Saturday, February 11, 2012

A memorable moment at a monument of Shakespeare.


My previous article was a tribute to Charles Dickens, a great English Novelist; on the occasion of his 200th birth anniversary, on 7/FEB/2012 – Remembering Charles Dickens on his 200th birth anniversary”. Soon afterwards I was reminded of my photograph at a monument; a marble full-length figure of William Shakespeare, the world’s greatest English Poet, Playwright and preeminent Dramatist. It is beyond doubt that in the English speaking world the most read books are of Shakespeare after the Bible. William Shakespeare (April 1564–23rd April 1616) has many great works to his credit. His surviving works are 38 plays, 154 sonnets and several other poems. I am sure that those who have not read even a few works of William Shakespeare would have certainly heard of him while watching some great English Movies made out of his Plays. The question of not reading at least a few works of Shakespeare does not arise in India as abridged versions are a part of English curriculum at School and College.
I was excited and happy posing for a photo by the side of the monument of this great writer. You can see this photograph at the top of this article and below it a very clear picture of the Statue. A then celebrated actor, David Garrick (1717-79) and a great admirer of Shakespeare commissioned this sculpture in 1757. This marble sculpture was made by the famous French sculptor, Louis-Francois Roubiliac (1702-1762). The sculptor’s mastery and skill can be judged through the second picture at the top - from the pose of William Shakespeare, the detailed carving of the costume, particularly the buttons and cuffs and the pattern on the cloth covering the desk. This statue is housed in the British Museum, London.

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