Tuesday 10 July 2007

Stratford-upon-Avon

Today, our group visited Stratford-upon-Avon and some of the Shakespeare-related sites there. The historic Shakespeare houses in Stratford-upon-Avon are owned and managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which is funded through ticket sales to the sites and donations. All three houses are furnished in what is believed to be a manner similar to what would be found in Shakespeare's age, which really helps create an atmosphere that brings Shakespeare closer. The Shakespeare Birthplace was owned by his father, John, and now contains Shakespeare-related exhibitions consisting of artifacts and recreations. Several of the rooms were overseen by guides, both in and out of costume, who provided additional information and managed crowds. The walls of the birthplace consist of painted linen cloths, which we were informed was consistent with the custom of Shakespeare's day. This small detail, just painted cloths on a wall, really helped me envision what it may have been like to live there in that age. The costumed guide explained that both the patterns and the quality of color were consistent with what might have been found in a home of John Shakespeare's stature in the mid-1500's. What I found most surprising was both the brightness and the size of the home. My imaginings of life in Shakespeare's day have often consisted of small, dark, cramped homes. My tour of the birthplace, as well as Hall's Croft and Nash's House, has helped me realize that, at least in this case, the home is relatively large and bright, although space may have indeed been limited as John Shakespeare would have housed his apprentices along with his family.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the Stratford visit was the exhibition in Nash's House centering around the collected works of Shakespeare. It was fascinating to read about the development of the collected works from the First Folio all the way to the Oxford Shakespeare which we can buy in any bookstore today. I was unaware that many of the early printed versions were written almost entirely from playgoer's memories, and that there had been an entire movement to sanitize Shakespeare. Imagining Shakespeare without the bawdy references, both the subtle and the not-so-subtle, was an eye-opener. My anti-censorship sentiment was strengthened by it! While all these elements of the exhibition were fascinating, my most treasured experience at Stratford was discovering the collected works of Shakespeare owned by the poet John Keats on display in the exhibition. The book was opened to the first page of King Lear, and in Keats' own hand was written his poem "On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again." As a fan of Keats, I was overwhelmed.


While walking around town Cortni, Stephanie, Erika, Carrie, Angie and I happened upon the local public library, and felt compelled to pay a visit. It's quaint, antiquated appearance from the street belies its contemporary interior. It was very similar to libraries back home: patrons swarming the computers, popular books on display near the entrance, and an entire room dedicated to multimedia materials. One of the immediately identifiable differences was that the library charges for its circulation of DVD's and CD's. I can see the usefulness of this practice; it probably helps a great deal in the budget department. Still, I can't help but feel that libraries are meant to serve that population who can't or won't frequent shops and rental stores. By charging for circulation, libraries aren't meeting that need.

The overwhelming effect this Stratford visit had on me was the importance of preservation. The ability to view places and items of historical and cultural importance has a greater effect on personal emotion and memory than reading and discussion ever will. Knowing that New Place, the home of Shakespeare in his adulthood, had been demolished and is now lost, had a remarkably strong effect on me. Knowing that it had been destroyed by the owner out of spite, because he would not be paid for the annoyance of Shakespeare pilgrims visiting his home, was even worse. The thought of this lost treasure, and others like it, underlines the importance of recognizing places and items of importance early, and securing them for future generations.