Last week, while in London I went on a Shakespeare & Charles Dickens guided tour. Our guide was an actor who was knowledgeable about these literary giants. She referenced numerous characters from plays and novels. At stops along the way she recited passages from the works of Shakespeare and Dickens (dramatically, more Shakespeare than Dickens)— I felt stupid...I couldn’t identify the plays or novels being quoted. Do you know which Shakespeare plays list twins in the cast of characters?
As the tour progressed I noticed that the glass and steel buildings where we strolled had little to do with either Shakespeare or Dickens. At those places where we stopped for commentary (with dramatic quotes), we saw nary a building or garden or otherwise that related to the two writers.
Correction: there was a plaque on a wall at one stop with the notice that Shakespeare had lived in a house that no longer existed at a location somewhere nearby. The tour guide said that even the street no longer existed.
I gathered from this tour that no actual artifacts, such as rented rooms, homes, or pubs from the time of Shakespeare and Dickens, are left in London City.
That’s not to say the writers aren’t honored, well, at least Shakespeare. You can take in one of his plays at the Globe Theater, a copy of which has been built on the south bank of the River Thames.
Too bad, but London isn’t the place to find memories of Shakespeare or Dickens.
No comments:
Post a Comment