Malexander Eats the Mentors; Reaching Without

Kenilworth Castle: 

The castle ruins have been recently restored, featuring newly installed walkways offering staggering views of the Warwickshire countryside. Initially built under influence of King Henry I, the castle was gifted and eventually retaken by King Henry III in what is possibly the longest siege in English history. The castle then became a residence for Lancastrian kings, up through Elizabeth I gifting the castle and lands to Robert Dudley; a favorite courtier of hers. After Dudley became Earl of Leichester, many elaborate improvements to the castle were initiated, as Dudley used the castle as a staging ground for his failed campaign to woo the Virgin Queen. Sadly, during the Parliamentary revolution, Cromwell's thugs tore down much of the castle's structure to prevent enemies seizing the fort. The castle then fell into disrepair, however, today the grounds can be enjoyed as an enchanting grand ruin.

The castle features a marvelous working Tudor garden (restored through contemporary illustrations and accounts), museum exhibits, and guided tours. However, the best times I had were discovering the winding stair leading to the ruined ramparts, and wandering an old cellar with excellent acoustics and an ominous feeling about the damp place. Also of interest were the many inscriptions carved into the castle stone, the earliest date I spotted being 1753 by John Goodall.

Stratford-upon-Avon: 

To be perfectly honest, I was quite impressed with this quaint little Warwichshire village. I had been dreading the level of commercialism with which (I assumed) the namesake of Shakespeare would be lavishly spread across the town, and apart from the Shakespeare Center/Birthplace, this was not the case. I found the Shakespeare monument very tasteful, and the biggest bastardization of the Shakespeare theme was in the names of B&B's, which didn't offend or bother me to any great extent. The town itself was lovely, being manageable within the time we were allotted. I will remember my first visit to the town from sitting by the Avon under a willow tree, watching the in-numerous swans float past as the sun set.

The evenings consisted of performances from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre followed by dinner at the dual-named Black Swan/Dirty Duck. The second night, actor Alex Hassel (who had played Henry V that evening) joined us for an informal question session. I was delighted when during his talk, Alex spoke of Prince Hals transition to Henry V in terms of Campbell's “Hero's Journey”: dubbing Sir John Falstaff as the mentor who lends Hal the valuable skill of role playing. Our trip also toured the Shakespeare properties; including Trinity Church (hosting Shakespeare's grave), Anne Hathaway's Cottage (romantically themed), and Mary Arden's Farm (a working organic Elizabethan farm). Shakespeare's birthplace was a little tacky with a sprawling gift shop and droves of Japanese tourists. I was more enthralled by portrait of Shakespeare drawn (and signed) by Ralph Steadman hanging in the lobby than I was to walk through a cramped room Shakespeare might have been born in.

Blenheim Palace: 

This massive and rich palace was the birthplace of Winston Churchill. The palace interior overflows with history and wealth; further featuring a chapel and rotating modern art exhibit throughout the building. Although the library was breathtaking, estates of this stature are otherwise of no interest to me as the expression of wealth through beauty becomes rather ridiculous (if not disgusting) to me in its own over-indulgence. Born to a different class of society was I.

This being said, the grounds of the palace featured gardens and ponds scattered with Greek statues, a butterfly house, a secret garden, and the world's second largest hedge maze. So I got lost trying to find the hedge maze (finding myself instead in the secret garden), and had to retrace my steps before getting lost inside said hedge maze. Good fun. The grounds were designed by Lancelot “Capability” Brown in romantic style; resisting the mundane order for controlled and carefully considered chaos. Though rich furnishings are not of interest to me, there exists at Blenheim Palace plenty of architecture, statues, gardens, grounds, and views to be admired. 

British Library: 

The British Library in St. Parncras is the largest public 20^th century building in the UK; a marvel in its own right. Furthermore, they hold every publication from the United Kingdom and Ireland, over 150 million items expanding with about 3 million more volumes every year. Now imagine this sprawling building with every available seat in reading rooms and cafes occupied by dynamic groups of students, and welcome to the British Library.

Of especial note within the Library's ranging exhibits is the “Treasures of the British Library” room. The treasures featured in this room include a baffling range. Religious texts include ancient editions from Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam in a range of languages. Historical documents like the Magna Carta, letters from Elizabeth I, correspondences from Karl Marx, and sections of Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks are on display. There is the largest, old celestial globe known to Britain and fragments of bone on which are inscribed the most early known forms of Chinese characters. Music sheets featuring hand written compositions from Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven. Of course, the library's treasure collection features an impressive array of manuscripts including W. H. Auden, T. S. Elliot, Oscar Wilde, Charlotte Bronte, and Jane Austen's writing desk. In view of these treasures, there is slight irony that the display receiving the most attention from visitors is the scribbles of John Lennon and Paul McCartney; rough drafts of future Beatles songs. While these deserve both tourist attention and British pride, that Lennon's scribbling draft of “Hard Day's Night” on the back of his son's birthday card should receive more attention than the Magna Carta or the earliest known translations of the Bible, lends an odd perspective to an exhibit of many treasures. The exhibit also features a somewhat lacking Shakespeare display, though the library does hold many original quartos (both 'good' and 'bad'), but not currently on display.

Royal Shakespeare Company; Hecuba

Playwright Marina Carr's adaptation of Euripedes' classic legend Hecuba inventively re-imagines the post-war horrors of the fall of Troy. The story opens with Troys defeat, as queen Hecuba sits among the corpses of her husband and sons. Hecuba then leads her two remaining daughters as prisoners of war to charismatic Agamemnon, as her final small son is executed. After the Greek army demands another sacrifice to move the winds, Hecuba's daughter Polyxena is slaughtered as sacrifice. The story ends with Hecuba's family in complete ruins, as the Greek army sails home to begin the Oresteia.  

Carr's delivery of the play is as innovative as her deviations from the original plot. The dialogue featured endless soliloquies and inner thoughts; revealing the damaged psychologies of the characters. The RSC's production was showcased on a mirrored set, with the production features minimal. Though there was a live band and a few props, the focus of the show was on the text itself and the actors embodiment of the language. An entertaining and troubling tragedy, Hecuba in full glory and shame was brought to life (and death) by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The greatest tragedy of the night was the many empty seats (perhaps half the house or more) on a Friday night: though the plays themes made the piece a perfect pick for the RSC season, the town and tourists appeared un-enthralled by this re-envisioning of infamous Greek tragedy. 

Royal Shakespeare Company; Henry V

One of Shakespeare's most beloved history plays, Henry V follows the exploits of Henry Monmouth, now King Henry V, in his famous military campaign through France. This production will be rebooted for a celebration marking the 400-year-anniversary of Shakespeare's death. The celebration, titled "King and Country" will feature the history plays in chronological order from Richard II through Henry V, detailing the tumultuous time immediately prior to the War of the Roses. 

Now, as the first professional production of Henry V I've ever seen, the delivery of this show was everything I hoped for and expected. The cutting of the script did not sacrifice much text in the shows three hour run-time, and the staging was fairly classical with a few unique features to make the production stand apart. The famous Chorus was specifically modeled to be very common or laymen in style and dress. Also drawing from the Chorus' speech on the audience fleshing out the text with their own imaginations: the set was minimal and their were no flashy fight scenes. However, the kings were decked in fabulous period costumes. Ultimately, the production balanced a combination of the dramatic and the humorous, delivering a Henry V that can appease both those with classical or more modern tastes in Shakespeare. 

Back within the city of London, without guidance for the weekend. 

Stagnancy and Boredom are the battlefields fought with free museums and cheap coffee. 

We few, we happy few. Alone and infinite. 

"History of Kenilworth Castle." Kenilworth Castle and English Garden. English Heritage. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.

"Facts and Figures." About Us. The British Library Board. Web. 10 Oct. 2015.