Shakespeare's spirit amidst autumn flowers

by Gwen Herat from Stratford-Upon-Avon

A group planting of daisies, pansies and others the Bard favoured and encouraged his daughter, Sussana who married Dr. John Hall to maintain at Hall's Croft. Some architectural remains can be seen in the photograph.

At present, one has to brave the biting sharp winds of autumn. Instead of caressing my face, it could have ripped off the skin. But the feeling was fresh and pure once the cruel wind passed away.

For a change I skipped the birth place and took a short cut through the old town to visit Hall's Croft mostly because of misty autumn flowers, fresh, crisp and alluring but destined to die off shortly when winter arrives. Hall's Croft which was the home of Shakespeare's daughter, Sussana after she married Dr. John Hall is reputed to be the only Shakespearean garden enclosed by a wall on all sides.

It is so spacious as the name 'Croft' suggests and no doubt originally both a garden for flowers and herbs along with a kitchen garden and an orchard. Down the years, most part of it is trimmed down to allow visitors to move freely and are lawns. A significant landmark gracing the centre of the lawn is an ancient and picturesque mulberry tree which has a myth behind it, true or not. It is believed this tree comes down a long line of thousands of clippings to maintain from the original tree planted by the Bard himself. Quite unique, I thought.

Poplars

There are also rows and rows of poplars with raised terrace features at its far end. The herbaceous borders of old English flowers flank a paved way giving pride of place to Shakespeare's adoration. The garden is a modern creation in its present status because its layout had been differently designed following the restoration of the house. It strongly portrays the formality of gardens during Shakespeare's days and at the time created a homely garden in an intimate atmosphere a garden full of essentially English familiar trees, flowers and shrubs. I felt Shakespeare's presence, his spirit among the flowers in the sweeping wind.

'When daffodils begin to peer,
With hey, the doxy over the dale.
Why then comes in the sweet o' the year
For the red blood reigns in the winter's pale.
- Winter's Tale, IV, III

The native Warwickshire reflects his instinct as a countryman and the influence it had on his work. The knowledge of flowers and plants and the changing seasons disclose the intimate relationship the poet had with nature. His early environment made a clear impression. Warwickshire is a few miles from his birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon and is closely linked with the surrounding countryside situated in the heart of England. The River Avon that the Bard was fascinated with originated centuries before as a river-crossing settlement that divided the Arden woodland country. As a boy he must have often wandered on the rising grounds of Welcombe and later as a playwright, invested his money in the Globe Theatre as well as New Place which he chose for his retirement.

Affection

The open fields and pastures often becokoned him. Though Shakespeare left Stratford to make a name in London, it was this setting that stayed fresh and pure and never lost his affection for their marvel. Essentially an Englishman to the core, his native countryside rose from his plays into literary history. He praised their glory and pristine white, the colours of the flowers that strewed his path as he walked through them, the scent in the air, the birds in flight, the buzzing bees and multi-hued butterflies; they all made his world lustly illustrious. He often got lost in their enticement.

'In emerald tufts, flowers purpole, blue and white;

Like Sapphire, pearl and rich embroidery'... (Merry Wives of Windsor, V, V).

Shakespeare was much attracted to the daisy, the simple flower that is so very characteristic with the English countryside. He picks the daisy along with other flowers to form a part of Ophelia's garland before she drowns in a shallow pond after being rejected by Hamlet as well as her father's death.

'There's a daisy, I would give you
Some violets, but they wither'd all
When my father died'... (Hamlet IV, V)

Meadows

The most common flowers in the meadows were full of meaning to him and what he saw in them is not what we saw. As he goes on to portray the characteristic features of individual flowers, they all come alive in my mind and many of his words and phrases guide my thoughts as I wade through the gardens of Halls' Croft.

Judging by modern standards the Stratford that Shakespeare knew was very small with a small population of about 2,000 and today the basic population remains still at twenty thousand. Apart from the Parish church and the Guild Chapel, all the buildings were hal-timbered, used from the Forest of Arden nearby that provided the necessary timber.

Every garden in buildings overflowed with flowers and shrubs. Though many of the buildings have suffered from changes and necessary restoration, they substantially retain the same appearances as in the earliest surviving representation. All visitors quickly appreciate and are emotionally moved at their simple structure. Most visitors enter the buildings from gardens through the modern Shakespeare Centre.

As the autumn leaves fall upon me, I am stirred by a song that made Nat King Cole very popular, 'The Autumn Leaves', decades ago. Known as the Fall Season by fashion designers around the world, autumn is a trying season between summer and winter. The leaves all turn yellow, red, orange, brown,-mid-green and brindle before they scatter around England and when it happened in Stratford, Shakespeare was greatly inspired.

'Violets dim
But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes
Or Cytherea's breath'... (Winter's Tale, IV, VI)