The artificial flower garlands currently available
from the RST shop are something of an oddity in terms of Shakespeare
merchandise. They are part of a range designed to reflect Englishness, rather
than specifically Shakespeare and thus the association with a play is necessarily
coloured by this. The fact that these items are rife in shops in places like
Glastonbury suggests that they provide a handy metonym for English mysticism. So,
if the garlands are meant to reflect A
Midsummer Night's Dream, it makes the play synonymous with Englishness in
the form of country dancing and rosy-cheeked maidens with a slight hint of
misty vistas and mischievous faerie folk.
From a practical point of view they are not
comfortable items nor very sturdy. The little flowers have a habit of falling
off. If forced into wearing one by well-meaning friends or relatives you have
two options. One is to adopt a rigid hauteur,
making it clear that one is wearing it out of sufferance. I would, personally,
advise option two: reveal your playful side. Intersperse your conversation with
copious puns and quibbles that (pace
Dr Johnson) are a necessary constituent of the modern Bardolater (If I beat you
to your seat, am I pre-seeding you? Young people today - it's all about instant
grassification -- you know the sort of thing).
Garlands available from RST shop and website at http://www.rsc.org.uk/shop; photograph is of currenbt RSC shop display
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