Shakespeare’s Stratford
Can you imagine the features of a street in a small traditional town in England? This street and the nearby streets are on the bank of the river Avon and are pretty old in its structure and construction. If tracing back, this small town has a history of at least five centuries. Sights of this town begin from the car parking area near the bridge across Avon, the landmark of the place. Walking over the bridge the tourists are briskly walking to reach the born-house of Shakespeare.
“Where is the house of Shakespeare? How is it (the born-house of the poet-writer of all times)?” I asked to my son and daughter-in-law, who were more confident than any tourists to take me and my wife to the born-place, as both of them had four or five trips through the same streets and pathways, within last three years. They know every nook and corner of the town. Both of them were competing to entertain me with every piece of relevant information about the place to share their knowledge about the place. Both of them were selective in their description about the town and the born-place.
This is Stratford, Shakespeare’s home-town which had been named in the most fitting manner by the British Government as “Shakespeare’s Stratford”. On the traffic signal points the name of the town was visible for several times. There is another Stratford somewhere near London. It is to distinguish this particular town; Shakespeare’s Stratford has been labeled as such. While travelling from Warwick, two different traffic-boards were catching the eye-sight: “Shakespeare’s Stratford” and “Shakespeare’s County”. “Shakespeare’s County”, here means, Warwickshire. In Shakespeare’s County all roads are leading to Shakespeare’s Stratford. It was remembering me two sayings: all reads are leading to London and all roads are leading to Rome.
After a limit in Stratford town motor vehicles are prevented, they are not entering to the most notable places, like Shakespeare’s born-place, and the Cathedral. Therefore, enjoying both sides of the street we were approaching Shakespeare’s house.
Oldness has beauty, though it has a dull-look. This was the first thought came to my mind. Though it was a Sunday afternoon the, street leading to the born-house was busy with pedestrians who were searching the poet’s original home. It appeared like a two or three storied building of 15th century. Walls, windows, doors and the roof are the same of the original construction. Five centuries have taken away the brightness of the house. Outer portions of the house have been faded. Though faded or slightly decayed certain portions of the wooden frames were seemed attended and the walls were up kept without losing the original glory of the construction. As the Government and the Council have been in the forefront to up keep the monument intact, it may survive as such with its splendor into the next a few centuries!
Shakespeare needs no introduction if you have learned the basic History of the fifteenth-sixteenth century Europe or the History of English Language and Literature or the History of Renaissance in Europe. Shakespeare is well-known on any scale: a poet, a playwright or a pioneer who brought modernity into English language and literature for its present formation and development.
Present UK has greatly understood this position of the greatest creator of all times in the most fitting manner. Stratford has been printed everywhere on the roadside and traffic signals as ‘Shakespeare’s Stratford’. Warwickshire is ‘Shakespeare’s County’. Is there any other writer of the 15th or 16th century who’s known along with his/her birthplace in Britain? It’s heard that there is another Stratford, near London. The reason for naming ‘Shakespeare’s Stratford’ may be a matter of identification from that of the other Stratford in the same country.
While the street leads to the born-house of Shakespeare, what one sees is the eight feet metal statue of the writer in the midst of the street in front of his house. All visitors take a pedestrian trip on the streets. Coming to the street in front of the house, there stands the statue. “What was his dress in those days in Stratford? Here he has somewhat loose upper dress, seemed to be an overcoat. But below the waist it was like trousers, might be the Scottish-skirt used by men of that time in Britain.” Thinking these about the attire I stood some more close to the metal statue.
“Oh! What is that in the right hand of Shakespeare? He is stretching out something in his left hand? …” From a quick observation I got answer for the questions. On the right hand, it’s a pen. On the left hand there are loose sheets of paper, on which something had been hand-written! These loose sheets were shown to the visitors to read!
“What is the first sheet of paper? Is it the scene from Romeo and Juliet? If that is from Romeo and Juliet, it must be the Balcony scene in which Juliet, out of her intense love welcomes Romeo who appeared before her adventurously disguised to see her! If the next sheet of paper is of the Merchant of Venice, it might be the court scene in which Portia is advocating vigorously for Antonio!” As a teacher who had been teaching ‘Shakespeare’ to the graduates, my thoughts were flying up into Othello and King Lear. Whatever, poems or dramas that came from his pen were turning the history of English Language and Literature of 15th and 16th century, where he became the greatest leader of Renaissance in Europe. After all, Shakespeare was utilizing plots for the dramas from popular stories outside Britain, from Italy or Spain. Thus he became the writer of the entire Europe.
To whom did he hand over these papers after creation? Immediately they were not going to the publishing companies or thus to the readers. The completed work might have gone to the drama directors of the Stratford, who were waiting for new plays for the permanent theatre in the same town. There is another story: Shakespeare had close association with the performance of drama in the theatre, where he was an assistant at the entrance of the theatre. At the entrance he was welcoming the spectators and keeping the spectators’ horses temporarily. While standing outside the theatre and keeping the horses, Shakespeare’s mind was attentive with curiosity to understand the events, characters and dialogues of the plays staged regularly inside the theatre.
Anyhow, the present Stratford has a permanent drama theatre labeled “Shakespeare Theatre”. We saw the theatre from a long distance. From the notice erected at the corner we could understand that the theatre presents not only the plays created by Shakespeare, but also plays came after Shakespeare, including the recent ones in English language. Just close to the Shakespeare Theatre, pinnacle of the Holy Trinity Church rises to the sky, which is visible from any position of the town. Holy Trinity is the church where Shakespeare was baptized and the corpse was buried.
By 7.30 we were at the last phase of the visit of the home town of Shakespeare. As it was a summer evening, we could spend some more time strolling on the streets. “It may take at least two more hours for sunset.” Niya, my daughter told like a native who had much knowledge of the environment. We took up the last sight of the born-house of Shakespeare and walked sideward. Dampness and oldness of the centuries old shop-buildings were sensed by the nostrils! But inside the shops things were clearly seen through the window-panes. What are the things stacked in the shops? They are all types of antiques: vessels, cutlery, glassware, dress, .. all for sale. But, one particular shop arrested our attention, for which Niya saturated my enquiry. “This is a shop that sells new cards, crib sets and decorations for X’mas throughout 365 days. This is a rare shop.” Yes, everything in Shakespeare’s hometown is rare and unique, as the author himself was unique.
