Shakespeare, Henry VIII, and the day the Globe burned down

Research English At Durham

When we say that a theatre performance ‘brought the house down’, we usually don’t mean that literally. But in the case of Shakespeare’s play Henry VIII, or as it’s sometimes known, All is True, the phrase really does apply. In a performance in 1613 a stray spark from a cannon ignited a fire that burned the Globe Theatre to the ground. In fact, throughout its chequered history of performance, this play has suffered or enjoyed a variety of different climaxes. All of which makes Laura Jayne Wright (University of Oxford) wonder: just what is the real ending of a work of drama?

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