Shakespeare

As promised, I am going to attempt to describe everything that has gone on here since Thursday. So, Thursday was all about Shakespeare. It involved a field trip for my theatre class to The Globe theatre, which is where Shakespeare's plays were performed. However, I was a little disappointed. The history of The Globe is thus: It was built in 1599, burned down in 1613, rebuilt the same year, and shut down in 1642 due to Puritan reign in Britain. Eventually it was demolished and hardly 10% of the original Globe remains underneath modern-day London. The Globe that is currently in place, then, is only a replica and has only been functional since 1997! The original location of The Globe was not even discovered until 1989! I don't know why, but I was under the impression that The Globe was the exact same as it had been in Shakespeare's day, and if not, I would have thought it was at least in the same spot. I know that the location is not as important as what is performed, but I was completely shocked at how recently the current Globe was resurrected. Anyway, the day began at 9.30 with a tour of the Globe theatre, which was very impressive because our guide is an actor, although she wasn't acting in any of the current productions. That took up most of the morning, after which we ate a hurried lunch, to go back to another tour- this time of the Rose Theatre. The Rose Theatre was a contemporary of The Globe during the Elizabethan times, and it was in fact a rival of the Globe. Shakespeare's initial works such as Titus Andronicus were performed at the Rose, but after the building of the Globe, all his works were performed there. The Rose is important, however, because it was the first established theatre. The original site of the Rose is currently beneath this very tall, very modern building, and it is being preserved under water because any exposure to light or air tends to deteriorate everything within. Only the foundation is present, and it is not open to the public unless via a private tour. After that we were taken to see the original location of the Globe. It is now under a parking lot for an apartment complex, but there is a difference in the cobblestone to indicate what would have been certain structures in the Globe. All together, it was a most interesting day.

We walked across the Millenium Bridge to get to Southwark, where The Globe is.


The Globe Theatre.

Inside the Globe.

Where the action takes place.
After the tour of The Rose, we were free until around 7 that night, at which time we were to see Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. Having walked all day, and expecting an evening of standing, I decided to head back to campus for the time between. Why I say I was expecting standing in the evening was that we were supposed to be groundlings during the performace-we stood in front of the stage, like at a concert, as opposed to having a seat. These are the cheapest tickets to get, and it gives a very authentic experience of how most people experienced plays in Shakespeare's time. They stood in front of the stage, and watched the plays for 3 hours, or however long it was. Only the wealthy could afford seats.
Anyway, since The Globe is situated right next to Tate Modern, the modern art museum, I decided to see that before heading back to campus for a break. It was the fastest I have ever been through a museum. I do not understand the abstract nature of modern art, and did not have much of an appreciation for what I saw within the museum. There were a couple of Picasso works, as well as Warhol, but that was about it. I did a quick walk-through of all the exhibits, just to be able to say I have been to Tate Modern.
I went back to campus, had an hour to rest my feet, ate a good dinner (it included black forest cake) and hurried back to the Globe in the hope of getting a good standing position. The play was fantastic...the experience not so much. I was extremely grateful that we were watching Romeo and Juliet, a story which everyone is familiar with, so that I could concentrate on other aspects of theatre. I haven't read the play since freshman year of high school, and I didn't remember many aspects of the play- Shakespeare is a lot more vulgar than I remember him being, for one thing. The costumes were all true to the period, as was the music of the troubadours, including the instruments they used. The fight scenes were excellently choreographed, and although I was stuck behind the only 6'6" person around, I was able to get a good enough view from shifting my position every so often. All the actors were very accomplished and there was hardly a moment when I was wondering what the time was, or thinking ahead to when the play was going to finish (except for the minute my knees started weakening from standing in one attitude for a prolonged amount of time).
To add to the experience of standing for 3.25 hours, it began to rain at the beginning of the play and continued well into the first act. I only had a jacket with which to protect myself, since The Globe has no protection against rain. As uncomfortable as it was, I'm glad to have gotten the complete experience. At around 10.30pm, the play ended, with a scramble on everyone's part to get back home to dry, warm clothes. I headed to bed early that day, owing to the fact that the trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury began very early the next day.
At present, I do not have the energy to talk about Stonehenge/Salisbury and Haworth, but I do not have plans but homework and housekeeping tomorrow, so I will attend to it then, and will be caught up.