PATRIOTIC MOTIVATION

Recently I seem to be on a literary bent so far as my Blogs are concerned. Last weekend I spent the time in Stratford upon Avon with my wife and son, Joe. Joe had a training event on at the King Edward VI Grammar School in Stratford

(http://www.kes-stratford.org.uk/) , which incidentally is considered to be where Shakespeare was educated. Whilst he was training, my wife and I visited Shakespeare’s birthplace in Henley Street, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried, and Nash’s Place, next to where Shakespeare spent his final years (http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/content/view/12/12/).

We had a wonderful time and it makes one sort of proud to be English – to think the great Shakespeare was one of us. There were so many nationalities there – all photographing every aspect of where Shakespeare had been.

And this is why the incident that occurred the same week, but before we went to Stratford, is so disturbing.

As some of you may know from my book, The Little Book of Big Inspiration, I am a great believer in the wisdom of Barbers! Well, I was getting my hair cut at Elio’s last week and we were chatting as he cut my hair. As you can imagine, Elio is Italian. This month he is about to do what he does every year: shut up shop for five weeks and visit relatives back in Italy.

We were talking about his visit and the beauties of Italy – of which he is very proud – and the apparent fact that Italy is ranked the number 1 country in the world in terms of its cultural heritage and artefacts. Elio positively as we referred to its architecture, art, music, historical sites and all the rest.

I casually mentioned I was going to Stratford and would be experiencing our own great Shakespeare. He looked very serious, and then told me he had read a book about Shakespeare: had I noticed that Shakespeare seemed to know an awful lot about Italy ? So many of his plays were set in Italy – Verona, Venice and more?

Yes, I said, he did seem to have a great knowledge.

Yes, replied Elio, Shakespeare even seems to understand how the weather is there.

Hmm, I said.

You know what it is? He said.

What? I said.

You know really Shakespeare was an Italian – he was born in Italy and later moved to England. I froze for a moment and then recollected myself.

Let me get this straight, Elio. What you are saying is, not only does Italy

have the greatest cultural heritage in the world, a heritage including Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelango, Palestrina, Verdi, Dante, and so many more besides, but you also have Shakespeare as well?

He nodded enthusiastically. At last someone in his barber shop had fully understood the significance of being Italian. I was dumbfounded – I sat admiring his enthusiasm and his patriotism.

And Stratford was wonderful – only, I kept thinking – they’ve got it all wrong!

James Sale