I think it’s no secret that I’m an ENORMOUS Shakespeare fan. I mean, not only do I have two books of his collected works and individual books for over half of his plays, but I also have Shakespearean Insult Gum, post-it notes, and a book called Filthy Shakespeare, which outlines all the naughty things hidden in Shakespeare’s texts. Needless to say, I like Shakespeare, so today was more than a little bit monumental for me!

This morning we had a general introduction to Shakespeare’s life, London at the time, etc, but this afternoon was our bank-side along the Thames! Guess what I got to see? (And if you’ve read the London and Its Literature first post, don’t give away the answer!) I got to see the Globe!!! YAY!!! Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, the bank-side walk was very enlightening. We stopped by London Bridge, which was the only bridge across the Thames at the time, the Globe, which is not a giant ball near the river, and the Golden Hind, which is a replica of a trade ship from the late 1500’s. It was really cool to visit, but a lot of people bumped their heads because of how low the ceilings were. We did, however, finally get a small taste of true London weather, so I might have jinxed it in my last post… Regardless, I got a very good insight into London at the time of Shakespeare’s career from my knowledgeable and awesome professor, Dr. Foxton. I think the most interesting thing I learned from him was that the land below the Thames was not a part of London at the time. The reason the Globe is built on the lower bank is specifically because theatres were outlawed in London proper, but the proximity to London Bridge made it easy for people to cross and go to a show.

I had a very nice day out by the river, and though it was rainy and muggy, seeing the Globe more than made up for it. Tomorrow is back to London and Its Literature with a visit to the Sir John Soane’s Museum, but until then, “a thousand times good night!”

Photos:
(Same drill as the last set of pictures, folks: follow the link down the rabbit hole…)