A Saturday for Shakespeare

Last Saturday, instead of watching General Conference, we took a coach to Stratford-upon-Avon to see Mary Arden's home, the Anne Hathaway cottage, and the birthplace of Shakespeare. Mary Arden was William Shakespeare's mother and Anne Hathaway was his wife. The Hathaway home is a great example of timber framing characteristic of the Gothic (late medieval) period. The heavy beams provide the support for the building, which is then filled with what is known as daub and wattle. Wattle is woven sticks placed between the timber frames. Then the daub, which is plaster is used to hold the wattle in place and provide more insulation and protection to the outside elements. Also very characteristic of buildings from the late medieval period were the lead filled casement windows, the organic thatched roof and the jetty. The thatched roof requires attention and maintenance but will last forever. Often, jettys were used as a bit of extra space in a room because the streets were narrow and there was more room overhead above street level. Jettys too, prevented rain from running down the foundation and ruining the structure of the home. I was more excited about seeing this home than I was learning about Shakespeare's early life because I had learned so much about home structures in my Interior Design class.

Visiting Shakespeare's birthplace was much more interesting than the previous homes as far as learning is concerned. We took a tour through a museum of sorts, which was very informational, and then we were able to walk through his home where he lived with his wife and sister in his later years. Following the tour of homes, we had a three hour break before a performance of A Winter's Tale. I have never been so bored in my life. Everything shuts down early here, especially in the small towns.

Here is a report of the play I had to write for my class.

The Winter’s Tale performed at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon was a modern adaptation that was very enjoyable for me. Prior to seeing this production, I had seen two other Shakespeare plays. One was loyal to the actual time in which the written play takes place and the other was a modern adaptation. Between these two, I preferred As You Like It because it took place in Shakespeare’s time and made it easier for me to understand. The modern performance of Alls Well That Ends Well was disappointing to me because I felt there was a conflict between the old English language and the modern costumes, set design and acting. The director and actors of The Winter’s Tale did a wonderful job fusing a more modern time period with the old English language therefore making the performance easier to understand and enjoy.

The live production made it easier for me to understand the long lines from each character. This play has much longer speeches and less back and forth talks than the other Shakespeare plays I have read. Often I would get lost in the long speeches and not bother to understand everything said. The actors, particularly the woman who played Hermione, were able to articulate their speeches and give emotion to the text, which helped me understand the plot much better.

The final element of the play, which I enjoyed, was the scene where Antigonus “disposes” the infant Perdita at the waters edge and leaves her life up to chance. Not only is this act reminiscent to the infant Moses being left at the waters edge but also the stage setting emphasized this even more, which encouraged me to see a parallel between the two stories throughout the entire production.

When the bookshelves crashed and ceased to be bookshelves, the bluish-gray books became a river of water into which Perdita was placed. The falling of the bookshelves and chandelier represent the terrifying chaos of the situation. Times were just as chaotic when Moses was placed into the water to escape the mandate from Pharaoh for all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed. Leontes wanted Perdita killed but Antigonus gave here the chance to be found. The bear could have easily devoured her but Antigonus stepped in, which allowed her to journey down the river and end up in Bohemia where she is taken in. Moses’ was also supposed to be killed yet his mother gives him the chance to live by releasing him in the Nile River and watching him travel to safety into the arms of the Pharaoh’s daughter.

Even the situations in which Perdita and Moses were found are similar. A poor shepherd found Perdita yet she was eventually associated with the King of Bohemia’s son Florizel. Moses was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter, which immediately protected him from further danger and allowed him to grow up to become prominent. Neither could ascend any sort of crown because Perdita was technically a lowly daughter of a shepherd and Moses was not the bloodline of the Pharaoh; however they both end up having a large impact.

Moses is most well known for parting the Red Sea and leading his people across dry ground to safety while crushing those in pursuit with the waves. Perdita divided her own Red Sea of sorts by overcoming the class struggle that existed because of her relationship with Florizel. Polixenes did not approve of her marrying his son because she was the daughter of a shepherd. Many people didn’t believe Moses was a man of God yet he was able to prove people wrong. Through the persistence of Florizel and Perdita, they found out she was a Princess, proving people wrong just as Moses did.

The last parallel, which I made between the story of Moses and The Winter’s Tale, is the theme of being delivered from bondage. Moses had been commanded to deliver the Hebrews from persecution and was successful. Whether Perdita knew it or not, she delivered her father from bondage by reuniting with him and allowing a relationship to exist. By this, Leontes was able to forgive himself and make peace with his wife and daughter. He had suffered 16 long years from guilt thinking his actions had resulted in the death of his wife and children.

Many of the parallels made between the story of Moses and Perdita may seem like a stretch to some, but to me it aided in my understanding of the play. The story of Moses was the first thing I thought of when the books fell into a river shape and were cast in a blue-gray light. I do believe the director intended it to be reminiscent of the story of Moses. Nothing else that the director or actors did in the production emphasized this theme but one I had made the connection, I continued to view the play in relation to the story of Moses.