Yesterday our class walked out to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage. One of the first things some of us noticed was there was ice cream being sold in the gift shop. This began to make me and my friends wonder why there was not a Shakespeare ice cream shop. Ideas began to be tossed around: name it “Love’s Flavours Lost”, have ice cream named “The Merchants of Vanilla,” “Oreothello,” and “MidSweet Nights Cream” among the other creative names thrown out during this brainstorming. Though this may seem like a silly idea, it is something that could be very popular, especially in Stratford-upon-Avon. Our class was told to notice that many stores throughout the town used aspects of Shakespeare’s plays in their names and presentation. In this town Shakespeare truly is alive and a part of the daily experience in a way that he may not be else where.
I think the fact that Stratford-upon-Avon is willing to embrace the history and popularity of Shakespeare says a lot about how people connect to his work. Stratford-upon-Avon is able to claim Shakespeare because it is his birthplace, but he has become such a universal figure that he cannot be fully claimed by a single place. This universality can be seen by the number of different people that visit Stratford-upon-Avon every year. Though the ice cream shop idea began in jest there is a true possibility in such a place. The idea of satirizing Shakespeare’s plays is not new, and this is one that many people would find enjoyable. The people that venture to this type of store may find something that “…hath been as sugar/ Making the hard way sweet and delectable” (Richard II, II.III). After all who doesn’t want to sit and discuss Shakespeare over ice cream?