Journeys for Knowledge

As an official start to my winter holiday, my friend Miranda and I decided to go to London for the day and explore the Christmas markets. I had a play to attend in the evening so I decided I might as well explore London beforehand. First stop was the Borough market again, where we had an early lunch and enjoyed the many smells and sounds. We walked along the Thames appreciating the cool weather, clear skies, and tranquil river. In London you are never very far from the action, but along the river everything just calms down.

Eventually, we happened upon the Southbank Christmas market, which consisted of various gift shops and food stalls, and a rather interesting skate park. After walking through all this food finally our appetites were stirred again, but after making the long trek to Miranda’s favorite Japanese restaurant in London, we realized it wouldn’t be open for another hour, by which point I would be late to my play. We weaved through the crowded Oxford street and underground and found another decent Japanese place near Tate Modern. Realizing I was running out of time, I rushed off to my play while Miranda returned home.

This play I was about to attend, Richard II, was a plan 6 months in the making. Richard was being played by David Tennant, one of my favorite actors, with the support of the Royal Shakespeare Company. This play was the sole reason my break started today, it was the reason my flight home is so late, and it was absolutely worth it. I purposely avoided reading the play beforehand so my reactions would be fresh and unbiased. The play started off light and exciting as many Shakespeare plays do, but quickly in the second act things became difficult for Richard.

As this was my first historical play, I had no idea what to expect from the ending. With the comedies you would expect most issues are resolved, and everyone is happy, whereas with the tragedies you know the exact opposite would be true. I found myself playing the optimist and hoping for Richard to bounce back from the cruel fate he had been dealt, but no such salvation came. Like Richard himself, I had to come to terms with his downfall and accept that however brief and grand, Richard’s time was over. Rarely does one live their entire life in one particular role. Fortunes rise and all as the tides flow in and out, but the sea that sustains the tides is ever constant.

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