Seeking out the Bard in Stratford-on-Avon
(The Almeida Family outside Shakespeare’s Birthplace
in Stratford-on-Avon)
Fans of theater, medieval buildings, glorious gardens and small-town ambience will find a lot to please them in the city of William Shakespeare’s birth. Daytrips from London offer tours of the main sights in this town which makesfor convenience but often deprives the visitor of the opportunity to see the city by nightfall. Whatever way to choose to arrive in Stratford-on-Avon, do try to get away as quickly as possible from the more crowded tourist quarters and find quiet corners in which you might contemplate the unassuming nature of a town that nurtured England’s greatest literary luminary and has made of it a pilgrimage center of sorts for everyone who has ever been struck by the greatness of his works.
You will, of course, do the mandatory rounds of Shakespearean homes. Of these, his birthplace is the most visited. Situated on a main street right in the heart of town, you can reach his home on foot when you alight at the bus-stop. Stop to notice the wonderful exposed beams and gables of this Tudor home. Though modest by contemporary standards, Shakespeare’s commercial success in the course of his lifetime permitted him to own property in London that was far more impressive. I particularly enjoyed taking in the sight of the low ceilings, the tiny rooms, the small leaded windows that characterize most Tudor homes and the massive fireplaces that were designed collectively to conserve heat. The quiet modesty of Tudor furnishing is also interesting including the little wooden cradle in which he might have been rocked as a babe.
Another oft-visited spot in Stratford is Trinity Church in which Shakespeare was baptized. Though few scholars and historians have been able to state the exact date of his birth with conviction, we know the date of his baptism from the records contained within this church. The quiet church-yard with its tombstones is extremely evocative of former centuries, but it is the inside of the modest church that is alive with Shakespearean interest. On the left wall of the main altar, for instance, is a bust of William Shakespeare while right in the very middle of it is Shakespeare’s grave. A very simple memorial wreath lies upon it, but it is easily possible to read the epithaph that Shakespeare himself composed which states:
Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare,
To digg the dust encloased heare:
Bles’e be ye man yt spares thes stones,
And curst be he yt moves my bones.
As a result of the threat contained in these lines, Shakespeare’s remains have never been moved from their final resting place. It is interesting to note that despite his success as one of the leading playwrights, producers and, eventually, theater owners of his time, The Bard chose to be interred in the rather modest church of his own home town. This explains why one doesn’t find him glorified in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey.
Two more venues that most visitors to Stratford make certain they visit are the Royal Shakespeare Theater that is strategically located on the pretty banks of the River Avon. At most times of the year, three of Shakespeare’s plays and those of his contemporary dramatists such as Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe are staged simultaneously so that audiences have a wide variety of plays from which to choose. While the Internet has made it so easy for tickets to be reserved long before one arrives in Stratford, tickets are also sold in London. Trying to purchase a ticket at the theater itself upon arrival is an unwise business particularly during the high season as most tickets are sold out well in advance. The restaurant attached to the Theater is a fine place for dinner before the show begins. Students without very deep pockets need not turn away disappointed for room is available in the nose-bleed seats at very reasonable rates. The performance I once saw of Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Theater is the very best production of that play that I have ever seen.
If, however, Shakespearean drama is not really your cup of tea, you might want to spend some time lingering in the gardens right in the heart of the city that are dedicated to Stratford’s most famous son. Beautifully located on the banks of the Avon, the gardens contain sculptures portraying Shakespeare’s most beloved characters such as Falstaff (left), Hamlet and Lady Macbeth who surround a towering statue of Good Old Will Shakespeare himself. Do plan to spend some quiet time in these soothing spaces far from the crazy droves of tourists who can sometimes make a visit to the town rather stressful.
A few miles outside of Stratford lies the charming village of Shottery and I would strongly recommend a detour. This can easily be accomplished on the same day. In the event that you do not have your own transportation, a public bus service connects the two towns. Shottery is the location of thepicture-book maternal cottage (above) of Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway, a woman who was sixteen years his senior and pregnant with his child when he married her. Apart from its romantic connections (you can actually see the Courting Bench by the fireside in the parlor at which, legend has it, Shakespeare wooed this lovely damsel, the beautifully preserved Tudor cottage has a picture-perfect thatched roof and a most beautiful cottage garden. It makes sense, of course, to visit in summer to see the blooms at their most splendid. Apart from Elizabethan memorabilia and quality drama, Stratford offers a variety of enticing shops selling everything from Shakespeare’s Collected Works in deluxe leather-bound editions to exquisite English bone china. One of my great joys in Stratford was finding sets of bone china place card holders in a china shop that was crammed to the rafters with beautifully painted porcelain. Having combed every possible shop in London for these treasures, I could have kissed the saleslady who went deep into the cellars to find me my much-coveted buys.
Whether you wish to walk in the footsteps of The Bard or simply enjoy a day away from the frenzy of large cities like London or Liverpool, Stratford will not disappoint.