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Gluttony Hath Made its Masterpiece |
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In Sir John Falstaff, William
Shakespeare gave us English literature’s supreme, if often supine,
drunkard-in-residence.
He
was enormously fat. He was loud. He was a braggart and a wench-chaser. He also
had quite a few less admirable qualities.
Referred to by Yale’s masterful
scholar and literary critic Harold Bloom as "the greatest of all fictive
wits," his character graces the stage of the Richmond Shakespeare Festival
at Agecroft Hall this summer. Henry IV,
Part 2 gives audiences a chance to see the underachieving Prince Hal
finally rise to the English throne and Falstaff sink, in the end, beneath a
wave of ingratitude. As the preeminent Lord of Misrule, he deserves better.
But
imagine for a moment that Falstaff stumbled into Agecroft’s Tudor kitchen,
seeking to satiate a ravenous appetite, the only kind of appetite he ever
seemed to have. What would he have reached for?
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Read more...
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Childbirth in Tudor England |
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an article by Deborah
de Aréchaga
When
there was an impending birth and financial circumstances permitted, the birth room
was made as comfortable as possible. The linens were clean, and the room was
kept warm, dark, and snug. Midwives, always female, were in
attendance and brought the following items with them-----a stool or chair, a
knife, binders, and linens. Almond oil that had been warmed may have been
used to anoint the womb of the laboring woman. Additionally, the midwife
may have provided herbal infusions, poultices, and ointments to ease the
process. Friends brought gifts during the `lying-in’, and may have been
saying a last goodbye given the mortality rates for childbirth. After the
baby was born, bathed, and anointed, he was swaddled and placed near his
mother’s heart. If the child was Catholic, he would be `crossed,’ and
sprinkled with salt. In gentry households, the mother was kept for three
days post-birth in a warm room and given restorative libations and treated with
plasters and salves, as needed.
The tapestry room at Agecroft Hall, arranged as it
would have been for a birth.
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