London Travel Study 2009: A Mix of Jude Law and William Shakespeare

In late May 2009, I traveled to London for Lesley’s “Medieval and Renaissance London” course. There, I visited numerous landmarks, attended performances at several renowned theatres, and had the opportunity to explore the city for a week. Dr. Mary Dockray-Miller of the humanities department supervised the group. We stayed at a small hotel called Cranley Gardens in the affluent London neighborhood of South Kensington. To my surprise, the hotel served us healthier fare instead of the (typical continental breakfast that London is known for.

Our first sightseeing stop was The British Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum. We didn’t stay long, but did manage to see an artifact based on the poem, “The Dream of the Rood”, which Doctor Dockray-Miller had instructed us to read beforehand. An allegory for Christianity, this piece of artwork is a wooden cross intricately carved to illustrate fine details.

That night, we went to see the play “The Comedy of Errors” at Shakespeare’s Globe, a representation of the original Globe Theatre, which had presented many of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. The Globe is constructed spherically, with three levels of seating, and an open area at the base of the stage called the pit where spectators stand to watch the show. The acting and costumes were superb, with well-performed live music and dance.

We also visited such famous sites as the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the National Portrait Gallery. The Tower was especially fun to visit because of its traditional Gothic style and its massive stone façade. Also referred to as “Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress,” the Tower literally functioned as both a palace and a fortress, and also served as a prison! Historically, guards at the Tower would use torture devices on prisoners, such as manacles, which are essentially a piece of iron with two holes to hang men up by the hands—in other words, our modern-day cuff-links. These manacles were either rounded off at the cuff to make the pain more tolerable or jagged in order to draw blood. Afterwards, we ate fish and chips at a nearby restaurant. To our delight, the food was very good in England, with an array of diverse foods from all types of cultures! Londoners were very hospitable and knowledgeable about their city.

We visited the London Eye, Europe’s largest Ferris wheel. The Eye allows you to see all of London from 443 feet high! That same day, I went to a traveling Salvador Dali exhibition and my friend Sheila and I went shopping all across London. My favorite purchase was an oversized blue hat with a bow on top—very à la Lady Gaga! We also went to posh bars at midday, ordering drinks and listening to music.

The highlight of the trip was definitely when we saw Opening Night of “Hamlet”, starring Jude Law, who did a spectacular job as the pensive Prince of Denmark. I was in the fourth row and had a great view of him throughout the show, as well as when he signed my playbill following the performance! We spent our last night at a performance of Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” that featured Hollywood stars Ethan Hawke and Rebecca Hall.

Overall, the trip was an absolutely marvelous and unforgettable experience!

-Maria Scenna