The theatre that all of Shakespeare's greatest plays were performed in was called the Globe. Next to the theater's name there was a painted sign that showed Hercules holding the world upon his shoulders. The theater also had a Latin motto: "Totus mundis agit historiem."".
The places where actors had previously performed were square or rectangular, but the Globe, like some other early theaters, was a circular, wooden building. This form was fitting for the theater's name and made the edifice very distinctive. Its round shape, together with the height of its three tall stories, made the Globe a landmark for miles around.
The builders had to go to great trouble to achieve a twenty-or twenty-four-sided frame for the Globe, with angled joints and three galleries supported with many pillars. They did so in order to enable audiences to see and hear a play as clearly as possible. The builders were aware and proud of the fact that they were copying the style of the huge amphitheaters of Ancient Rome that had been used for public viewing of gladiatorial combats. The word "theatre- is from the Latin theatrum meaning, "viewing place-, and was itself a reminder of the ancient heritage. The Globe was not only a permanent, wooden framed home for the actors and their place to perform, but also an version of a tradition of theatre-building in stone and all the way from Rome and Ancient Greece.
The basic plan of the Globe was simple and valiant. A rectangular acting area was placed on a wide chord of the circle so that it extended to the center. The central area was open to the sky, except the area directly above the stage, which had its own roof, supported by two pillars. The circular structure around the yard held three galleries, each one above the first. They were open on the inside and furnished with seats in two, three, or four rows on rising steps. When the theatre was full, two to three thousand spectators swarmed around, above and below the stage "a lot of people in a small space.
