Taming of the Shrew, Globe Theatre

On Monday in class we worked on one of our major assignments, the summaries of Le Morte D’Arthur. I worked on these and my journals for the majority of the day. This evening we had a class trip to see Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre. On Tuesday in class we talked a bit about the differences between the 1967 film we saw in class and the play we saw at the Globe Theatre. Today is also our last class.

I really enjoyed having the experience to see Taming of the Shrew at the Globe Theatre in London last night. It actually really exceeded my expectations in so many ways. When we watched the film in class, I could not follow along at all. I felt it was boring and dry, and I have a hard time getting into older films like such –especially Shakespeare films. I was expecting the same exact film, except on stage, when I entered the Globe Theatre. However, when a drunk man dressed in England paraphernalia came stumbling on stage, and the cast members dressed him up as a lord while he was passed out in order to trick him into thinking he was a lord, I knew it would be a bit different than the film.

Like I mentioned, one of the main differences I saw between the 1967 film and the Globe Theatre play was the way the genre was presented. I don’t remember laughing once while watching the film in class. It was more to-the-point and less of a comedy, in my eyes. The play at the Globe Theatre was absolutely hilarious – Petruchio even shows up to his own wedding wearing a metal bowl on his head with a carrot inside for his “horse”, mismatched socks and boots, a vest with nothing under it, and pants that he ended up tearing off to reveal a man thong.

Of course, besides the introduction with the drunk English lord, the entire concept and story line was the same in both the film and the play. Once again, this Shakespeare play presented the double lives theme very well. I loved the entire performance, but I personally did not agree with Kate’s speech at the end. I thought she was too submissive to her husband and even appeared to be a weaker woman. Of course, I do think Shakespeare’s intent was to make the shrew as submissive s possible to make the point clear.

Amsterdam, Holland

On the 21^st, we watched the film The Taming of the Shrew in both classes. It was interested to watch this film after seeing Kiss Me Kate, which, like I said, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. The film starred famous actress Elizabeth Taylor as Kate, the shrew, which I thought was funny because her husband was one of the co-directors and actors in the film. Biased? Perhaps. But she did do a great performance as the shrew.

After lunch and class, a group of us headed to Holland for the weekend! We took a bus to a train, to another train, to the ferry, to another train… Quite the journey! The ferry was nice because we departed around 9 PM and arrived early at 7 AM, so we slept in our cabins on the ferry. When we got to Amsterdam Friday morning, we got some lunch, looked around in the flower markets on the sides of the streets, and then went straight to Anne Frank’s house. I couldn’t believe I actually touched that famous bookcase that covered the secret door to the Frank and friends’ annex. The rooms had nothing in them, and were not allowed to be inhabited by anyone after Otto Frank made the house a historic place in the late 60’s. He did so to visually express the vacancy that the Holocaust left behind, one that cannot be mended. Later, we went out to dinner at an Argentinian grill.

On Saturday, we began our day by heading straight to the Van Gogh Museum. We stayed there for over 2 hours. I really enjoyed this museum because his work actually does interest me. I remember learning about Van Gogh’s late life in Art History my freshman year of college. Van Gogh began to “see red” and had absurd thoughts about death. His work would gradually begin to reflect that (Think, “Scream” and “Starry Night”). The museum also displayed various other artists’ work that had influenced Van Gogh in some way. I enjoyed the lithography because I did that in my honors art class in high school, and it was by far the most difficult thing to do! We ended up going to a few more museums, then ended the evening with a canal cruise through Amsterdam. Lovely weekend!

Sonnet 138 & Phantom of the Opera

Today in class we presented our Shakespeare sonnets. Ashley, Brittany, and I chose Sonnet 138 to analyze and prepare for the class. Sonnet 138 presents a man and and her mistress, and both of their hypocrisies. Certainly she is still very much the poet's mistress, but what is interesting is that the poet is under no illusions about her character, for example: "When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies." He accepts her lies without protest and expects nothing better of her. However, he too deceives his mistress with how young and simpleminded he presents himself to be. He is comforted knowing that the fact that he is no longer fooled by the woman's charade of fidelity to him and that she is no longer fooled by how young and simpleminded he presents himself to be.

In a relationship without affection or trust, the two lovers agree to a relationship based on mutual deception. Both agree never to voice the truth about just how much their relationship is built on unspoken truths, for example: "But wherefore says she not she is unjust? And wherefore say not I that I am old?"

The main theme of the concluding two lines is lust, but it is treated with a satirical sense of humor. The poet is content to support the woman's lies because he is flattered that she thinks he is young when he is not because, according to what we learned about Shakespeare, he is self-conscious about his age. On the other hand, he does not challenge her pledges of faithfulness, even though she knows that he is aware of her infidelity. Neither cares enough to unveil the other's faults. Ultimately the poet and the woman remain together for their physical relationship, and because they are obviously comfortable with each other's lying.

In the evening, Ashley, her mom, Claire, and I went to dinner in Leister Square then to see The Phantom of the Opera. This was by far one of the best things I have done on this trip because this has been my favorite play ever since I could remember it. I saw in once on Broadway when I was about 14, but to me it is one of those plays I could see 30 times and never get sick of it. It was great to see it in London, where the play was first cast. It was absolutely incredible and the entire audience was teary-eyed at the end.

Warwick Castle & Stratford

Today we had an excursion to the Warwick Castle and Stratford, England. I personally was very dissatisfied with our trip to Warwick Castle. We got to the castle, which was nice from the outside. When we got in I began to notice the age groups present in the castle. The only age groups I noticed were 6-8 year olds on school field trips, and 70-80 year olds in tourists groups. Our group stood out like a sore thumb. I actually did not learn a thing at the castle, and felt it honesty was a waste of time and money. Our time could have been better spent in Stratford for the entire day, or historic London. Warwick castle was so geared toward little kids that a few girls on our trip tried to go to the “Princess castle,” but when they got there they weren’t allowed in because it was for 8 year olds and under…

We then drove to Stratford, which was the pleasant town where Shakespeare lived. It was a really nice town, but we spent such a short time there that I felt like we were missing out on a lot that we could have seen and done. We did, however, visit the church where Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway, were buried. We also saw the site where his house used to stand. However, it was knocked down a few hundred years later when the owner was so distraught that people were coming into his yard and taking “memorabilia” from his yard (for example, clipping the flowers off his tree and taking wood off his house) because it somehow had some relation to Shakespeare. We also saw the school Shakespeare attended, as well as some of the well-known tudor houses.

Welsh Language

Today in class we talked about Wales. Dr. H showed us lots of Youtube videos on the Welsh language. The Welsh language is spoken in Wales, of course, and is also known as “Cambrian,” “Cambric,” or “Cymric.” About 22% of the population in Wales speaks the language, and of those speakers only about half consider themselves fluent. We watched an interesting brief documentary about the language. Many of the interviewees spoke about how the Welsh language is becoming not exactly extinct, but less prevalent and less widely used in Wales. It seems to be upsetting to many true Welsh people, as it is a reflection of their roots and true British identity that is different from other British identities.

In Shakespeare we worked on our Sonnets. We prepared a presentation for the class that we will present on Wednesday.

Weekend in Putney

This weekend I didn’t really do much because Ashley’s mom came to visit and she was spending the entire weekend with her, and Claire sleeps all day. So, I spent most of my weekend working on journals and doing summer planning for my sorority back home. It was great to have this down time because there is a lot to do over the summer that I can’t put off much longer.

In the evenings, Claire and I went to get dinner in Putney. We also stopped by Asda on Saturday to pick up some groceries for the rest of the week. It was a very quiet weekend.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Today in both of our classes we watched the film The Importance of Being Earnest.  This film was an adaptation of a play by famous Irish writer, Oscar Wilde. It presented two couples that were both engaged to each other and the problems that they faced because of the lack of honesty and then men living double lives. Based on the Shakespeare plays we have studied here in England, as well as having seen One Man, Two Guvnors, I have noticed that the concept of a double life or identity is widely used in British literature. It is predominantly known as a Shakespearean theme, because of how much Shakespeare used this theme in his plays.

I found The Importance of Being Earnest very comical. Oscar Wilde intended for this play to be a satire of the lives of very wealthy Victorian people. It could perhaps work with people across all socioeconomic statuses, but I find that it works best with the wealthy. It seems that their problems are so petty, as they do not face daunting problems like the lack of food, money, shelter, and healthcare. These characters in The Importance of Being Earnest find their greatest struggles being that they do not fancy the names of their husbands, etc.

Museum of London & One Man, Two Guvnors

Today was our excursion to the Museum of London. We were running a little bit late because the train had to take multiple unexpected stops, and we not aware that the ride into that area of London would be over an hour. We finally got there and met up with the rest of the CIS group. The museum basically displayed London throughout the ages. It was interesting to see the Black Plague and its tremendous effects on London. There was a neat activity where you could click on the main problems London faces and provide your own opinion on the issue and how London should face and deal with it. I figured the results would be shared with government and other involved organizations, which I thought was practical.

Fashion in the 20th Century in London

After our excursion, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner, then we changed and headed straight to the National Gallery where we met our group and headed to the nearby theater for the showing of ‘One Man, Two Guvnors.” It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. The play was based on an Italian comedy dell’arte and possessed many Shakespearian qualities. It was about a man who needed money so he worked for two guvnors at the same time, which was an unspeakable act in Britain at the time. The audience was roaring with laughter. This is one of the few plays I would like to see again and again.

Henry IV Part II

Today we finished watching the second and final part of Henry IV in class. During this part of the play, England is in the middle of a civil war. Powerful rebels have assembles against King Henry IV and are trying to overthrow him. His son, Prince Harry, has become very ill and he decides to spend less time with his low life friends in order to change his ways and get on his father’s goo side again.

Meanwhile, King Henry IV grows increasingly sick. He is worried about what will happen when his wayward son becomes king. Prince Hal comes to the palace and his father gives him a lesson. Prince Hal vows that he will be a responsible king. His father forgives him but then dies. Prince Hal, now King Henry V, tells the Lord Chief Justice, the highest law official in England, that he will now view him as a father figure. After the rebels have been executed, Hal is formally crowned King Henry V. 

Kiss Me Kate & Olympic Site Tour

Today everyone met for the morning classes and we watched the film Kiss Me Kate. I actually really enjoyed this movie and learned a lot about Shakespeare’s themes and motifs throughout his plays just by watching it. Kiss Me Kate is loosely based off William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Like Shakespeare in Love, it is a storyline within another storyline.  The main plot of the story is that there is a man who is trying to make his ex-wife fall back in love with him, by “taming” her. They are also both actors in the play Taming of the Shrew itself, with the same plot occurring in the play as it does in the real world. I loved the film.

Right after the film, we got lunch on campus then headed to the train station for a long ride over to East London where we had an Olympic site tour. The tour itself wasn’t what I was expecting. I felt like we could have gotten the same information off a Google search. But I was glad to say that I got to see something that is so remarkable in history. My favorite aspect of the tour was when the tour guide explained how the site itself is incredible energy efficient and “green.” The way that the Olympic council decides on which of the prospective countries gets to host the Olympics is based on various reasons, such as efficiency in the community, how “green” the sites are, how many jobs the Olympic will create in the area, and how it will be utilized in the future.

Weekend in Central London

This weekend we went out in Central London on Friday night. It was really nice to sleep in on Saturday, but when we got up around noon we all decided to go into Chelsea for a lunch then walk around. Before the Jubilee last week we went to this great Latin American pub for food and had the best quacamole ever. When we got there it was closed, but we walked just a couple blocks down the street and found a very American BBQ and Seafood reataurant. The food was amazing – we had lobster and oysters! We ended up getting a great deal on the food, too!

After that, Ashley and I went for a classic European staple, Gelato! It was great. All of us then headed to Buckingham Palace and had a nice walk around the area on one of the few and rare nice days in England. We also strolled around Green Park and Hyde Park.

On Sunday I meant to go to St. Paul’s Cathedral with Dr. H and Carolina, but my roommates were up making noise until 6 AM. I was too tired to go, but I would definitely like to experience that before I leave England.

Henry IV

Today in British Culture & Identities we spent about 45 minutes of the class talking about potatoes and the different between British and American portion sizes. Dr. H talked about her portion sizes at lunch and how a potato can definitely fill you up, especially with the amount of sour cream and cheese on it. A bunch of people shared their thoughts about the food prices at Asda, too.

In our Shakespeare class we watched Henry IV. It was definitely not easy to follow along because of the Old English and various accents. A character I found interesting in this play is King Henry’s son, Prince Harry, who spends most of his time drinking in bars with criminals and highwaymen and loitering the streets with vagrants. King Henry is very disappointed in his son for spending so much time with low class people and even wishes he had a different young man as a son. Heeding his father’s request, Harry returns to the palace. King Henry expresses his deep sorrow and anger at his son’s behavior and implies that Hotspur’s valor might actually give him more right to the throne than Prince Harry’s royal birth. Harry decides that it is time to reform, and he vows that he will abandon his wild ways and vanquish Hotspur in battle in order to reclaim his good name. Drafting his tavern friends to fight in King Henry’s army, Harry accompanies his father to the battlefront.

The British Monarchy & Their Finances

Today in class we learned about the British Monarchy in depth. The last few hundred years have seen many changes in the nature of the Monarchy in the United Kingdom. The monarchy used to be the sole welder of political power within the nation. From the end of the 17th century, monarchs lost executive power and they increasingly became subject to Parliament, resulting in today's constitutional Monarchy.

An important part of the work of The Queen is to support and encourage public and voluntary service. One of the ways in which Her Majesty does this is through involvement with charities and other organizations. The Queen has over 600 patronages. These cover every area of the charity and voluntary sector, from opportunities for young people, to preservation of wildlife and the environment. Involvement with these organizations helps to recognize their achievements, and helps to recognize the contributions of many different sectors of public life. 


What I found most interesting during class today was the perception of the British public on the financial handlings of the monarchy. Many criticize the Monarchy for being a waste of money, as it spends millions of pounds each year on simply sustaining itself. However, as far as we can travel back in time, every Monarch as head of state has given the money he or she made off the land back to the public. This gives a small tax relief to everyone in Great Britain. Without the Monarchy, Britain would be worse off.

Shakespeare in Love

Today was our first day of classes at Roehampton University.  Everyone met for the earliest two classes and we watched the film Shakespeare in Love. The film was modern and I enjoyed it because it alluded to various Shakespeare plays within the context of the storyline itself. William Shakespeare falls madly in love with Viola, a princess who is secretly passionate about poetry. They meet when she dresses up as a boy and sneaks into town to play the part of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Viola is forced to marry a rich, noble man and travel across the Atlantic to Virginia with him to live on a plantation. At the end of the film, Viola’s ship is wrecked in a mighty storm, but she is the only who survives. The final scene is Viola walking on the beach, about to begin a new life. This is an allusion to The 12^th Night.

Later that day, some of us went to the grocery store then out to Central London.

Tower of London

Today we visited the famous Tower of London. I did not know much about the Tower of London prior to today, but the visit definitely exceeded my expectations. One of the reasons I was so impressed was because of the incredible knowledge of our “tour guide,” an English Yeoman Warder. Their official name is actually the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and Members of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary – not an easy name to remember! They are popularly known as the Beefeaters, and act as ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In principle they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right, a point the Yeoman Warders acknowledge. All of the Yeoman Warders have served in the British military for at least 22 years, and receiving this title is one of the highest honors in Britain.

Our tour guide told us stories of murder, greed, and corruption – an interesting and real history of the London Tower. The story that stuck out to me the most was about King Richard III of England during the siege of Gloucester in the English Civil War, according to Shakespeare’s play. The infamously hunchbacked King Richard III used to sit on a wall in the London Tower. After the war he was stripped of his power and executed. His arms and legs were scattered to the four corners of the battlefield. Since commoners were illiterate at the time, they would tell stories to their children so that they could learn history. Here is how this story went: “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, humpty dumpty had a great fall. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”

We also saw the world famous crown jewels, which were so astounding I don’t know how to describe them to people who have not seen them in person. 

Westminster Abbey

Today was our tour of Westminster Abbey. However, I was not able to go because my stomach was hurting me a lot. I have been to Westminster Abbey before when I was a sophomore in high school on an exchange program in which our school, of Brothers of the Sacred Heart diocese, exchanged with one of our brother schools, St. Columbas, in St. Albans to the south of London.

Westminster Abbey is more than a thousand years old. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship that continues to this day. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart. I love Westminster Abbey because it is an example of incredible architecture and history in England and there are not many edifices like this in the world.

Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

Today Claire, Ashley, Alexa, and I got up really early to go to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in Central London. The Diamond Jubilee happens to be the celebration of the Queen of England’s 60^th anniversary on the thrown. Queen Elizabeth was actually coroneted on June 5^th, 60 years ago, so the entire country gets a long holiday and does not have to go back to work until Wednesday or Thursday. It is almost difficult to think that Elizabeth II had to take the thrown at the young age of 27 immediately after her father, King George IV, passed away. At that time, she was married to Price Philip of Edinburgh and was raising her children, Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward.

Royal family

Blurry picture, but that is the Queen in white and Prince Philip at her side.

The Jubilee was not what I had made a picture of in my mind. I thought it would be a rowdy British celebration including parties on every street and pub and loud cheering when the royal family passed by on their boats. Instead, it was very quiet and relaxed (still, very crowded) and there was not as much excitement as I had thought there would be when the Queen passed on her boat. We stood at the edge of the river and barley got a glimpse of the royal family when they came by us. At least we got to say we saw the Queen, Prince Philip, and others in the royal family. So, today was a success, if I could call it one.

The round building is the City Hall -- Interesting architecture

Stonehenge & Winsor Castle

Today we visited one of the great wonders of the world, Stonehenge. Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Whitshire. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks. It is at the center of the densest, most complex of the Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds. Archaeologists believe the iconic stone monument was constructed anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. The monument was used for worship and what I found most interesting is that this site is considered “ancient” to, yes, the Romans in Ancient Greece.

Stonedenge

After Stonehenge, we visited Winsor Castle and the town of Winsor. The castle is noted for its rich history of the British royal family and monarchy. The original castle was built after the invasion of William the Conqueror, who took the thrown in England becoming the first Norman King of England. St. George’s Cathedral is located inside Winsor Castle, where the Queen often attends church service. St. George is the biggest emblem of England, aside from the monarchy, and his red cross appears on the white English flag. The cathedral is one of the oldest in the nation, and it was amazing to see how much detail was put into something that was made with absolutely no modern technology. Inside the castle we toured the Queen’s State Affairs palace, where the Queen hosts important political visitors.

Inside the castle

The Eaton School, the most prestigious boys school in England. Prince William and Henry both went here, as well as former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the majority of the members of Parliament. 

Later that night we all ate in our halls and went out to London for a bit.

Roehampton & London Tours

Today was our first full day at Roehampton. We began our day by headed to Asda, which is basically a British Wal-Mart, for groceries for our kitchen. We learned how to navigate the bus system too. Last night we were given our Oyster cards, which allow us unlimited access around Zones 1 and 2 in the subway system in London (very nice!)

When we got back to the university, we had a brief orientation and went to the library to get our student IDs and such. Two campus tour guides greeted us and gave us a tour of the campus. They also explained how to do laundry here, which was very helpful since we have been living out of our suitcases for two weeks in hostels with no laundry facilities. We then headed back to the lecture room for another orientation and lunch.

After lunch we headed into London for a bus tour of the entire city. This lasted almost 2 hours. It was really cold, but we learned a lot about the city. My favorite parts of the tour, of course, were seeing all the foreign embassies in London, Margaret Thatcher’s house, and the Ministry of Defense. London is such a well-kempt city. We had dinner at a restaurant in London paid for by CIS.

York Minister & Arriving in London

Today we departed from Edinburgh, Scotland, down to London, England. We took a quick stop in the quaint town of York, which is in the very north of England. Dr. H had us stop by the beautiful York Minister, a famous Church of England cathedral. We then had a quick lunch break and headed back on the bus for our long journey to London. When we got to Roehampton University, we had pizza and met all of the new students. We all finally showered after a long day of traveling and went to bed early.

Inverary Castle

Today we headed west to the Inverary Castle, an iconic Scottish castle in Argyll, Scotland. The castle is the ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll, the Chief of the Clan Campbell since the 17^th century.

The house is a mostly mid-18th-century neo-Gothic design. Both designers SirMatthew Digby Wyatt and Robert Adam worked on the castle. The interior includes various neoclassical rooms open to the public, created for the 5th Duke by Robert MyIne. The 13th Duke and his family live in private apartments occupying two floors and set between two of the castle's crenellated circular towers.

State Affairs/Dining Room

In 1975 a devastating fire struck Inveraray and for some time the 12th Duke and his family lived in the castle basement while restorations requiring a worldwide fundraising drive were carried out. The castle is surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful botanical gardens.

When we got back later that night, we had a farewell dinner at Mums Comfort Food. Their food was amazing and we ate so much that we didn’t want to do anything for the rest of the night.