He hated Shakespeare! No one ever knew why, but he did, indeed.

Maybe it was the fact that he had to study all of those plays and sonnets at such a tender age. With the thou’s and thy’s and all those fancy old words that no one speaks anymore.

Then, when he went to drama school, that was all they wanted to play. He played Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet…

He couldn’t stand it anymore!

But after school, finding a real work was really hard. He started doing small jobs here and there while waiting for the big opportunity to act on a real play.

The invitation has finally come!

But, whadaheck… He was being called to play Queen Katherine in Henry VIII play, at the Globe.

Really? Shakespeare? And a woman character???!!!

He really needed the money, so he took the job, with tears in his eyes.

Opening night, house is full.

Then, when they got to Act II, Scene 4, he proceeded with the famous quote:

“My drops of tears I’ll turn to sparks of fire.”

And so he seems to have done. As soon as he said the verse, the theater burst into flames.

This post was written in response to the Sunday Photo Fiction, with the photo prompt that pictures the Globe Theater in London.

According to Wikipedia, “The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642.

A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named “Shakespeare’s Globe”, opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre.”

And that’s the one portrayed here and where my story takes place… 

Also, at Shakespeare’s time, all actors in a play were males, even the ones representing the female characters.

To check other stories inspired by the same picture, click the blue frog below: