In honor of National Plan for Vacation Day, here are 5 DREAM DESTINATIONS to add to any Shakespeare enthusiast’s world tour!
Kronborg Castle
WHERE: Helsingør, Denmark
SIGNIFICANCE: Hamlet’s castle!!
FUN FACT: In 2000, this Renaissance castle joined UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites.
NOT-SO-FUN FACT: In 1629, a fire destroyed the castle, but it was reconstructed with remarkable precision.
WHAT TO DO: In the summer, watch performers act out Shakespeare’s Hamlet IN ITS TRUE SETTING! Then, in between scenes, interact with the characters as they wander about the castle, carrying out their daily lives.
INSIDE LOOK:
Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall
WHERE: Stratford-upon-Avon, England
SIGNIFICANCE: Where Shakespeare went to school!!
FUN FACT #1: William Shakespeare attended this school between the ages of 7 and 14.
FUN FACT #2: In All the Sonnets of Shakespeare, researchers suggest a young Shakespeare might’ve written sonnets 153 & 154 as Greek translation assignments for class.
WHAT TO DO: There are so many activities here! Dress in period clothing, learn to write with a quill and pen, explore the very room Shakespeare sat in centuries ago…
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Folger Shakespeare Library
WHERE: Washington D.C., United States
SIGNIFICANCE: Contains the world’s largest collection of 1st folios!!
FUN FACT #1: Established in 1932, the building is now undergoing a major renovation, including the addition of a 12,000-square-foot public pavilion. Click the bubble to learn more about the library’s future!
FUN FACT #2: If you’re a teacher, you can check out Folger Teaching, the Folger Shakespeare Library’s online resource center. Here, you’ll find lesson plans, professional development, and more!
WHAT TO DO: Poetry performances, family programming, lectures, …
INSIDE LOOK:
Shakespeare Cliff
WHERE: Dover, England
SIGNIFICANCE: Believed to have inspired a passage from King Lear!!
King Lear, Act IV scene VI - The Country near Dover
"Come on, sir; here's the place: stand still. How fearful
And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low!
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles: half way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!
Methinks he seems no bigger than his head:
The fishermen that walk upon the beach
Appear like mice; and yond tall anchoring bark
Diminish'd to her cock; her cock a buoy
Almost too small for sight: the murmering surge,
That on the unnumber'd idle pebbles chafes,
Cannot be heard so high. I'll look no more;
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight
Topple down headlong."
FUN FACT #1: The cliffs are nice, but don’t forget to relax on Shakespeare Beach! (Yes, that’s its real name!)
FUN FACT #2: Shakespeare frequented Dover when writing his King Lear.
WHAT TO DO: Look at the cliff. Nap on the beach. Have a party. Walk the dog.
INSIDE LOOK:
Stratford (in New Zealand)
WHERE: Stratford, New Zealand
SIGNIFICANCE: A town full of Shakespeare references!!
FUN FACT #1: Established in 1898, the town was originally called Stratford-on-Patea in honor of William Shakespeare’s birthplace.
FUN FACT #2: Over 50 streets are inspired by his plays. Go down Tybalt Street, Montague Grove, Hamlet Street…
WHAT TO DO: Do NOT miss the Glockenspiel!! Multiple times a day, Romeo and Juliet figurines emerge from the tower, as recorded Elizabethan music and lines from the Balcony Scene play.
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