My Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s native town) Part-I

     

Stratford-upon-Avon

On the Avon river bank

    
     

            My Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s native town) Part-I

As a student of Literature I learnt about the life and works of William Shakespeare , who is acknowledged by all poets of all nations as one of the unique dramatists in the world. Not only Me but anyone who is familiar with Shakespeare’s plays may have heard about his immense popularity of this immortal bard throughout the world. As a lecturer I got a chance to study and explain some of the plays of this Elizabethan dramatist who rose to prominence during his lifetime and became the main contributor as well as a partner to theatres like “The Globe” and the “Black Friars”.

I never imagined or dreamt of visiting the native town of Shakespeare , Stratford-upon-Avon, a small market town with a population of 1500 in the sixteenth century. Now it has become a very busy crowded city lined with many buildings, restaurants, shops, and offices. Still the old houses and landmarks survive giving a faint picture of old times and surroundings. Stratford-upon-Avon is located in Warwickshire, nearly 104 miles from London. As we went by car, the way seemed to be a broad thoroughfare with so many vehicles and buses speeding in that direction as ours. At the bus depot we saw at the information counter many tourists coming from different countries which made us realize that this town has become a star attraction and a must-see for all lovers of literature who by chance happen to visit London.

     

The Jester's Monument

      

Shakespeare's House

Henley Street

 

In the High Street we found the name of Shakespeare prominently displayed to attract our attention whether it be a book shop, an antique item shop or a lodging house. We saw a spacious toy-shop exclusively selling teddy bears in various colors and sizes. We also saw a few buskers (entertainers) dressed in typical Elizabethan attire representing various characters of Shakespearean plays. A band of musicians were playing songs to entertain the listeners. Pushing through this busy road, we entered a lane called “Henley Street”, at the entrance of which we noticed a bronze statue of a fool on a stone pedestal in typical attire laughing in a merry mood. On four sides of the plinth quotations from Shakespeare’s plays were engraved.

(N.E.) : “Foolery, Sir, does walk/ about the orb like the sun/ It shines everywhere.” (Twelfth Night).

(S.E.) :  “O Noble Fool! A worthy fool!” (As You Like It).

(N.W.) : “Alas! Poor Yorick/ I knew him Horatio/ A fellow of infinite jest (Hamlet)

(S.W.) : The fool doth think he is wise/ But the wise man knows/Himself to be a fool.” (As You Like It). 

This statue was unveiled by Viscount Daventry on 22^nd July, 1994 as a token of esteem for the town in which he was born.This statue is that of Touchstone, a merry fool in Shakespeare’s comedy “As you like it”, donated by Anthony Bird, Managing Director of the Bird Group, and designed by James Butler of Radway. We saw an old building with a signboard “Shakespeare’s Birthplace”.

       

Inside Apartment

Apartment upstairs

Dining Hall

Fireplace at the entrance room

    

The bed on which Shakespeare was born

Workroom 

Shakespeare’s father John Shakespeare purchased this house in 1556. It is a medieval type of building with three chambers on ground floor. We entered a moderate –sized room which served as a parlor with a fireplace . The next room is a slightly big hall with a hearth that served as a drawing room. There is a cross passage leading to another room that was used as a workshop by John Shakespeare for making gloves. We saw a fair-complexioned old man making gloves actually and offering them for sale. A staircase from the hall led to upstairs which consisted of three more chambers. The bedroom decorated with curtains and tapestry consisted of a couch of short length with stuffed pillows and clothes. The custodian there explained to us that Shakespeare was born there to Mary Arden. She revealed that in Elizabethan age, the cots were comparatively shorter because the newly born babies were not so tall and people, instead of lying flat , used to sleep in reclining position leaning their backs against stout pillows as they believed that evil spirits would cast their spell if people slept in a flat position. Another strange belief is that evil spirits would do harm to male babies. To circumvent this boys were dressed as girls up to the age of eight years. In every Elizabethan family there used to be seven or more children and one wonders how so many members were able to sleep on such small cots. The custodian explained that small children used to sleep on small couches with rocking bottom called trundles, and big children used to sleep on mattresses. The rooms had very low roofs and small windows. In another room we saw the marble bust of William Shakespeare near the window. Perhaps the poet might have sat here on a chair and viewed the passers-by on the road. We also saw the first folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays published by his actor-friends, John Heminge and Henry Condell in 1623.

   

Backyard of Shakespeare's House

Tagore's statue in the backyard garden

Way to Upstairs 

Shakespeare's writing desk

We also learnt about some customs and traditions of the Elizabethans. Salt was kept in a box near the fireplace so that it would remain dry. Mostly people used to quench their thirst by drinking beer as the water from the wells was not pure and make them fall ill. Food was hung up in the larder to keep it safe and away from being eaten by rats and dogs. People smoked their fish over the fire so that they could be eaten in the winter when the river was frozen. People killed the pigs in the autumn so that they would not have to feed them throughout the winter when fodder was very scarce. People used to eat salted red meat and smoked fish in  winter, but it made them thirsty.

The kitchen at the rear end was added later with a chamber above it . A separate bay-house was built adjoining the northwestern end of the house in which Joan Hart, Shakespeare’s sister, lived. After the death of the poet’s father in 1601, a part of the ground portion was given on rent to set up Swan Maidenhood Inn.

A beautiful garden with a variety of flowers is seen in the backyard. Most of the flowers and herbs which Shakespeare had mentioned in his plays are seen here. Just at the farther end of the garden, to our surprise, we saw a bust of the great Indian Poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore.  On the pedestal Tagore’s tribute to Shakespeare was engraved both in English and Bengali versions. In English the poem begins:

  When by the far-away sea your fiery disk appeared from behind the unseen, O Poet, O Sun!

  England’s horizon felt you near her breast, and took you to be her own

  She kissed your forehead, caught you in the arms of her forest branches,

 Hid you behind her mist mantle and watched you in the green sward where fairies love to play among the meadow flowers.                                                                                                          

 A few early birds sang your hymn of praise while the rest of the woodland choir were asleep.

Then at silent beckoning of the Eternal, you rose higher and higher till you reached the mid sky making all quarters of heaven your own,

Therefore at this moment, after the end of centuries, the palm groves by the Indian sea raise their tremulous branches to the sky murmuring your praise.”

We felt very much elated to see co-existence of the two statues of two master minds, one from the East and the other from the West present in one and the same place exhorting the mankind with the message of universal brotherhood, transience of worldly achievements and the need for sympathetic understanding and tolerance. In the garden we also witnessed some young persons enacting the scenes from the plays of Shakespeare to give a feel about the Elizabethan dramas. We left the place with a sense of satisfaction that we are lucky enough to tread the same place where the eminent bard was brought up and where he spent so many years there.

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 APRIL 23, 2014                                                                                    SOMASESHU GUTALA