24 Hour Shakespeare

A 24 hour Shakespearathon starting yesterday evening when we saw A Midsummer Nights Dream at the RSC. We’d watched Wonka the previous evening, coincidentally one of the lead characters turned up as “Bottom” in last nights play.

Today I visited Stratford again, morning and then again afternoon, to immerse myself in the whole Shakespeare tourist experience. I started off at New Place, the site of the big house he lived in on his return from London a wealthy man. The house has long since gone, what’s there now are lovely gardens with sculptures. Then I had a look at the neighbouring Guildhall, and that part of the King Edward VI School which is now open to the public and includes the rooms where Shakespeare was schooled. Then onto the house where Shakespeare was born and brought up, now part of a larger complex. And then in the afternoon I visited Anne Hathaways Cottage, again with lovely gardens and a large orchard (extra).

I found immersing myself in Shakespeare’s life fascinating, but equally fascinating was understanding how tourism around the playwright has developed. His plays really came into public understanding from the mid 18th century, which generated over time huge interest in Shakespeare. When the house of his birth came up for sale in the 1840’s PJ Barnum, the great American entertainment entrepreneur, was going to buy it, dismantle it, and then take it re-erected on tour across the USA. That generated a lot of concern, which led to the creation of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which now owns 5 properties with associations with the playwright.

The blip image is a window which used to be in the room where Shakespeare was born (although in his time there was no glazing, too expensive). It is now an historic artefact in its own right because of all the signatures visitors have scratched into the glass, and has been removed from the window. I like the muted colours in the glass.