When we first arrived in Stratford, I asked Dr. Welsh what she recommended doing while in town, and she suggested the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus. The bus is essentially a tour through the town, stopping at each designated site of Shakespearean importance.
There were eleven stops in all, including:
- The Avon Visiting Center
- Shakespeare's Birthplace and the Shakespeare Centre
- Market Square and American Fountain
- Nash's House, New Place, Guild Chapel, and Harvard House
- River Avon and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
- Hall's Croft, Holy Trinity Church, and Shakespeare's Grave
- Evesham Place
- Alcester Road (opposite Rail Station)
- Anne Hathaway's Cottage
- Mary Arden's Farm and Countryside Museum
- Maybird Shopping Park
- And...back to the beginning!
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| From: http://img.city-sightseeing.com/assets/images/geodata/1954.jpg |
We began the tour at the first stop, the Avon Visitors Center. From there, we rode to the birthplace--a location Sarah and I had visited not too long before. (See the previous post for details.) As we rode along, I took a few pictures from the bus. These are not the best, thanks to the bus's speed, but I did get pictures of some cool things. These picture are basically shots of the main road in town, which was close to the birthplace.
Here are some pictures of a clock tower donated by an American architect (I can't remember who), Shakespeare's church (don't worry--I got MUCH better pictures of that later on), and one of the oldest pubs in England (the white building).
One of the next sites we passed by was the house Shakespeare bought with Anne after he made some money. Not too shabby (by Tudor standards)!
One really sad fact we learned from the tour guide dealt with Shakespeare's children. As many know, Anne and William had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet died very young, at the age of 10 or 11, which some historians claim partly inspired Shakespeare to write his magnum opus and indeed the greatest work of drama in the Western world, Hamlet. Because Hamnet died so young, he obviously never fathered any children, and Judith and Susanna weren't much more successful. Judith married a man named Thomas Quincey just a few months before William died. The day after William's death, Thomas was found guilty not only of adultery, but of fathering an illegitimate child with another woman who died during giving birth to that child! He was ordered to do public penance, which would have embarrassed and infuriated William in equal measure, had he been alive. Interestingly, Thomas and Judith did eventually have three children, but they all died young. As for Susanna, she married later, after her father's death, and only had one child, Elizabeth, who married twice, but never had any children. Sadly, Shakespeare's line died with Elizabeth. I felt chills hearing that as well as a heavy sadness: to think one of the greatest minds not only never enjoyed grandchildren in his lifetime, but also has no descendants. Very sad.
After passing by the house, we rode by Shakespeare's theater, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, where not only were his plays performed, but where he worked as a writer, what we now call a director, and, interestingly, as an actor. Indeed, Shakespeare was known for performing in his own plays! Later that evening, we got to go the the theater for a performance, which I'll get to shortly. Here are a few pictures of the theater's exterior.
Later on the tour, we came to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, which was nothing short of majestic. I kind of went crazy with the pictures, as you can see.
Here are a few shots of the house from the outside, including her rose garden.
Across the street was a field--undoubtedly, it was part of the Hathaway property. There was a lovely creek and what seemed like miles of grass. It was truly beautiful.
After a while, Sarah and I realized the bus was about to come back, so we needed to get ready to "hop on" at the bus stop. As we waited, I took a few more pictures of the cottage. I couldn't help myself!
I noticed there was also a cafe associated with the cottage, so naturally I took a few pictures! I found it odd there was a picture of William on the sign, though, considering this was where ANNE's family lived!
William and Anne met when he was 18 and she 26. The snarky tour guide announced this, adding, I kid you not, "He was literally her toy boy." We found this hilarious and offensive in equal measure; if the ages had been reversed (William 26 and Anne 18), they probably would not have even mentioned their ages. Ugh! Anyway, William and Anne had a passionate courtship, apparently; they married when she was pregnant! For some reason, when William died, he left Anne his "second best bed" in his will. I have no idea why, and the tour guide never addressed this. I'd like to think it was some kind of inside joke, but who knows?
Given the play was beginning relatively soon and the theater was close to the church, Sarah and I just stayed on the bus, re-listening to the beginning of the tour, and rode until we got back to the church. I did take a few more pictures; the area was so scenic, I was powerless to resist.
In addition to many facts about Shakespeare, the guide had many interesting stories about life in Tudor England itself. For instance, taking a bath was a foreign concept in medieval and Tudor England. For the most part, people only had two baths in their entire lives: when they were born, and when they died (I guess that technically comes to just ONE bath in a person's whole life!). Queen Elizabeth I, however, was a very different kind of Tudor, taking up to twelve baths a year. While this might sound gross to us, for her time that was incredibly hygienic. As bathing gradually became accepted, however, people would share the bathwater with all of their family members, the parents bathing first and then the children--in birth order. No matter what, nobody was clean.
Additionally, salt was an expensive commodity in Tudor England, and a person's wealth was often measured by how much salt they owned. This system is what generated the word "salary" and also the expression that someone is "worth their salt."
Another interesting etymology tidbit is that in England, surgeons are still called "Mr." instead of "Dr." According to the tour guide, this is because "surgeons" in medieval times were not doctors; they were barbers. This certainly brings to mind a classic Steven Martin SNL routine. I guess Saturday Night Live was historically accurate (up to a point)!
The last tidbit of which I made note--there were so many to keep track of--was that in the medieval era, doctors would put a frog in a person's throat to have the frog's mucus drip into the throat. This was used as treatment for colds and sore throats. Interestingly, recent research has found there is something in frogs that can treat throat issues! Hence the expression "a frog in your throat."
After the tour, Sarah and I got off at Holy Trinity Church--the church where Shakespeare was baptized, buried, and probably married (though not in that order!). The church was mesmerizing! Here are some shots of the exterior.
As you can see, the outside of the church alone was magnificent. Wait until you see inside! To walk around the church, we had to pay 0.50p (or about $0.85). We found that more than reasonable, and I'm sure you can guess what we went to first...Shakespeare's grave!
If you look closely at the last picture, you can see the blue sign indicating Shakespeare's grave. Evidently, he paid extra money to be buried here, under the church, instead of in a grave yard. This is because during that era, bodies would only remain in their graves for a few years after their deaths. Then, the graves would be dug up for new corpses. Naturally, Shakespeare did not want this, so he paid up.
Any quick glance around this church is evidence enough of why he wanted to be buried not only under a church, but this one in particular. Just look at this beautiful altar!
If you look closely on both of these pictures, you can make out the name "Shakespeare" on each of these. The birth record picture is on the left, the death on the right.
After these pictures, I decided to take in more of the cathedral itself. Just think: Shakespeare and his family came here every Sunday!
On my way out, I noticed an old Bible. I have no idea how old it is, but I took a picture of it just the same.
After visiting the church, Sarah and I met up with several other girls from our class and went out to eat at the Dirty Duck, which is really a nickname; the pub's real name is the Black Swan.
We decided to eat outside because the weather was so beautiful. The pub seated us at a patio table in the back of the restaurant, which we loved, and I had my first taste of bangers and mash! It's now my favorite English meal.
We loved everything about our dinner. However, we had to cut it short in order to reach the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in time to see a performance of Henry IV, Part I. The Royal Shakespeare Company does not perform in the original theater Shakespeare would have used, but they do perform in a new building with excellent amphitheater seating. Truly, there is no bad seat in the house! Unfortunately, we were only allowed to take pictures of the exterior and the gift shop, which I clearly did.
I have no idea what that paper mache figure is, but I took a picture of it specifically because of its weirdness.
Admittedly, 1 Henry IV (as it's known to Shakespeareans) prior to that evening this was not my favorite Shakespeare play; I actually did not care for it when I read it in college. This production, however, has changed my mind. Everything about it - the acting, the sets, the costumes, the music - was fantastic! I was very impressed with the production value. Additionally, my inner Downton Abbey fanatic went a little cuckoo when I saw not one but two Downton actors were in the cast! On Downton, Trevor White, starring in a brilliant turn as Hotspur that evening, played Patrick Gordon, the Canadian with the burned-off face claiming to be the heir, Patrick Crawley. That was hands-down one of my favorite episodes, and he was brilliant in both Downton Abbey and 1 Henry IV! Very good actor. The other Downton guest star was Joshua Richards, who played two roles in 1 Henry IV: Bardolph and Owen Glendower. They were admittedly small parts, but he brought charm and humor to both. Downton Abbey fans will remember him from two incidents with Carson. In the first season, he comes to Downton and spills the beans about his and Carson's past as a stage act ("The Cheerful Charlies"). Bates's reaction to the situation was always funny to me. More recently, his character resurfaced in season four. Having fallen on hard times and desperately ill in a workhouse, Charlie seeks Carson's help. Carson refuses to see him, for reasons we learn later. I must be honest here: when I first planned this trip, my absolute goal was to visit Highclere Castle, which is where Downton Abbey is filmed. Upon perusing their website, I learned the tours for Highclere are sold out for the next two years. I was seriously bummed about that. Seeing these two actors from Downton Abbey, especially Trevor White, perform Shakespeare on stage, however, far surpassed any excitement visiting the house could have generated.
For those who are not familiar with 1 Henry IV, the play is a sequel to Richard II, continuing the story of the Wars of the Roses. The program I purchased sums up the play's origins far better than I ever could:
Richard II is dead and Bolingbroke is now King Henry IV. Guilt about the removal of Richard troubles Henry's conscience. He'd like to go to the Holy Land to pay penance[,] but there are problems at home.As you can tell from this intricate description, the history and circumstances surrounding 1 Henry IV are extremely dense and hold great potential for drama. Honestly, I think the reason I disliked the play in college was because I did not understand the history. Now, however, is a different story.
Henry's reign faces growing opposition from some of those nobles who helped him to the throne - especially the Percy family. Wales and Scotland are threatening rebellion[,] and Richard's nominated heir, Edmund Mortimer, looms on the horizon. King Henry's treatment of Harry "Hotspur" Percy (the Earl of Northumberland's son) only makes matters worse.
Henry's own son, Prince Hal, is living a dissolute life, frequenting the taverns of Eastcheap in the company of Sir John Falstaff and other disreputable characters.
Opposition to the king becomes open rebellion, led by Hotspur - who now supports Edmund Mortimer's claim to the throne. This rebellion brings Prince Hal back to his father's side. The king's army meet the rebels at the battle of Shrewsbury, where Hal vows to seek out and defeat Hotspur....
The play was fantastic! The opening itself absorbed the audience (okay, me) into the story immediately. The lights went out, leaving the entire theater completely dark. Then, some gravid choral music accompanied by heavy bass began, building the tension. The only light for the first few minutes was candles as what appeared to be monks slowly entered the stage. As more light appeared, one could make out King Henry lying prostrate on the floor. What we were witnessing was Henry's ordination, and the Royal Shakespeare Company made it enthralling to watch. I mention this scene because it really drew me in to the play. The rest of the production maintained the same level of excellence: the drama was sad, the comedy hilarious, and the fight scenes well choreographed. Indeed, the final battles, full of sword fighting, were almost like a dance; I was impressed no one lost a limb!
After the play, we boarded the bus for the long ride home. Mick the bus driver, truly a cool guy, put the USA-Belgium World Cup game on the radio for us without us even having to ask! If only we could have won the game, it would have been perfect!
The ride home was long, and by the time we returned to King's College, it was about 1:30 in the morning. I was exhausted, but was so happy. As you can tell from these two posts, the visit to Stratford-upon-Avon was beyond my favorite and was full of memories I will treasure for the rest of my life. While maybe not on this trip, eventually I do want to return to Stratford for an extended period of time. So far, it is still my favorite part of the UK.
The next few posts will give you details - and pictures! - of my trips to Stonehenge, Winchester, Dover, and Canterbury, so keep your eyes peeled!
Until then, so long!
Love,
Laura
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