Celebrating Shakespeare’s Birthday in Stratford-Upon-Avon yesterday was an unforgettable experience. Though it was crowded and a bit chilly, it was stimulating and unbelievably interesting at the same time. After a slightly later morning start, I headed off to watch the parade, which I’m not sure if I would necessarily call a parade or more of a procession with a band leading the way. It was really interesting to see the different countries that were represented in the parade however. I feel like it really showed how universal Shakespeare’s work truly is. Thousands of people from all around the world gathered to celebrate this man and his contributions to the arts and it was breathtaking.
Throughout the day I attended multiple events, from the parade, to a belly dancing show, impromptu play recitations in the streets, sonnet readings by Nia on the hand cranked ferry, seeing Shakespeare’s grave, and eating Shakespeare birthday cupcakes (again, this country really knows how to do chocolate). Though the Shakespeare birthday cupcake was delicious and I enjoyed seeing the various ways different groups of people celebrated Shakespeare’s life and legacy, I was a perturbed by one thing. The head boy handing over the feather.
As everyone on the trip can recall, we met the “head boy,” as he introduced himself to us, at the local school Shakespeare attended. He allowed us to take pictures of him and even answered questions about his plans for university and the future. He even talked about being nervous that he would have to do the handing over of the feather during the parade. Now here’s what this “head boy” we spoke to looked like:
The supposed “head boy” on the left
And here is who the head boy actually was:
The head boy at the feather ceremony
Now after discussing it with others, we have concluded these are two entirely different people. And all I have to say to this is, bravo to the boy who fooled us, because when you think about it, he had a pretty magnificent plan.
So to this boy, whoever you actually are, well done sir! You had a beautiful backstory about how you were on the rugby team and wanted to go to Yale when you graduated, that I’m hoping is still true. You even had the head boy pin, which I’m hoping means you will carry the feather in the future, or that you were just brilliant and thought to borrow the pin from a friend for your ruse. But overall you got an entire group of American girls to fawn over you and ask you all sorts of questions, by simply telling us all what we wanted to hear, that the head boy of the school was giving a tour. We were happy and you were happy, so it was a win win. So though I cannot say I met the actual head boy, I do have a funny tale to tell.