Tate
10.5.13
Today we checked out of the hostel and took a series of
trains to get us to Stratford-upon-Avon. This is the birthplace and final
resting place of William Shakespeare. After a walk to the bus stop, and a short
ride, we arrived at the newly renovated Stratford hostel. As with all of the
newly renovated hostels, this one was incredibly nice!
We took a bus back into Stratford to visit the house that
William Shakespeare was born and raised in. We learned about the time period he
lived in, as well as how cramped the living quarters would have been with a
large family in the small house. One notable part from the tour that I found
interesting was that people put their most important and expensive piece of
furniture in the “living room” where guests were entertained. It was a way to
show off your wealth and awe your guests. This important piece of furniture, in
Shakespeare’s time, was the bed. They had a four poster bed in the room where
everyone could see it, not just the family and a select few others.
We explored the city of Stratford for a few hours and met in
front of the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre at 7:00 p.m. We made our way
into the theatre, to the third level where we were seated. The third level
wasn’t what I expected when going to a theatre. The rows are stacked on top of
each other, in a vertical fashion. This is different from stadium style
seating, which I was expecting. The performance, As You Like It, started at
7:30 and lasted around 3 hours with a short intermission. The play was a comedy
about four people trying to find love. Each of the main characters went through
their own progression to learn how they must act and what they must do to be
able to have a lasting relationship with their desired partner. Due to the production being a comedy, there
were many funny sayings and songs throughout. Some parts were difficult to
understand, but Dr. Clark, an English professor at Wartburg, was able to
explain to us what they meant. It constantly was able to make us smile and feel
good. The production was given a more modernized approach. Today’s clothes, and
some current references were used, not so much of the traditional Shakespearean
clothing I was expecting. Overall, we all liked the play and we thought it was
worth attending. As You Like It made us all laugh and we left the theatre in a
good mood.
After the play, we walked to the bus stop, rode to the
hostel, and went to bed. It was a long and eventful day and we were all very
tired.
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