This summer, I embarked on the English major’s pilgrimage: a Shakespeare study abroad class to London. I waited with excited anticipation all of last semester for this summer to come. I had never been to London before — the last time I went overseas was when I was 10 years old — and was looking forward to immersing myself in the world of William Shakespeare.
My first introduction to Shakespeare was reading Romeo and Juliet during my freshman year of high school — and, of course, watching Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet and Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film adaptation in class after. I was introduced to my favorite Shakespeare play, Hamlet, in AP Literature during my senior year of high school, where we also read Much Ado About Nothing — and watched both film adaptations directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh in class.
Prior to this study abroad, the bulk of my knowledge about Shakespeare and his works came from a Shakespeare class I took two years ago during my sophomore year of college. We learned about the conventions and themes within each genre of plays he wrote in, Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories, and read 10 new plays I hadn’t picked up yet. I felt that my knowledge on this literary giant had expanded, and I was already enchanted by his storytelling abilities, but I was missing one, crucial thing — I had never seen a live production of any of his plays. I signed up for this study abroad class not only for the opportunity to spend a month in London, but to be able to witness Shakespeare’s works acted out on some of the greatest stages to see it performed on.
I wanted to make the most of this study abroad experience, and I think looking at my number of steps per day during the month of June is definitely proof that I did! My favorite afternoon pastime was going to art galleries — my favorite was The National Gallery, where I discovered a new favorite artist Paul Cézanne (I don’t even know how long I sat staring at The Bathers). We also had plenty of amazing class field trips! I learned so much about Henry VIII and his six wives at Hampton Court Palace, I was in awe of the architecture during our guided tour of Westminster Abbey, and standing in Shakespeare’s childhood home in Stratford-upon-Avon was probably the coolest experience ever (even though it was the hottest day I’ve ever lived through).
The highlight of the trip was, of course, seeing four different Shakespeare productions. We saw Romeo and Juliet on the West End, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and a production of Love’s Labor’s Lost in a park.
Romeo and Juliet
My jaw literally dropped when I learned we were seeing Robert Icke’s limited run of Romeo and Juliet on the West End starring Sadie Sink and Noah Jupe as the titular characters. I was beyond excited for this performance and it didn’t disappoint! Sink and Jupe were phenomenal (obviously) and portrayed the famous star-crossed lovers in such a moving and intense way. This production really leaned into the fast-paced romance and maddening influence of love, especially seen in how Romeo and Juliet became almost manic after Tybalt was killed (spoiler alert, I guess?). It felt like a Gothic romance, the idea that two individuals can become so engrossed by one another that it consumes them, driving them to violence and insanity, and I was obsessed with that interpretation.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
I was highly anticipating this production not only because I enjoyed my previous readings of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but because it was the first production we saw at The Globe. I take back what I said about standing in Shakespeare’s house being the coolest experience of my life; it was definitely being one of the first people to enter The Globe and watching this production as a groundling leaning up on the stage. I was basically Jessie Buckley. The Globe is such a grand sight, and it was so magical to be able to witness a Shakespeare production performed in the theater setting it was made for — and so up-close!
This production was magical for other reasons too; this adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was so whimsical and fun! It truly showed me how important it is that Shakespeare is both read and watched because I didn’t see this story as a comedy when I had only read it. I enjoyed analyzing the play’s commentary on patriarchal Elizabethan norms, but I didn’t understand how it was supposed to be fun or funny — but I had a blast watching this! The stage design was so flowery and lush, and the costumes were mesmerizingly colorful and intricate. And again, it was just so much fun to watch and be a part of (since audience participation was a huge emphasis in this show).
Much Ado About Nothing
Despite having read Much Ado About Nothing twice leading up to watching this production, I didn’t really have any strong opinions about it before. I was thrilled to be back at The Globe — as a groundling leaning up on the stage again, obviously — but I didn’t imagine that it would become my favorite of the productions we saw. This proved to me, once again, that Shakespeare must be read and watched. I loved the modern, sleek, and minimalistic set design and aesthetic; it was a design choice and interpretation that I never would’ve imagined reading the play, but it made so much sense. This production was my favorite because so much nuance and unique interpretations of the text were added without any change in words — it was all through the actors’ body language and the ways certain characters stood to the back to watch, react, and observe.
I bought the program for this production and it contained a fascinating article explaining the purpose of the animal masks the characters wore during the masquerade party, which was to capture Shakespeare’s tendency to blur the lines between human and animal. This completely changed my understanding of the story, making characters such as Don Jon and Claudio more understandable, because of this production’s emphasis on how humans act ugly and animalistic in times of crisis.
Love’s Labor’s Lost
I read Love’s Labor’s Lost for the first time for this class and, honestly, this story really confuses me. My roommates — or should I say flatmates — and I did a group reading of this play before seeing the show, and we all weren’t really sure what had happened by the time we reached the end. However, even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the play, this production was really fun! The production was put on by Shakespeare in the Square, a non-profit touring theater company in London that stages performances in different parks during the summer. I enjoyed being able to watch a production in a less-conventional setting; it was really nice to sit in the grass on a (for once not unbearably hot) day, have some picky-bits, and watch a fun performance. I loved the production’s 1960s aesthetic and the choice to include songs from around that era!
My biggest takeaway from this experience (as I’ve already said before, but one more time) is that Shakespeare is to be read and watched. The text is so rich, it can be analyzed and unpacked in ways that produce a new meaning every time you read it. Through this class, I learned that watching different productions provides a similar experience, because it opens your eyes to interpretations you might’ve never considered before.