“My Crown is in my heart, not on my head: Not deck'd with Diamonds, and Indian stones: Nor to be seen: my Crown is call'd Content, A Crown it is, that seldom Kings enjoy.” ― William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part 3

Well, it finally happened.
My ignorance of all things Shakespeare and bloody (literally) English history,
 was revealed at Shakespeare's Globe of all places.
'The foodie' planned ahead and scored some tickets preventing me from hiding the embarrassing truth any longer.
 Further humiliation ensued while visiting with another patron during intermission 
as she raved about her grandchildren's grasp of the historical events
 while ENJOYING Henry VI: The True Tragedy of the Duke of York.
Tempted to sit next to them during the second act,
I then learned their secret...
Why couldn't there have been historical fiction cartoons when I was a youngster?
Maybe I would be more prepared for Shakespeare's world.
Maybe I would grasp the humor enjoyed by those around me...
 instead of peering out of the open air theatre 
thinking how uncomfortable it would be to stand through an entire play in the rain.
People do that you know.
By the end, I had managed to follow along closely enough to get the general idea
 and even have a strong disliking for this Richard character. 
I am still trying to grasp the "War of the Roses" reference for 
so.much.killing.
Early on, in 1580, shortly after the original theatre began in 1576, 
Shakespeare was one of four actors who bought a share in The Globe 
which thrived before burning to the ground in 1613 during a performance 
of one of Shakespeare's plays about another Henry.

Sam Wanamaker, an American actor, initiated the rebuilding of The Globe in 1949 after performing in London, and proved possible what many thought impossible. 
Reconstructed as close to the original as modern requirements would allow, 
the current theatre was opened by HRH The Queen in 1997.  

Being quite the experience,
as a 'mist of culture' filled the theatre, those around me were spellbound, 
while I seemed to be wearing culture repellent.

In full disclosure mode,
my Shakespeare has been extracted 
Clearly, I am in dire need of a few episodes of Horrible Histories 
before my next visit to The Globe.

Happy Thursday.






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