Meeting Shakespeare in his own den
 Of all the places I have visited around the world like theatre, Opera
House, Museum, it is Stratford that I have been to most. In fact, it is
countless and though nothing has changed, my urge to be there still
prevails. I learn something with each visit that I may have missed
studying Shakespeare from my school days. This season it was somewhat
quiet in activity though the usual teeming crowds were there.
I had to brave the chilly Autumn winds that rips through all of a
sudden. However, there was excitement in the air as programmes were
being drawn out, out-door plays planned, literature competitions
organised, visiting Dons' lectures on plays sorted, etc for the next
year.
There were a multitude of swans in the Avon River, black, white and
mixed and gliding gently. Occasionally, they would climb to the banks to
be fed by the visitors. This is a favourite sight at his birthplace and
it has inspired me many times to write over and over again.
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The portrait of William Shakespeare
painted during the reign of Charles II. |
Sitting pretty above all of us is his magnificent statue. His spirit
is there; one would encounter the feeling if engaged in that sense and
that is why I say I meet the Bard in his own den each time I visit
Stratford. I feel it everywhere; the movement of his spirit with love
and care the way it would have been when he was alive. What would the
Bard have written today if he saw all of us? William and Kate, David
Cameron, Knave of England, The Folk Around Avon for that matter,
Victoria and Albert?
Walking around the familiar sights with blooms still blushing, I also
spotted the unique plant maintained from a cutting (continued ever the
years after his death) from what the Bard planted during his time.
Public interestht
Spread about are the key places. Apart from his Birthplace, Ann
Hathaway's cottage, Mary Arden's house, Hall's croft and New Place are
equally and lovingly cared which makes the poets birthplace, the Mecca
for English literature the Bard gifted the world with. No where is a
place so revered. No place is so much visited and no place holds public
interest and no place that can offer a better education for literature
students.
The continued recognition of the Birthplace as a memorial to the
poet, the staff makes all endeavour to retain its historical and
literary value at its peak. His Birthplace is indicated on the earliest
plan of bearing the caption as 'House in Stratford-upon-Avon' issued in
1756 in which the famous poet, Shakespeare was born. In 1847 a notice
was displayed the announcement of Shakespeare House that attracted
considerable attention at Stratford that had been a heart stirring relic
of a most glorious period. The ownership of the property passed from
John Shakespeare to the poet who in turn passed it to his elder daughter
to Sussana and his elder granddaughter, Lady Barnard and thereafter went
down a string of owner - changes until it was finally purchased by
Thomas Court for 210 Pounds. Finally it came to be what it is today with
more bargaining and selling of this historic property.
By 1847, another announcement for the sale of the property made
national news and at a stretch of long and arduous negotiations with
rumours circulating that it would be removed to America produced
immediate action. At the auction rooms in London, the bidding started
with 1,000 guineas and advanced to 2,000 Pounds and finally sold for
3,000 Pounds and handed over to two committees amidst joy. Since 1847
the promoters were keen on handing over the Birthplace to the Government
but after lengthy negotiations it proved impracticable. Thus the
Committee was forced to undertake the intricate support-expenses of the
Birthplace. Thereafter, the story of the administration can be traced in
detail to what it is today. Everyone who visits the place quickly
appreciates how it has been preserved with its original timber etc.
Original objects
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Anne Hathaway’s cottage, one mile
away from Shakespeare’s home. It was here that the Bard
romanced and met
his future wife and married her. |
The wondrous River Avon that inspired
Shakespeare to write many of his plays. |
As I walked through his house, I noticed his admiration for wooden
furniture that was bulky and heavy, some crafted and others plain and
they all had been meticulously selected and placed at appropriate
places. The first room depicted the Warwickshire and Stratford in a map
that he himself had drawn out and the exhibits in the inner room had
traces of history and association of the Birthplace. Upstairs was a
museum that contained illustrations of his parentage, career, work,
sources, portraiture, and growing appreciation of the poet. In his
bedroom where his parents slept before he was born, there is a partial
exposure showing old wattle and daub constructions. A four-poster bed
and his cradle are very well preserved. Leading further, is his study
and other original objects. When finally I came out from the backyard,
it was as though I had really met the Bard. His spirit and aura had
followed me through. At least, that was the feeling I had.
The birthplace garden
Immaculately and lovingly spruced, the garden is magic for any
visitor. With my love for horticulture, got lost in their beauty and
scent. Shakespeare though not a regular botanist, had a keen eye for
plants and a observer to their growing habits. Apart from minor
alterations, the gardens are kept alive as Shakespeare had in his
lifetime, Laden with trees, plants, shrubs, herbs and flowers, most of
them are mentioned in his plays along with his fascination for the four
seasons. There is a section dedicated to his ardour on plants that are
less colourful and more interesting as Shakespearean specimens closely
planted on informal grouping. Flowers I spotted were Lilies, pensies,
roses daffodils and daisies but there were a multitude more in arabesque
colouring.
Dr Levi Fox, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has written
several books separately on birds, flowers, herbs and inspirational love
notes. |
