Saturday, May 10, 2014

At Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon

Holy Trinity Church




Inner view
   


Shakespeare's tomb in chancel
Shakespeare's Coat-of -arms
     
       
The Font for Baptism
Shakespeare's funerary monument
         
        
             
After leaving the New Place we proceeded to see the Holy Trinity church situated in the Chapel Street where Shakespeare and his family members found their last resting place. This parish church is one of the most ancient churches in England. Its name was first mentioned in the charter of 845 A.D. signed by Beorhtwulf (Bertulf), king of Mercia, perhaps a wooden construction at that time. Later the Normans constructed a stone building. But no trace of these two constructions remains now. The present limestone building was constructed in the shape of a cross in 1210 by Hugh Clopton, a native of Stratford, who later became the Mayor of London. He also constructed the well-known Clopton bridge over the river Avon in 1480. The town guild maintained the church till 1330. Henry VIII suppressed the guild and gave their assets to the town council. Some of the carvings, chantry and the rood screen were destroyed by the zealous reformers of religion. Hugh Clopton re-built the chapel of the Guild of the Holy Cross and raised the roof  and re-built the nave with side aisles. He also had a magnificent tomb built for himself in the then Lady chapel (later named Clopton Chapel) with beautiful carvings.  But he died in London in 1496 and was buried in the parish church of St.Margaret, Lothbury. The descendants of his family, George Carew and his wife Joyce Clopton were buried in that tomb. The church compound gave a serene and pious atmosphere with rows of trees planted on both sides with many tombs seen here there with worn out inscriptions and with various sculptured figures in different sizes and shapes. The interior of the church seemed very grand with stained glass windows, paintings and sculptures. In the church we can see the old register in which Shakespeare’s date of baptism (26rd April, 1564) and burial (25th April.1616) were recorded in quaint Elizabethan handwriting. Shakespeare purchased a part of the income privileges (tithes) of the church for 440 pounds in 1605. Thus he got the right of being buried in the chancel in the interior part of the church just behind the pulpit. This right of burial was inherited by his family members. His wife, Ann Hathaway, his elder daughter, Susanna, his sons-in-law, John Hall and Thomas Nash were buried in the chancel. His granddaughter, Elizabeth, who married Barnard, died and was buried in Abington church in 1670.The tombs looked quite simple and plain without much sculpturesque decoration. The epitaph on the tomb with a note of gentle warnings says:

                                        “Good friend for Jesus sake forbear
                                         To dig the dust enclosed here
                                         Blessed be the man that spares these stones
                                         And cursed be he that moves my bones.”


Clopton Chapel

                                                                           
Row of misericords














Paintings om windows

Paintings of Saints on glass windows

                                                                   





Unicorn's picture


mermaids on misericord
 
















                                                                               
misericord




misericord



                     







To the left of Shakespeare’s bust there is another porch wherein we can the busts of William Clopton (1538-1592) and his wife Ann. William Clopton was the great grandson of John Clopton, younger brother of Hugh Clopton .On the table there is a bulky Bible chained to the desk just for the visitors to have a glance at it. The bard had read the same book whenever he came for prayers. We can also see the stone font which was used for baptism. Shakespeare might have been baptized with the holy water from the same font. We can also see the twenty-six beautiful wooden carvings called misericords or mercy seats(small wooden shelves or ledges artistically carved, fixed on the underside of folding seats to provide support to persons who stand during prayers for a long period) depicting the scenes of daily life and the pictures of mermaids, mermen and unicorns. Again we have to thank Hugh Clopton who liberally contributed for the renovation and beautification of this church. We can see the bust of Shakespeare just above to the left of Shakespeare’s tomb in a porch. This was commissioned by Ann Hathaway in 1623 and so it is certain that the carved bust looked similar to the poet in appearance. Just above the porch Shakespeare’s family’s coat-of-arms was carved. Gerard John made this bust probably based on Shakespeare’s death mask. All the members of Shakespeare’s family had been buried in this church premises except his brother Edmund,who went to London as a professional actor and died at the age of twenty-seven in 1607. His tomb is seen in the church of St.Mary Overy, where John Fletcher and Philip Massinger, dramatists for Kings’ Men, were buried in later times.

As we came out, the shady rows of trees, the wide porch and tall stained windows with paintings cast a deep and moving impression on our minds. We felt a sense of sacred touch and Shakespeare, himself, might have felt alike whenever he visited this place after his hectic schedule in London or during his later leisurely life after leaving his career as a playwright.

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    10th May, 2014                                                                            Somaseshu Gutala

Saturday, May 3, 2014

My Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon (Part--II)


                                                 My Visit to Stratford-upon-Avon  (Part-II)



Edward VI Grammar School





Classroom in the school















 Later we passed along the church street viewing the Edward VI Grammar School where the great poet had his education for six years ( from 1571 to 1578) mainly learning Latin. As his father, John Shakespeare, was the Chief Alderman of the town, William had been given free access to education. This school was funded by the local town guild. Just a few yards away in the Trinity Street there is the house of Shakespeare’s elder daughter’s house “Hall’s Croft” with a spacious garden. The spacious rooms, high ceiling and large glass windows with 16th and 17th century paintings and furniture give an impression of a wealthy man’s dwelling. On the ground floor the entrance hall, the parlor, the kitchen and the consulting room are seen. Shakespeare’s daughter, Susanna (1583-1649) married John Hall (1575-1635), a famous physician in 1607. Medical books, clinical instruments and herbs are seen in upstairs rooms, besides bed rooms with Elizabethan type of cots, tables and chairs. Various articles made of porcelain are found indicating the high status of the owner. John Hall, an eminent physician had good practice and showed keen interest in growing medicinal plants. His medical notes were published in 1657, twenty two years after his death. In the garden various types of flowers and herbs are seen.


A room in Hall's Croft


A room with fireplace
















Consulting Room

  



Main Living Room













The kitchen

Porcelain Jars











Front view of Hall's Croft



View of the garden at Hall's Croft
Rear view of Hall's croft
                                                                                 









Later we visited Nash’s house, the house of Shakespeare’s grand daughter, Elizabeth (1608-1670), who married Thomas Nash(1593-1647), a property dealer. Shakespeare purchased “New Place”, the second biggest mansion of the town just located beside Nash’s house in 1597, and spent the last years of his life there. “The New Place”, Shakespeare’s residence was thought to be a pretty work of brick and wood having many rooms with servant’s quarters and other facilities with five gabled rooms. Unfortunately the mansion was later completely demolished by a vicar, called Francis Gastrell in 1759. He was infuriated by the frequent visits of the poet’s admirers. To avoid paying enhanced property tax, he hastily took this extreme step of razing down one of the most important heritage structures. A knot garden was laid out in the vacant space consisting of many kinds of plants, fruit trees and herbs in beautiful patterns.  Many flowers mentioned by Shakespeare in his poems and plays are planted here such as roses, violets, daisies, daffodils, cherry blossoms and pansies. The knot garden looked like a crest jewel with multi-faceted floral colors. It seemed as the beautiful rain-bow was molded into various floral designs. The custodian there told us that the mulberry tree seen there was grown from the branch of the original mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare when he settled down in Stratford to lead the life of a country gentleman after leaving London in 1610. He further added that the scientific D.N.A. tests were carried out to verify and prove this fact. Francis Gastrell, who purchased “New Place” cut down the mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare , when Gastrell was annoyed with the visitors to this mansion. In the garden cultivated at the “New Place”, excavation work was going on to find out valuable artifacts and other things associated with the immortal bard.  The entry to this knot garden is through Nash’s house. This house looked quite spacious with entrance hall, parlor, kitchen on ground floor. One can find rich tapestries, furniture, porcelain utensils, paintings and artifacts in upstairs rooms. This building is now converted into a museum to preserve valuable tokens and documents associated with the history of Stratford town before and Shakespeare’s life .Thomas Nash married Elizabeth in 1626. After his death in Elizabeth re-married John Barnard of Abington in 1649, all her children predeceased her. Elizabeth, the last member of Shakespeare’s family died in 1670 and was buried in Abington church. Her second husband died in 1674. In the garden cultivated at the “New Place”, excavation work was going on to find out valuable artifacts and other things associated with the immortal bard.
                                          


Nash's house
                                                                             


Parlor in Nash's house










     


















Interior view of Nash's house
















Interior chamber
   


The Cupboard
   
The knot garden beside Nash's house





The knot garden




















The floral bonanza at the knot garden
Another view of the knot garden
     












A Sketch of Shakespeare's "New Place"
Elizabeth (Shakespeare's grand daughter with her
husband, Thomas Nash)



     














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                 4th May, 2014                                                                       Somaseshu Gutala


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

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 22nd 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

  



       

Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Communion





     
 
                                                      The Communion

                    1)     To me more real thy visionary form
                          Than all these earthly tempting charms
                          Above these fickle earthly passions rude
                          Above these changing conventions crude
                          My soulful feelings shared thy every part
                          Though far above--thy airy blissful heart
                          Not less because I missed thy body sleek
                          Not elevating my soul to caress thy cheek.


                 2)     A bond betwixt my body and thy soul
                    Let me be divinified by thee, my final goal
                    Brighten my soul with thy eternal shine
                    Dissolving the mist of egoistic mine
                    Whenever I feel the blows of time, I choose
                    To fly to thee, my lovely guiding muse!
                    Thy world above our wavering glee
                    So happy art thou, unfettered and free!

               3)              To me more true thy shining vision
                   Than this gross world of illusion
                   Blessed be my life by interfusion of thy light
                   Transform my wavering vision with thy spiritual sight!
                   No earthly boundaries our loves confine
                   No sensor to measure thy brilliance fine
                   My bosom throbs to thee, Life-infusing Sun!
                   No words express our holy communion

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Note:  I am inspired to write this short poem after reading the love sonnets of the great metaphysical poet, John Donne (1572-1631) who uses very subtle and surprising images ( called conceits) to drive home his intensity of passion in his colloquial style. In Elizabethan times many other poets also tried to show the chastity of love glorifying it to the love of God untarnished by earthly selfish passions. But John Donne praised both earthly love and also metaphysical love so boldly that he defied even time-bound barriers by his powerful imagery. In later times Robert Browning (1812-1889) adopted the same vein in some of his dramatic monologues. For example Browning’s poem “The Last ride together” shows his typical approach to love with his optimistic outlook and spiritual attitude. I have not used any striking imagery but in my humble way followed the argumentative style of the great metaphysical poet to some extent.

The title “The Communion” carries a spiritual undertone just like the communion between saints and God, or the typical Biblical scene of Jesus Christ with his beloved apostles during the Last Supper.

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13th April. 2014                                                     Somaseshu Gutala