21. A Visit to Stratford-on-Avon

August 29, 1971

Dear Barbara,

Leaving London from Paddington Station in the 10.30 train to Birmingham, I had lunch in the dining-car and had just finished my meal when I arrived at Leamington Spa where I had to change for Stratford-on-Avon.

An hour later I was walking through this pleasant little market town with its half-timbered houses, many dating from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. I had time to see the house where Shakespeare was born in 1564, to visit the Grammar School where as a schoolboy he learned "little Latin and less Greek"* and the garden of New Place where the poet spent the last years of his life.

In front of the Royal Theatre a lot of people were queueing, hoping to get seats for the afternoon performance. Having booked well in advance, I had the ticket in my wallet. The Royal Theatre is a red brick building, lying by the side of the famous River Avon. The sun shining on the blue waters of the river, the green trees and meadows, made a pretty picture. All that I would have seen with greater pleasure if you had been with me.

Having booked for the gallery, I climbed the steps to my seat under the roof. Would I be able to hear well? I didn't have to worry about that. As soon as the curtain rose, I could hear every word coming from the stage Of course, I wasn't able to understand everything. However, having read the play in German, I managed to follow.

It was five o'clock when I came out of the theatre. I still had more than an hour before my train left for London. So I walked along the river to Holy Trinity Church which lies a short distance from the town. The sun was in the west, and through the coloured church windows its light fell on the tombstone where Shakespeare rests beside his wife.

On his grave I read the words written by himself. He asks that his dust should be left in peace, ending with the lines:

"Blessed be the man that spares these stones,

And cursed be he that moves my bones."

Leaving Stratford just before seven, I was back in London shortly after ten o'clock, a little tired but pleased to have seen the birthplace of the world's greatest dramatist who "was not of an age, but for all time.”

Yours,

Hans

* Ben Jonson (1572-1637), poet.

22. A Performance at the Stratford Royal Theatre

September 5, 1971

Dear Barbara,

How right you are! What a fool I was to forget to tell you about the play I saw at the Royal Theatre. It was As You Like It. The central figure of this comedy is Rosalind, one of the most charming of Shakespeare's female characters. The play is a love story from beginning to end told in a very entertaining way. It was quite the best performance I've ever seen.

The play is full of funny questions and funny answers. But there are also lines of a more serious character. What impressed me most was the speech beginning with "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." Shakespeare goes on to say that in his life one man plays many parts. Seven in all:

First the baby crying in the nurse's arms. Then the schoolboy, with his satchel and well-washed face, going slowly and unwillingly to school. The next part is that of the lover, singing love-songs to his darling girl. Then the soldier, looking everywhere for fame. After that the judge, full of good food and good advice. Then the old man, his trousers too big for his thin legs, has lost his manly voice. The last scene of all, that ends this strange story, is second childhood. No teeth, no eyes, no taste—nothing.

"Such is the way of life," I thought. "We all do play one of those seven parts sooner or later." On the stage Rosalind had found her lover, the fool was having his jokes, and the spectators were enjoying them­selves.

When I came out of the theatre I felt that my day excursion to Stratford-on-Avon was the finest thing I would enjoy in England. "A thing of beauty is a joy for ever."*

Much love,

Yours,

Hans

*John Keats (1795-1821), poet