Shakespeare, Zoology, and The Woman in Black

Hello!  My name is Cassandra and I'm a senior at St. Scholastica.  I'm a psychology major with a biology minor.  While I do have a passion for science, hence my major, I enjoy literature and theatre very much.  My love of literature and theatre led me onto this incredible journey to learn more about London culture and its arts.

Today, we went to tour the Globe Theatre.  This theatre is extremely important to London history and its culture, even today.  This is unfortunately, not the original Globe Theatre from Shakespeare's time, it is a replica.  This is actually the third Globe Theatre. Shakespeare's plays were performed at the Globe Theatre and were an event for all classes to see.  However, depending on the person's class, their view of the show was very different.  The peasants were able to watch the floor on the floor, directly in front of the stage, for one pence.  This led to the term, Groundlings, being coined.  The classes above peasants had seats but their status determined where they sat.  Royalty and gentlemen had their own boxes, while working classes and lords had their own seating area.  The working class had seats that faced the stage, as well as facing the lords.  This made the working class upset because they did not have money and had to watch the lords enjoy the show and show off their money.  Basically, class determined how a person would watch a show at the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare's time and after.

This is how the Globe stage would have looked for different classes!  (From left to right: top- Royalty and Gentlemen's view, working class view, Groundling's view; bottom- overall image of Globe stage from working class view)

After the Globe stage, there is still a museum inside about the history of the Globe Theatre.  There is an audio guide, that is very informative about Shakespeare, the 1600s, and theatre during this time.  I enjoyed learning about the costumes from the time and how much work went into making a man look like a woman, because only men were allowed on the stage in Shakespeare's time.  I was also intrigued to learn that the stage in Shakespeare's time included trap doors and real sound effects.  These plays that were pereformed 400 years ago include elements we still use today; from sound effects to music to lighting.  Here are just a few things I saw in the museum at the Globe.

Next, we had lunch at the Borough Market.  This is the place to go for "street food".  I recmomend the Classic Vegan Cheeseburger.  Incredibly good, even if you're not vegan or vegetarian! (Sorry, no pictures of food!)

I love museums and so happy that a lot of them are free in London!  After lunch, we went to the Tate Museum.  This museum has tons of modern art, like Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.  The next picture includes some of the art that can be seen here.

Next, I headed to the Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparitive Anatomy with one of my partners in crime.  This is part of the University College London's campus.  It is a unique museum because it is one of the few zoological museums in the world.  This is a must stop for any biology or zoology lovers.  It's a small museum and very educational.  (Warning: Not for the faint of heart.)

And last, but not least, the whole group went to see The Woman in Black.  This play was so exciting and thrilling.  I had only heard of the movie but never seen it so I no idea what the story was about.  It was a play that really left me at the edge of my seat.  The play itself is not even the scariest part, it's scary because the audience scare themselves with thinking they know what's next and waiting for the woman  Even if you are not a thriller lover, it's still an amazing play to see (just a bring a friend who is willing to hold your hand)!  There is a reason why this play has been playing since 1989.

Until next time, cheers!