All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts’.
Shakespeare has travelled the earth far and wide, covering a lot of ground since he surfaced in the 16th century, coming to Guyana and taking up residence in the hearts of many generations of literature lovers. He is perhaps the most well-known writer on the planet.

So it was worth every new pence and old penny visiting the “Shakespeare Houses” in Stratford-upon-Avon in the sprawling county of Warwickshire, England. It was worth every pound of entrance fees (and other costs) totalling over twenty-five pounds sterling, the price of a few text books in Guyana; I ought to have taken that tour way back when one pound was equal to $4.80.

Every minute was worth the scores of books I read and the dozens of documentaries/movies I viewed on or about Shakespeare - the man, his life and work. I am grateful to former British High Commissioner to Guyana, Edward Glover, for hosting Festivals of Shakespeare films in this country.

This account of my sojourn in Shakespeare country would not be worth its salt if I did not include a certain character. My “transporter”, photographer and guide was Joseph Burgundy (as in the Joseph featured in David Dabydeen’s first novel ‘The Intended’ that won The Guyana Prize for Literature in 1992 for best book of fiction.)

Joseph, now a man/servant of modern gadgetry, equipped with GPS, went around in circles - not that I was mindful - I couldn’t get enough of Shakespeare. Give me excess!

While at school, my teachers would often say, close your eyes and imagine Shakespeare time and country, put yourself in the play, get the feel of the land, the culture of the time – the kissing of hands, the role of the Court jester and meaning of touchstone and what were foul papers, boys playing female roles.

Imagine too Shakespeare playing at marbles, top spinning, blind man’s buff and hide and seek.

Now, decades later, here I am walking along Henley Street to the local grammar school, returning to do my chores, later walking through the gardens and orchards all the way to the placid Avon River.

Now, decades later, here I am fingering the door that was opened to Shakespeare as he courted Anne Hathaway. Of course Shakespeare had a sweet tongue which sometimes got him into trouble, once propositioning him into marriage life at the age of eighteen to a woman about eight years his senior.

That union produced a daughter named Susanna and the twins, Judith and Hamnet; the boy died a few years later and the others were unable to carry on the Shakespeare name.

Despite the discontinuity of genealogy, William Shakespeare remains perhaps the most famous playwright in history. Shakespeare went on to produce approximately 37 plays and about 158 sonnets and poems. It is said he processed an awesome vocabulary of approximately 30, 000 words. A few of my favourite plays include As You Like It, Merchant of Venice, Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Othello and King Lear.

Now, decades later, here I am standing upon the Avon as it flowed alongside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre which was about to take a final curtain call with the play “Coriolanus” in preparation for a three-year closure for renovation works that will transform it into an intimate 1,000 seat Renaissance courtyard auditorium.

New Place (where Shakespeare spent his final days after returning from London) was gone but in its stead was a stimulating and informative knot garden with a semblance of the famous mulberry tree, all guarded by bronze sculptures of characters from Shakespeare’s plays including Tempest, King Lear and Hamlet.

William Shakespeare, born 1564, descended from Warwickshire farmers. His father, John, was glover, tanner, property owner and public official. Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden, was a member of the Warwickshire gentry.

Shakespeare died in 1616 but his work is alive all over this planet and moving now into cyberspace.

Despite the wintry chill (it was very cold for a man who lived all his life in the tropics with his first taste of winter), despite hazy sunshine (the sun was out most of the way that day but there was no fire in its belly), despite constant cloudbursts (like at Bartica on the Essequibo River, Guyana), I will cherish each moment of that visit.

At various historical stops, there were throngs of people from all parts of the world doing the said tour that day; I do not know any foreign languages (save a few Spanish words) but on that day there were nationals whom I was able to ascertain from China, France, Belgium, Germany, Spain and from other countries whose identity I was unable to establish.

But we were all speaking Shakespeare language, it was like a universal language, in fact the works of Shakespeare is translated into every major languages of the world. Standing outside Shakespeare birthplace, I asked (in English) a French school girl how she felt, she replied, “no speak English - Shakespeare birthplace.” She turned to her colleagues and giggled and they hugged and they did a gig and lost me in a babble of excited French.

Leaving Stratford-upon-Avon, my mind drifted to home and further back to my school days filled with Shakespeare and his quotations which got us boys into trouble or got us into girls’ good books.

Shakespeare was brought to Guyana by the English colonisers, transported here just as cricket and other interests/pastimes were brought to Guyana. Ever since then Shakespeare has captured the imagination of Guyanese, remaining a companion to the ‘old school’ even as the master playwright is reborn in the breast of every generation of school children.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

Literary happening
* Just off the press is the second edition of ‘Bibliography of Guyana and Guyanese Writers’ compiled and edited by Lal Balkaran; for further information please go to www.lbapublications.com