Week 3
May 17 – 23
MONDAY was mostly class and homework. We are going to be out of town for three days and I don’t want to do homework in Stratford-Upon-Avon. We went to the store to get snacks for the trip since we only get breakfast at the Bead and Breakfast.
Megan made a lovely dinner with me. Then I went on a walk with Emily in Hyde Park. We wandered around trying to find Kensington Palace. We found the court houses and ran into missionaries. When we asked them where the palace was, they pointed right behind us to a smallish red brick building. Not a huge deal.
TUESDAY, we started at Warwick Castle which is really quite touristy. Caitlin, Emily and I decided to walk the grounds rather than go into the rooms of the castle. It was a beautiful day, and I took lots of pictures. The peacocks were great. We waited around long enough for them to do their dance of love. It was rather funny. One guy started then the rest chimed in as a way of competition. Oh, and there were these awful French children who heckled the historical performers. The archer threatened to shoot them to the pleasure of the crowd.
Then we went to Kenilworth. The castle is ruins now, but it once owned by Robert Dudley, the famed lover of Elizabeth I. She visited the castle for a week to great hurrah. The ruins were quiet and tranquil, a nice break from the last castle.
We then made our way to our Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at the Dylan with Anne and John “the other half”. They learned all our names and made excellent an English breakfast. The rooms were cute and cozy. After the B&B we went out for lunch at Café Uno. We got our food to go since it was a 25% reduction. When we were about to leave we realized we didn’t have utensils. The waiter gave us forks from the table and told us to keep them, so I have a rather ordinary looking souvenir from Stratford-Upon-Avon.
We saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. It was hard not to compare it to the Globe’s production. All in all I thought the production was weaker because it has less characterization and internalization of the text. Some people thought that was a strong choice since it may the listener focus on the text. I’m glad I got to see a second production to compare interpretations.
WEDNESDAY, we started the five location tour of homes related to Shakespeare. There’s not a lot to say about them because you’d have to see what I was talking about to be even remotely interested in what I say. After the fifth house, a lot of stuff just blended together. First: Anne Hathaway’s childhood home. Second: Mary Arden Farm where Shakespeare’s mother grew up. Here we saw an owl that was filmed in Harry Potter. It probably wasn’t Hedwig since the tour guide wasn’t clear, but we pretended it was.
We returned to the RSC for the Spanish Golden Age series. The matinee was Tamar’s Revenge. It retold the bible story of Amnon raping his sister and Agamemnon killing Amnon for Tamar’s revenge and his own political gain. It alluded to Agamemnon’s later fall and the rise of Solomon, but never got that far in the tale. The rape scene was obscenely graphic with Amnon ripping off her underwear from under her dress and pulling his down under his shirt. The emotion was a little forced throughout. I enjoyed the second show much more. Dog in the Manger was a superbly acted, well-needed comedy. I liked it so much, I bought script. It’s a story of class and love trying to cross that line. The ensemble was remarkable. It was by Lope de Vega, so it was very witty and the comic timing was spot on. I really felt like I wanted to go back a see it again.
THURSDAY Next on the tour: Shakespeare’s birth place. Then to Nash house, which Shakespeare bought when he was rich and could afford “the second best house in town.” Lastly: Hall’s Croft, the home of Shakespeare’s son-in-law. Afterwards, Emily and I went to Trinity Church where Shakespeare and most of his family are buried.
Most of the group then went to Coventry Cathedral. Coventry is an example of forgiveness. It was bombed out in WWII, but when Dresden was also destroyed, they helped that community rebuild. At Coventry, you can see the ruins and a new, very modern, cathedral. The difference is striking. The trip was very long because of construction. What should have taken fifteen minutes took almost an hour.
We cut the trip short to make it back in time, but the traffic was even worse. We spent most of the trip practically parked. We missed the first hour and a half of Macbeth. We were seated at the end of the third act when Banquo’s ghost appears at the dinner. From what I saw of it, it was a very emotionally charged performance. The back wall could move and closed in on Macbeth as the armies approached. The end added Fleance and a reappearance of the Witches to give the impression that fate will still have a hand in the affairs of the country.
We then grabbed a quick bite and headed home on the coach. We got home at 1 am and promptly fell asleep.
FRIDAY, class was postponed until 10 and homework wasn’t due until 5. We stayed in until five to get all the work done then went grocery shopping to replenish our shelves. I finished out the day by reading the rest of the plays for the semester in preparation for a comprehensive final performance for Shakespeare class.
SATURDAY, I just stayed home all day and worked on my idea for my final. I am condensing the love relationships of the five plays we read into one relationship to emphasize the Elizabethan importance of marriage as the stabilizer of relationships.
SUNDAY, we went to church and met some new people. The rest of the day was dedicated to relaxation. I like feeling like I live here and I don’t have to always be on the go. It’s been a really good summer.
MONDAY was mostly class and homework. We are going to be out of town for three days and I don’t want to do homework in Stratford-Upon-Avon. We went to the store to get snacks for the trip since we only get breakfast at the Bead and Breakfast.
Megan made a lovely dinner with me. Then I went on a walk with Emily in Hyde Park. We wandered around trying to find Kensington Palace. We found the court houses and ran into missionaries. When we asked them where the palace was, they pointed right behind us to a smallish red brick building. Not a huge deal.
TUESDAY, we started at Warwick Castle which is really quite touristy. Caitlin, Emily and I decided to walk the grounds rather than go into the rooms of the castle. It was a beautiful day, and I took lots of pictures. The peacocks were great. We waited around long enough for them to do their dance of love. It was rather funny. One guy started then the rest chimed in as a way of competition. Oh, and there were these awful French children who heckled the historical performers. The archer threatened to shoot them to the pleasure of the crowd.
Then we went to Kenilworth. The castle is ruins now, but it once owned by Robert Dudley, the famed lover of Elizabeth I. She visited the castle for a week to great hurrah. The ruins were quiet and tranquil, a nice break from the last castle.
We then made our way to our Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at the Dylan with Anne and John “the other half”. They learned all our names and made excellent an English breakfast. The rooms were cute and cozy. After the B&B we went out for lunch at Café Uno. We got our food to go since it was a 25% reduction. When we were about to leave we realized we didn’t have utensils. The waiter gave us forks from the table and told us to keep them, so I have a rather ordinary looking souvenir from Stratford-Upon-Avon.
We saw the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet. It was hard not to compare it to the Globe’s production. All in all I thought the production was weaker because it has less characterization and internalization of the text. Some people thought that was a strong choice since it may the listener focus on the text. I’m glad I got to see a second production to compare interpretations.
WEDNESDAY, we started the five location tour of homes related to Shakespeare. There’s not a lot to say about them because you’d have to see what I was talking about to be even remotely interested in what I say. After the fifth house, a lot of stuff just blended together. First: Anne Hathaway’s childhood home. Second: Mary Arden Farm where Shakespeare’s mother grew up. Here we saw an owl that was filmed in Harry Potter. It probably wasn’t Hedwig since the tour guide wasn’t clear, but we pretended it was.
We returned to the RSC for the Spanish Golden Age series. The matinee was Tamar’s Revenge. It retold the bible story of Amnon raping his sister and Agamemnon killing Amnon for Tamar’s revenge and his own political gain. It alluded to Agamemnon’s later fall and the rise of Solomon, but never got that far in the tale. The rape scene was obscenely graphic with Amnon ripping off her underwear from under her dress and pulling his down under his shirt. The emotion was a little forced throughout. I enjoyed the second show much more. Dog in the Manger was a superbly acted, well-needed comedy. I liked it so much, I bought script. It’s a story of class and love trying to cross that line. The ensemble was remarkable. It was by Lope de Vega, so it was very witty and the comic timing was spot on. I really felt like I wanted to go back a see it again.
THURSDAY Next on the tour: Shakespeare’s birth place. Then to Nash house, which Shakespeare bought when he was rich and could afford “the second best house in town.” Lastly: Hall’s Croft, the home of Shakespeare’s son-in-law. Afterwards, Emily and I went to Trinity Church where Shakespeare and most of his family are buried.
Most of the group then went to Coventry Cathedral. Coventry is an example of forgiveness. It was bombed out in WWII, but when Dresden was also destroyed, they helped that community rebuild. At Coventry, you can see the ruins and a new, very modern, cathedral. The difference is striking. The trip was very long because of construction. What should have taken fifteen minutes took almost an hour.
We cut the trip short to make it back in time, but the traffic was even worse. We spent most of the trip practically parked. We missed the first hour and a half of Macbeth. We were seated at the end of the third act when Banquo’s ghost appears at the dinner. From what I saw of it, it was a very emotionally charged performance. The back wall could move and closed in on Macbeth as the armies approached. The end added Fleance and a reappearance of the Witches to give the impression that fate will still have a hand in the affairs of the country.
We then grabbed a quick bite and headed home on the coach. We got home at 1 am and promptly fell asleep.
FRIDAY, class was postponed until 10 and homework wasn’t due until 5. We stayed in until five to get all the work done then went grocery shopping to replenish our shelves. I finished out the day by reading the rest of the plays for the semester in preparation for a comprehensive final performance for Shakespeare class.
SATURDAY, I just stayed home all day and worked on my idea for my final. I am condensing the love relationships of the five plays we read into one relationship to emphasize the Elizabethan importance of marriage as the stabilizer of relationships.
SUNDAY, we went to church and met some new people. The rest of the day was dedicated to relaxation. I like feeling like I live here and I don’t have to always be on the go. It’s been a really good summer.
posted by Sylvia at 3:52 PM
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