Believed to be Shakespeare's very last play, Henry VIII is probably best remembered as the play that, when performed in June 1613, led to the Globe Theatre burning down due to the fireworks and cannon fire listed in the stage directions. However, the play has puzzled critics, who can see little more in it than a nostalgic account of Henry's reign, and the prophetic birth and christening of Elizabeth, Shakespeare's future Queen, that takes place at the end of the play.