Reading Shakespeare as a child required a bit of detective work. First, I had to understand the English language from his time period. Once my brain was able to decipher what was being said, we had to dig deeper. What was the symbolism? What were the relationships between the characters? What was the landscape during those time periods? His work continues to provide a snapshot into the past.
Drama was not only in the pages of his plays. It also appeared in the town of Stratford-Upon-Avon where Shakespeare once lived. The American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, was building a network of free public libraries around the world and Stratford-Upon-Avon was one of the chosen locations. However, as part of the donation, a new building would be erected. This did not sit well with the community as the location would be the destruction of the current building as well as neighbouring cottages. Citizens protested and their commitment to conserve their community treasures were eventually recognized. Instead of building a new library facility, the Carnegie Foundation provided funds to restore the existing structure.
After we strolled through the town, we made our way to the church where Shakespeare and his family are buried. According to the church staff, people were interested in analyzing Shakespeare's brain for scientific purposes. Shakespeare was aware of the threat to his remains, so he paid an large sum of money to be buried inside the church, by the front alter. The plaque depicts a warning from Shakespeare to leave his remains alone. I wanted to take a photo of the plaque, but decided against it.
Our day ended with the performance of "As You Like It". I could finally see my mom's favourite Shakespeare play being acted out on stage in Shakespeare's hometown. I smiled as I remembered mom helping me as a child while I tried to tackle one of Shakespeare's many pieces of work. I felt nostalgic as I heard the actor recite my mom's favourite quote - "all the world is a stage...".
