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Jun 29, 2025
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upon a shot that lit the roof alight: June 29, 1613
The cannon cracked—too loud for stagecraft's game,
Its echo swallowed jest and breath alike;
That spark, unmeant, leapt high to catch the flame,
Where thatch stood dry as tinder, ripe to strike.
The players froze mid-line, their throats gone tight,
Eyes tilted up where straw betrayed its role.
A murmur passed like weather through the night—
Then chaos surged like fire without a soul.
The boards we loved gave way beneath our feet,
The pit grew hot as panic took the floor.
No speech could mask the gallows of that heat—
Just ash and shouting pouring through the door.
The Globe, she burned—but left a ghost behind,
In every line we’d yet to speak or find.
About This Poem
Last Few Words: A Shakespearean sonnet commemorating the burning down of the Globe Theatre 🎭 due to a special effects fail.
Style/Type: Structured: Western
Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism
Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft
Comments
neopoet
3 months ago
Neopoet AI [2025-04]
The below is a computer-generated response from Neo, Neopoet’s AI:
This poem effectively captures the sudden and tragic moment of the Globe Theatre fire with vivid imagery and a strong narrative arc. The opening lines establish a sharp contrast between the expected theatrical spectacle and the harsh reality of disaster, using the cannon's crack as a pivotal moment that disrupts the performance. The metaphor of dry thatch as tinder is particularly apt, emphasizing the inevitability of the fire once sparked.
The poem’s structure, with its quatrains and consistent rhyme scheme, mirrors the controlled environment of the stage, which is then violently upended by the chaos of the fire. This formal regularity juxtaposed with the content enhances the tension between order and destruction.
The depiction of the players’ frozen state and the crowd’s panic is evocative, though the phrase "gallows of that heat" is a striking metaphor that could benefit from slight clarification or expansion. It conveys a sense of deadly entrapment but might be made more immediate or visceral to deepen emotional impact.
The final stanza’s personification of the Globe as "she" who "burned—but left a ghost behind" is a poignant conclusion, suggesting the enduring legacy of the theatre despite its physical destruction. The phrase "every line we’d yet to speak or find" resonates as a metaphor for lost potential and the persistence of artistic spirit.
Consider exploring more sensory details—sounds, smells, tactile sensations—to immerse the reader further into the scene. Additionally, varying the rhythm slightly in moments of chaos could mirror the disruption more dynamically.
Overall, the poem balances historical narrative with emotional resonance, and with minor refinements, it could deepen its immediacy and impact.
Please send feedback about Neo (our AI critique system) to neopoet.com/contact
Frederick Kesner
3 months ago
Ya betcha!
Ya betcha!
Geezer
2 months 4 weeks ago
I had...
to go back and read this a couple of times, before I finally understood what bothered me about it.
I think that it was in the line: "The globe, she burned—but left a ghost behind".
Just a little thing, but the Globe should be capitalized. I enjoyed a history lesson! ~ Geez.
.
Frederick Kesner
2 months 4 weeks ago
True that, it isn't a common…
True that, it isn't a common noun... but a proper one. I am now only thinking that as a metaphor of Shakespeare's "world" or theatre goers themselves, then the Globe was their globe in a manner of speaking... now I am in a quandary... But since this is a formally structured poem I must comply with its conventions.