London Myths and Famous Graves

Another weekend excursion I did was visiting the St. Pancras Church.

This is one of the oldest churches in London, and is still the local parish for many people in that area. But while the church itself was great, one of the nicest things about the church is its gardens. Yes, when you walk through the gardens you're walking in between peoples' graves, but the gardens are maintained beautifully so it's not so obvious that you're walking through a graveyard. 

But while I was walking through, I found a very nice surprise! Nestled in the middle of the garden is a tree that has been dubbed The Hardy Tree. This tree reminded me of Emrys's lecture our first week here, where he talked about London myths. For me, this tree represented one of them. According to legend, when Hardy was a young man he worked for a man at the church and when the railroad was being built it ran right through St. Pancras church. Apparently, Hardy was given the task of removing the headstones and setting them around the tree, as the bodies were exhumed for reburial. 

The Hardy Tree

Headstones stacked around the base of the tree

It's an interesting story, and whether it's true or not, it definitely adds something to London's history! 

But the main thing I came to see at St. Pancras were the graves of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft, the parents of Mary Shelley. It's surprising, because the location of their graves is not very obvious but after much searching, I finally found them! 

The Godwin family plot

Grave of Mary Wollstonecraft

Grave of William Godwin

Rumor has it that it was over her parents' graves where Mary Shelley professed her love for Percy Bysshe Shelley. 

My last myth of London comes from this famous crypt: 

This is actually the family crypt of Sir John Soane, and legend has it that it was his crypt that inspired the design for the red phone booths that have become iconic images of London! 

Whether it's true or not, it still makes for an interesting story!

Charles Dickens's House!

At 48 Doughty Street lived one of the greatest writers that ever lived: Charles Dickens! His house has since been turned into a museum, and since Charles Dickens is one of my favorite authors, I decided to visit his house over the weekend. 

What I really liked about the museum is that you first have to ring the bell and are then let into the foyer. This makes you feel like you're really a guest in Dickens's house. 

The foyer of Dickens's house

The walls of the foyer are lined with various letters written by Dickens, and immediately to your left is the first room of the museum. 

This first room of the museum has several pieces of information on Dickens, including some letters he wrote to George Cruikshank, the illustrator of his novels. 

Bust of Cruikshank along with a letter written to him from Dickens 

When you venture upstairs, you will find that there are several other rooms, including a replica of Charles Dickens's study. 

Dickens's Study

But one of the coolest things I saw at the museum was Dickens's red leather armchair, where he wrote Oliver Twist, Nicolas Nickleby, and The Pickwick Papers. I would have sat in that chair, but I fear if I had I would have been asked to leave the premises. I just stood there for a while and tried to imagine Dickens there writing some of his greatest novels. 

Dickens's red leather armchair

Some of the other really cool things I saw there were one of the earliest known portraits of Dickens as a young man, a copy of his family Bible, and his marriage certificate.

Portrait of Dickens as a young man

The Dickens family Bible

Dickens's marriage certificate

I would definitely say that the Charles Dickens Museum was one of my favorite things here in London. It was really nice too because it's tucked away on a little suburban street so it's not a very big tourist attraction, which means it's not very crowded! Just getting to see the house and some of the writings and personal belongings of one of my favorite authors was just amazing, and I definitely recommend it if you're a Dickens fan. 

So...Cheers, from Dickens! 

A Night With Shakespeare

Memorial to Shakespeare at Southwark Cathedral

I must say that attending a production of As You Like It at the Globe Theater was by far one of my favorite things that we've done so far. Reading one of Shakespeare's plays is one thing, but I think that actually being able to see it performed live adds a whole other layer to it. 

What I found really interesting about seeing the play live was really getting to fully understand the whole masculine vs. feminine tension that runs throughout the whole of the play. By seeing it live, you get a kind of understanding of what Shakespeare's audience must have felt like while viewing this play. For instance, Rosalinde would have certainly been played by a boy back in Shakespeare's time, so seeing a boy playing a girl disguised as a boy would certainly have been something very unusual for Shakespeare's audience. 

I also found it interesting how much Rosalinde's personality changes when she takes on the persona of Gannymede. When we first meet her as a woman, she's a scared and slightly weak young woman who's afraid for her life and has no idea where she's to go after she's banished by her uncle. In reality, it's her more feminine and delicate cousin Celia who comes up with their master plan to leave in disguise. 

But after Rosalinde's disguised as Gannymede, she changes into the worst kind of man imaginable. She turns into a harsh and misogynistic character who looks down on women and bullies them. This can be seen in her treatment of both Celia and Phoebe. It's almost like donning a man's clothes gives her a feeling of having more power and freedom to do as she pleases. 

But after she takes off Gannymede's disguise, she turns back into the stereotypical woman of the time. She gives up all her freedom to her father and her husband, pledging herself in obligation to them. 

What bothers me about this play is it seems to be sending the message that as a woman you can only have power while "wearing mens' clothing". But I also think it's important to remember that we're looking at this play through a modern lens, and that that paradigm makes no sense to us now, but to Shakespeare's audience it would have made perfect sense. In Shakespeare's time it was the man who was in charge, and it was the woman's duty to do as he commanded.