Today I visited Stratford-Upon-Avon, a town most famous for being the birthplace and burial site of William Shakespeare. We visited the house on Henley Street that Shakespeare was born in and grew up in. We know this because his father John Shakespeare was fined for leaving muck outside the dwelling in 1552. After the Shakespeare family moved to New Place, the property was converted to an inn run by Lewis Hiccox. The property eventually fell into disrepair until interest was reignited in the 18th century. Many famous authors visited the premises and scrawled their names on the windows and walls, including Charles Dickens and Sir Walter Scott. In 1846 the property was purchased by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and restored to period accuracy. They also recreated William's father John Shakespeare's workshop where he would have made gloves. Even the garden is filled with flowers and plants that would have grown in the area at the time.
Coming full circle, we also visited Shakespeare's funerary monument located in the Holy Trinity Church. The monument was particularly interesting because it was created with the input and approval of his wife, and therefore is considered to be an accurate depiction of his likeness.
In the evening we went to the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Measure for Measure. Set in 1900's Vienna, the Duke of Vienna departs, leaving his trusted and pious friend Angelo in charge. Novice Isabella approaches Angelo to spare her brother Claudio from execution, but Angelo will not unless she sleeps with him. The Duke disguised as a friar and Isabella hatch a plan to avoid Claudio's execution and preserve her virginity. In the end no one dies, but the Duke's proposal seems to negate how far we've come. Although filled with wonderful, compelling performances (especially Lucy Phelps as Isabella and Sandy Gierson as Angelo), the play hasn't aged well in the #metoo era.
