plays – Page 6 – The View From Sari's World

Today marks the 400 anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, but instead of mourning his passing, we are celebrating his life. If you are lucky enough to live in England then you have many Shakespeare events to choose from. There are festivals, parades, live products of his plays etc. Some of us however, live in cultural voids and have to host our own festivities. And because, today is the day, last minute planning may be in order!

Have no fear, I’ve got a list of ways you can salvage the day so that you too can celebrate Shakespeare Day

Pick up a play or a book. As I said earlier in the week, it’s okay to read Shakespeare. Unplug from world and settle in for a day of reading. We all need to step back once in awhile and disconnect; why not step way back into the 17^th century and spend the day with Shakespeare? Pick up that one play you’ve always promised yourself you ‘d read, or reread you favorite, and look for things you’ve may have missed the first time around.

A play’s not the thing for you? May I suggest then a book about Shakespeare? James Shapiro’s Contested Will is a great read that looks beyond the man and explores the reasons behind some of the more famous authorship questions. Now is the time to cast aside any doubt as to the man behind the plays. Stephen Greenblatt’s Hamlet in Purgatory is another wise choice. It’s one of those rare books that have you wishing you could read it again for the first time.

Explore your movie options. If you’d rather see Shakespeare’s work in action, you’re in luck. Amazon Prime has you covered. Their library is full of may promising productions to choose from. Some of my favorites include the BBC produced plays (though not Timons of Athens, that was a mess and almost as boring as watching paint dry). If you missed the PBS Shakespeare Uncovered series, Amazon offers it for a small fee. I also noticed the movie Bill is out today and is available to rent. But, before you spend any money, it would be wise to see if your local library loans Shakespeare movies. This is a good way to support your library and encourage them to add more plays to their collection. As part of my own celebration I plan on finally watching Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Hamlet. Oh yes, I will have words, words, words on an upcoming post.

If you want to connect with others but find yourself alone, Folger is hosting The Wonder of Will a Shakespeare live event; probably as you are reading this (sorry, this is last minute after all). If you live in the U.S., stop reading and turn on C-SPAN2 Book TV. Here you will find Shakespeare experts and actors talking about his work and what he means to the world.

Host a Shakespeare themed party. Quick, call up some friends and invite them over for a last minute gathering. Shakespeare, Not Stirred is a collection of drink recipes inspired by Shakespeare. Good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.

If you are like me, and have as part of your Shakespeare library, renaissance cookbooks, now’s the day to pull one out. Shakespeare’s Kitchen may inspire your inner Elizabethan cook. Now’s the time to finally try that Apple and Steak pie or Rose Cake recipe. Why not have friends over for dinner and a movie? Enjoy your inner Falstaff and sing a bawdy song and make your friends merry.

If you find that you just can’t screw up your courage to move beyond the computer just yet, well, have I got a treat for you. Here is collection of Youtube videos to watch, all inspired by Shakespeare!

I am that merry wanderer of the night.

I jest to Oberon and make him smile

When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile,

Neighing in likeness of a filly foal.

And sometime lurk I in a gossip’s bowl

In very likeness of a roasted crab,

And when she drinks, against her lips I bob

And on her withered dewlap pour the ale.

The wisest aunt telling the saddest tale

Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me.

Then slip I from her bum, down topples she,

And “Tailor!” cries, and falls into a cough,

And then the whole quire hold their hips and laugh,

And waxen in their mirth, and neeze, and swear

A merrier hour was never wasted there.

Works Cited
William Shakespere: Henry IV, Midsummer’s Night Dream, Othello

Right after Hamlet confronts his father’s ghost, he and Horatio have a brief discussion about what had just occurred.

Horatio. These are but wild and whirling words, my lord.
Hamlet. I’m sorry they offend you, heartily;
Yes, ‘faith heartily.
Horatio. There’s no offence, my lord.
Hamlet. Yes, by Saint Patrick, but there is, Horatio,
And much offence too.
– Hamlet (1.5.)

I’ve often wondered what the reference to St. Patrick, if any, signified. As with every other line in every other one of his plays, Shakespeare is telling us more than he is saying, but his modern audience does not have the benefit of quickly recognizing subtle 17^th century cultural references. It is up to us to pay attention and find the double meaning, the other layer in the onion that makes Shakespeare so enjoyable.

So for this St. Patrick’s Day I decided to look into the reference. As it turns out, I learned something new about Ireland’s most famous Saint.

The small island of Lough Derg, off Ireland’s coast was once thought of as the gates to Purgatory or Hell, depending on which piece of lore you follow. According to myth, St. Patrick was visiting the island when he discovered a small cave and upon entering it, experienced visions of hell. Some stories go so far as to say Jesus himself showed Patrick the cave and caused the visions. In both stories Patrick used the cave to show his pagan converts that the afterlife does exist and what to expect if they did not profess belief in Christ. There is no proof that any of this took place, including Patrick even visiting the island, but that didn’t stop the locals from profiting from the story.

During the Middle Ages, the island acquired the reputation as the strictest and most demanding of European pilgrimage sites. Visitors had to complete a three day barefoot sojourn of contemplation around the island, as if already in Purgatory. The Catholic owned island still welcomes spiritual pilgrims seeking relief and rest from the modern world. This island promises:

Lough Derg is an island of pilgrimage set in calm lake waters, offers no distraction, no artificialities or interruptions. Instead you are warmly welcomed and cared for: there are no strangers here.

I don’t know about you, but this sounds like my kind of vacation.

So, what does this have to do with Hamlet’s line about St. Patrick? Well, it turns out a lot. The ghost of Hamlet’s father talks of being a spirit trapped in Purgatory.

I am thy father’s spirit,
Doom’d for a certain term to walk the night,
And for the day confined to fast in fires,
Till the foul crimes done in my days of nature
Are burnt and purged away. (1.5.9-13)

Perhaps Shakespeare pictured old Hamlet going to Purgatory via Ireland, or perhaps he wrote the play in March of 1602 and had St Patrick and the story of the gates to Purgatory on his mind. Whatever the reason, this layer of the onion is further proof that Shakespeare continues to expand my world and why I enjoy sharing his work with all of you.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Works Referenced

Hamlet quick quotes Shakespeare on-line.com

Lough Derg .loughderg.org/

St. Patrick’s Purgatory Newadvent.org

Tag: plays

Last minute ideas for celebrating Shakespeare Day

Hamlet & St. Patrick’s Gate to Purgatory

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