Summary of William Shakespeare Play

Summary
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

by Mehmet Murat ildan

Synopsis
The play passes in the early XVIIth Century England, the times of Elizabeth I.

ACT1 - Scene I: A Sunday morning in London, near Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Shakespeare comes across Francis, a young man, a great admirer of Shakespeare, from Stratford upon Avon. Francis is looking for the Globe Theatre. He would like to be a playwright and he thinks he can get some help from his fellow countryman, William of Stratford. Since Francis has never seen Shakespeare before, Shakespeare hides his identity and plays a trick on Francis. He behaves like a man ho has never seen Shakespeare’s plays.

Scene II: In a wooded place near the Globe Theatre, two Puritans talk each other. They hate theatres, players and especially playwrights. In fact, Second Puritan is planning a bloody design, a plot against Shakespeare. For this, he has already hired a detective whose job is to enter the Globe and bring some information useful for the plot. The information is that Lord Chamberlain’s men are going to perform a play called Hamlet. According to what the detective said, there is a ghost in Hamlet and the actor playing the ghost is Shakespeare himself. Plot will take place during the rehearsals. A murderer will stab the ghost on the stage. While two Puritans talk about the plot, Francis comes and hides behind a tree. He learns about the bloody design. He decides to persuade Shakespeare to get the role of the ghost in Hamlet without informing him about the plot. He will risk his life for Shakespeare.

Scene III: The detective gets caught by John Heminges, William’s colleague. In the cellar of the Bull Inn, Shakespeare and Heminges interrogate the detective. The detective does not actually know about the plot; he only knows that he is hired by the owner of a press to steal Hamlet part by part and print it as a book. So, Shakespeare and Heminges could not discover anything about the plot.

ACT2 - Scene I: Puritans learn that the detective gets caught. But the plan will not be affected. Murderer is not a man but a young and a beautiful girl, Susanna.

Scene II: In a wooded place near the Globe Theatre, Susanna is watching the theatre building from among the trees. Francis sees her and affected by her beauty, decides to talk to her. He thinks she is a theatre lover. Trusting her, Francis talks about the plot against Shakespeare…

Scene III: In a dark street, Susanna knocks on the door of the Second Puritan. She believes that he is a traitor otherwise how could Francis know about the plot? She pulls out a dagger from her waist to kill him. But the Second Puritan persuades her that he can not be the traitor; he accuses of the First Puritan, his neighbour. The Second Puritan knocks at the next door. He stabs the dagger into the First Puritan. The plan has obviously changed. Shakespeare must be killed not on the stage but on his way home at night.

Scene IV: Inside the Globe Theatre Francis sits between a few props for Hamlet. Shakespeare, Heminges and Richard Burbage enter. Francis no longer wants to be a playwright, but now he wants to be a player. Shakespeare and his friends decide to make Francis sweat a little. Since he wants to be an actor, they start doing some test on him. At the end, Francis gets the part of the ghost to show his talents in acting.

Scene V: In a narrow street in midnight, Francis follows Shakespeare secretly. He wants to be sure that master William gets to his house safe and sound. It is foggy and the fog gradually gets thicker. Francis looses Shakespeare from his sight. He sees something. The Second Puritan covers Susanna’s mouth and about to kill her. Francis thinks that the Second Puritan is holding Shakespeare! He attacks the Second Puritan. Shakespeare, hearing these voices comes. The Second Puritan strikes on Francis and jumps onto Shakespeare. He is about to stab the knife into Shakespeare. Susanna’s scream is heard and then the knife is stabbed into the Second Puritan’s back…