Two big celebrations are coming up this week. Thursday is The Queen's ninetieth. Saturday is Shakespeare's four hundredth and fifty second, and the four hundredth anniversary of his death. By Sunday there won't be a card left in the shops.
What do you give to a ninety year old monarch? How do you say 'thanks and congratulations' to a woman who has seen off wars, crises, Prime Ministers, presidents and tabloids, tragedies and terrors, reared children, has corgis and horses, and put up with Phil for nigh on seventy years? I'd like her to have exactly what she wants on her birthday. Her official party is in May, with pageants and all sorts of razzmatazz at Windsor Castle, but for her real ninetieth I hope she gets to do what she likes. If that means walking the dogs, going for a ride, watching reruns of Dad's Army with a gin and tonic and box of choccies, whatever. I wish her whatever she wishes herself. Happy Birthday, Ma'am.
And now, Shakespeare, who died on his birthday. I hope he'd opened his pressies, blown out his candles, and looked at his feet in embarrassment as they all sang 'Happy Birthday to Ye', but as he was not very well, the significance of the day may have passed him by. The story is that in the middle of April his old friend Ben Jonson came to visit and they went out, got roaring drunk, and came home in a thunderstorm, and he caught a cold which turned nasty. Other historians say that he'd been ill for weeks, which is why he'd revised and updated his will shortly before his death. (But that might have been because he fell out with his son-in-law).
What would he have wanted for his birthday? He'd had it all. He'd been the country boy, the man of the theatre, the acclaimed playwright. Then he left it all behind and went home as a wealthy man, to Stratford. He was a man of mystery, too. Was his marriage happy? Was he a secret Catholic? Did he really write the plays at all? There are many unanswered questions about him. As a father and grandfather, I suspect he just wanted one more birthday. I would give him that, if I could.
And I would tell him a few stories in case he wanted to revisit his theatre days and write something new. And a Tardis, so he could write 'The History of Queen ELizabeth II'. And even, 'The Trewe and Accurate History of William Shakspere'. Anything else you think he should write?
2 comments:
Hello from the other side.....:)
I forgot to reply to what you said about stargazing. I think you were talking about a tellascope. I have been to an Observatory before. I got to look at the moon and the stars and Jupiter's rings. Also, when I have been on vacation in Mexico I have taken a water taxi at night and I can see the stars clearly. It was very cool and very pretty.
Observatory is the word I was looking for!
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