globe Theater was owned by actors who were also share holders. Richard Burbage and his brother Cuthbert owned 25% of shares each. Shakespeare, John Hemminges, Augustine Philips and Thomas Pope owned a single share or 12.5% each. Shakespeare's share gradually diminished from 1/8 to 1/14 or roughly to 7% during  the course of his career.

"The Globe Theater" was built using the timber of an earlier playhouse "The Theater" built by James Burbage, (father of the famous actor, Richard Burbage) in Shoreditch in 1576. After the expiry of the lease the timber and other materials were dismantled and shifted to the new site from Shoreditch to build this theater in1599 with the intention of competing with "The Rose Theater" established by the "Admiral's Men" on  the Bankside in Southwark. The original Globe Theater was a three-story building shaped like a circular polygon with twenty sides. At the base of the stage there is a pit or open space with rushes strewn on the earthen floor. A large layer of nutshells was pressed into the dirt so as to form a new surface layer. Nearly one thousand stood in the pit to watch the play. A rectangular stage platform (apron stage) was thrust into the middle of the open air yard. The stage was 43 feet in width and 27 feet in depth and was five feet above ground. There was a trap-door on the stage for performers to enter from the cellar area. There were three rows of gallery seats to accommodate nearly two thousand spectators. There were two or three doors on the main stage with a curtained inner stage and a balcony above it. This balcony above the stage was flanked by two other balconies meant for the wealthy people to be seen (nowadays called box) .  The doors led the way to a tiring room   behind (backstage area) where the actors dressed and awaited their entrances. The ceiling under the roof was called "The Heavens" painted with clouds to look like the sky. A trap door in the sky enabled the actors to descend on to the stage using some form of harness and ropes.


   

The Globe Theater in 1599

The Hercules Hanging at the Globe Theater

       

















 The motto of the Globe Theater was "Totus Mundus agit histrionem" that means "The whole world is a playhouse." John Hemminges, who compiled Shakespeare's first folio became the theater's manager.The first play in the new theater was Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" on 21st September, 1599. Shakespeare's lost play "Cardenio" was staged in 1612 and Henry VIII in 1613. To announce the performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar", a flag with Hercules carrying a globe on his shoulders was displayed in the new theater. During the performance of "Henry VIII" on 29th June, 1613, due to the misfiring of a theatrical cannon the wooden beams and thatched roof caught fire. None was hurt. A man's burning breeches were put out with a bottle of ale. "The Globe" was re-built in June,1614. In 1642 the Globe Theater was closed during the Puritan rule. In 1644 it was pulled down to make room for building tenements.

Sam Wanamaker (1919--1993)

        

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2014

        








 The newly constructed Globe Theater that we see now is nearly 750 feet away from the original site. The style of construction of Sam Wanamaker's Playhouse (indoor theater) at Shakespeare's Globe we see now, is similar to the layout of the  Black Friars Theater. "Sam Wanamaker Playhouse" was designed by the famous architect, Jon Greenfield in collaboration with Allies and Morrison. Nearly 7.5 million pounds were spent to construct this theater, which was opened in 2014. This construction serves as a glowing tribute to Sam Wanamaker (the eminent American Actor and Director) who made great efforts in doing research and spent a major part of his wealth  in construction of the present day Globe Theater. All of us are very much indebted to his most valuable and noble work of sacrifice and earnest dedication in re-construction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. 
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  29th August, 2015                                                                                     Somaseshu Gutala