Patricia

Review of Shakespeares (Newsome Vaughan)

He says it is open on Sundays, but there I was wai...

He says it is open on Sundays, but there I was waiting for more than an hour and no one was there. A shame .
Located in the historic district of the cathedral, medieval magnificent interiors and beautiful artworks offer a window into the glorious past of Coventry. Mary, Queen of Scots and Shakespeare are on the long list of visitors who have passed through these doors.

He first built in the 1340s for the guild of merchants of Santa Maria, it was expanded between 1394 and 1414 and is widely embellished at the end of the fifteenth century Shortly after its construction, it was also adopted as the seat of the mayor and city leaders, and the corporation of Coventry remained here until the beginning of the S.XX.
Inside, a series of rooms offer a view of the past of Coventry, with collections of arms and armor early, furniture and artwork. But the main attraction is the magnificent Great Hall, with its medieval stained glass windows, a ceiling of carved angels and dominating an entire wall, one of the rarest and most important tapestries of the country. The scene depicts the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and includes 75 individual characters, including members of a royal court, angels, saints and apostles, along with a variety of dogs, mice, demons and dragons. There is evidence that was then modified, with changes in the figure of Christ and the elimination of representations of rosaries, to make the scene more acceptable during religious upheavals of the 1500s.
It also incorporates numerous hidden references to people and events of the time, although much of the symbolism remains unexplained to this day.

It is known that, for a brief period, Mary Queen of Scots was detained at the Guildhall. However, it should be remembered that Mary was imprisoned not as punishment, but to keep it out of sight of those who might harm her as a threat to the nation or see it as a meeting point for the overthrow of Elizabeth. As queen, I still would have been treated with respect, and records of the time suggest that actually may have been detained in the Greater Old's Parlor (now known as Drapers' Room).

A city of such status, at one time the fourth largest in England, was an attractive destination for many touring companies of actors during the Tudor and Jacobean era. The city archives recorded many of these proceedings, which continued a tradition of drama that had begun with the cycle of medieval works of 'mystery' (made by craft guilds or 'mysteries'), by which Coventry had made famous in past centuries.
As a young man growing up near Stratford upon Avon, Shakespeare certainly will have traveled to Coventry to witness these public works, evidence that some scholars have identified Shakespeare in his works.
Accompanied by his father, who held a civic place in Stratford, a young Shakespeare may also have been present in plays of actors touring professionals played in the guild Stratford, generating an interest and a career choice that would produce the playwright most famous in the world.